Autobiography

At the age of 12, I had already decided to become a psychotherapist. I still have the diary that I wrote in this big decision of mine. Now, almost twenty years later, I'm still in love with this magnificent science and career, and believe that I made the best decision that a 12 year old could make for her future life.
~ Bahar
~ Bahar
I was born in Northern Iran in 1983, and lived there until I was 15. I was accepted into a Farzanegan school for gifted students, and spent my elementary school and part of my high school years there. My family then immigrated to Tehran, the capital of Iran, and I continued my studies at Shahid Mahdavi Educational Complex which is one of the most reputable international schools in the Middle East. At the age of 12, I had already decided to become a psychotherapist. I still have the diary that I wrote in, this big decision of mine. Now, almost twenty years later, I'm still in love with this magnificent science and career, and believe that I made the best decision that a 12 year old could make for her future life.
In 2002, I was delighted to be accepted into the psychology program at Allameh Tabatabai university (ATU), Iran's most renowned university for social sciences and humanities. I completed my B.Sc in 2006, and went on to attain my M.A. in Psychology from Alzahra University in 2007.
For my Master's thesis, my research topic developed from personal questions and interests. I had been contemplating moving to Canada and wondered whether this would be a good choice for me, so I decided to explore this matter in a scientific way! I conducted a research study that looked at the difference in Mental Health and Life Satisfaction in Iranian youth (18-35 years old) who had moved to Canada, compared to those who were still living in Iran. The results were significant! The young people who had moved to Canada experienced significantly higher levels of mental health and life satisfaction than those in Iran. As positive mental health and life satisfaction are important, these findings helped me make a decision! I immigrated to Canada and have been living in Toronto since 2012.
Before immigrating to Canada, I took a number of post-graduate professional courses in psychotherapy. I also acquired several years of experience working in counselling, psychotherapy, psychological research and psychometry with different organizations and companies. After my move to Toronto, I have continued my career in psychology, I am now working as a registered psychotherapist at "Better Life Counselling Center".
In my spare time, I love singing classical music and currently am a member of the Ryerson University "Oakham House Choir" as one of its Sopranos. I have participated in two concerts with this choir since I joined it and look forward to more singing and joy!
In 2002, I was delighted to be accepted into the psychology program at Allameh Tabatabai university (ATU), Iran's most renowned university for social sciences and humanities. I completed my B.Sc in 2006, and went on to attain my M.A. in Psychology from Alzahra University in 2007.
For my Master's thesis, my research topic developed from personal questions and interests. I had been contemplating moving to Canada and wondered whether this would be a good choice for me, so I decided to explore this matter in a scientific way! I conducted a research study that looked at the difference in Mental Health and Life Satisfaction in Iranian youth (18-35 years old) who had moved to Canada, compared to those who were still living in Iran. The results were significant! The young people who had moved to Canada experienced significantly higher levels of mental health and life satisfaction than those in Iran. As positive mental health and life satisfaction are important, these findings helped me make a decision! I immigrated to Canada and have been living in Toronto since 2012.
Before immigrating to Canada, I took a number of post-graduate professional courses in psychotherapy. I also acquired several years of experience working in counselling, psychotherapy, psychological research and psychometry with different organizations and companies. After my move to Toronto, I have continued my career in psychology, I am now working as a registered psychotherapist at "Better Life Counselling Center".
In my spare time, I love singing classical music and currently am a member of the Ryerson University "Oakham House Choir" as one of its Sopranos. I have participated in two concerts with this choir since I joined it and look forward to more singing and joy!