Riddhi Pal

Student advisor specialising in counselling courses

Connect with Riddhi 

Riddhi is our specialist in counselling course advice at Open Universities Australia. As a student advisor, she helps people take the first step towards a career in counselling and find a flexible study path that works for them.

With her own qualifications in the field, Riddhi understands the study journey firsthand. She’s passionate about giving students the clarity and confidence she once needed, so they can go on to make a difference in others’ lives.

Riddhi would love to talk to you about:

• Counselling and mental health
• Study planning and progression
• Student wellbeing and resilience
• Time management and balancing competing priorities

Riddhi reveals how she found her own path through study

What did you study at university?

I studied a Bachelor of Psychology at Deakin University, graduating in 2022. I've always been drawn to mental health – how we respond to different events, and how those events go on to shape who we become. During my degree, I also explored criminology, sociology and religious studies, which broadened how I think about people and their journeys.

I completed my Diploma of Counselling in 2026, and I’m working towards registration with the Australian Counselling Association. This gives me a deeper, more personal understanding of the counselling pathway I help students navigate.

What led you to start working for Open Universities Australia?

Since graduating, I've worked in the higher education sector, driven by a simple motivation: to guide students the way I once needed guiding. In 2024, I came across the opportunity to become a student advisor, and it just clicked. Learning that Open Universities Australia is not-for-profit and exists to help people access education and work toward a better future was exactly what I'd been looking for.

What's your favourite part about helping students?

My favourite part of the job is genuinely helping and guiding students. Most conversations start with "I have no idea where to go" or "I don't know what to do," and end with "I didn't know it was this simple."

I was once a student who needed guidance and confidence, and being able to offer that to someone else now is deeply rewarding.

Why are you passionate about helping students who are interested in studying counselling?

Students who are passionate about counselling or psychology remind me of where my own passion began. Helping people find their way into mental health work feels full circle – I'm finally in a position to point them in the right direction. And helping creates a ripple effect: I help someone, and they go on to help someone else.