The most important piece of advice is to respond to the questions asked in the prompt and to adhere to length and style requirements. Beyond that, the personal statement is the primary way for the Admissions Committee to learn more about you. There is no need to rehash your resume – take the opportunity to talk about your passions and interests specific to psychology or counseling.
You are welcome to address personal circumstances or hardship in your application if it helps frame your interest in the field. Please remember, however, that your personal statement is not a diary entry or a counseling session. Oversharing can raise concerns about boundary issues and personal judgment. If you address a past hardship, we encourage you to provide analysis and self-reflection of the situation rather than just a description of what happened. If the situation is too fresh, and you feel you cannot distance yourself enough to provide analysis yet, it may be best to choose another topic for your personal statement.
Review each program's individual admissions page for program-specific criteria. You can check out Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab for guidance on writing a personal statement.