Growing up in a small, impoverished county in Inner Mongolia, China, I was surrounded by the stark reality of limited resources. Our town had no libraries or cultural facilities. However, I consider myself fortunate because my mother, during one of her work trips to the city, bought me an encyclopedia. This book introduced me to the fascinating world of psychology when I was still in primary school. The psychology section captivated me so much that I read it multiple times until it was almost worn out. This early exposure to scientific experiments in psychology sparked a deep and lasting interest in the field. During my middle school years, I seized every opportunity to visit bookstores in search of psychology books. It often took visits to three bookstores to find one book on psychology. One book that particularly opened my eyes to what happens in psychological counseling is the realistic novel The Female Therapist. This book made me realize that this is the work I want to do. Subsequently, I have sought out and read many other books and materials on psychological counseling. My dream was to study psychology at a university in a major city and pursue a career in clinical or counseling psychology. However, due to financial constraints, my family encouraged me to choose a more practical path. Consequently, I enrolled in a local university to study finance, a field more likely to lead to immediate employment. Despite this practical decision, my passion for psychology remained undiminished. I continued to self-study and took on the role of head of the psychology department in the student union, where I organized mental health training and support for my peers. After graduation and entering the workforce, I used my earnings to further my education in psychology through counselor training programs. Balancing work with my studies, I was eventually able to enroll in the Master's program in Applied Psychology at Beijing Normal University. This was a transformative period in my life, as I finally immersed myself in formal psychology education and participated in laboratory research. Although writing my thesis was challenging due to my limited research experience, I sought help extensively and utilized online resources, which culminated in my thesis being recognized as an excellent thesis by the university. This achievement bolstered my confidence and fueled my desire to pursue a Ph.D. When considering my options for doctoral studies, I decided to pursue education in the United States. I learned that US programs provide comprehensive theoretical and clinical practice training that is highly systematic and scientifically based. This is quite different from doctoral programs in China, which primarily focus on research and offer limited clinical training. Additionally, there are fewer than ten such programs available in China. Despite the significant financial burden of studying abroad, I resolved to save money and apply to programs in the U.S. through diligent work and preparation. Now, as a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Ball State University, I am actively engaged in both research and clinical practice. This program’s structure allows me to integrate clinical practice with social psychology. I found that many psychological issues are deeply intertwined with societal factors. For example, my research revealed that higher social status in women correlates with an increased tendency for men to exert covert psychological violence in intimate relationships. Applying these insights in clinical practice has yielded significant improvements for my clients, helping them alleviate long-standing pressures.