Testimonial Ilse Janse

Hi all, I’m Ilse! I am currently following the Clinical Psychology track of the Psychology master at EUR and I would love to share some of my experiences with you! It took me a while to figure out that Psychology was the study I wanted to do.  After graduating from high school, I started studying Medicine, also at the EUR. I was going to be a doctor. Although I found the study content very interesting, after a few years I found myself doubting if working as a doctor in a hospital was really my dream. (still don’t know if being a psychologist is my dream job, but until now I like the idea ). What I did notice was that I loved the conversations with patients, and also enjoyed my part-time job at the psychiatry department. After a while, I decided to stop ignoring my ongoing restlessness, took the plunge and enrolled in the Psychology bachelor at EUR. Luckily that went very well. Years passed quickly, and look where I am now: almost graduated.

I experience the course of the Clinical Psychology programme as quite interesting. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, all lessons were given online. Nevertheless, most teachers managed to make something interesting out of it very well, by giving room for interaction and questions. The personality disorders block was my favourite one, because I learned a lot about all kinds of disorders, how they arise and what kind of treatments are available to offer. The block ‘Severe mental illness in urban context’ made you think about current mental health policies. There was plenty of room for discussion and questions, and the course helped in keeping you sharp. Not to keep doing things a certain way because you learned so, but to keep thinking about what is best for the patient.

During the master Clinical Psychology, you will also get acquainted with several practical elements, such as schema therapy, couples therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. The practicals teach you the basic techniques of CBT. In addition, you learn to reflect on your own functioning as a psychologist, by giving and receiving feedback from fellow students.  

For the past six months, I did an internship at the Bipolar Disorder department at PsyQ. The practical skills I learned in this master along with the theoretical knowledge were very helpful and made my internship a valuable experience.

My future plans? First, beat my thesis struggle, then find a job. I look forward to really getting started, gaining a lot of experience and keep on learning. About myself, other people, new treatments, and much more. Do you also like to learn more about addiction, personality disorders, several treatments and working as a clinical psychologist? Then I would really recommend joining the Clinical Psychology master!