Career Discovery Nights: what is your future hiding?

My name is Janna Termeer. I find our species and our behavior fascinating. That’s why, in 2014, I graduated with an MA in Psychology (specializing in Work and Organizational Psychology). Now, I work as a psychologist and trainer at Fast Lane Vitality. In this role, I have one-on-one conversations with employees from various organizations who are dealing with mental health issues (such as stress, overwork, burnout, anxiety, and mild depression). I also regularly lead workshops and training sessions on mental resilience and stress management at companies.

In recent years, I’ve focused on helping people accept that life is not always within our control. Sadness, uncertainty, fear, shame, and similar discomforts are simply part of life. Yet, I see that as a society, we’ve gone too far in our pursuit of happiness and success. The result is that many people believe there’s something wrong with them if they’re not feeling great. As the Flemish psychiatrist Dirk de Wachter so aptly puts it: we’ve unlearned how to endure ordinary suffering. I find it rewarding work to help people feel okay with sometimes just being unhappy.

This is also what I wish for students. The period of graduating and gaining your first work experiences can be both exciting and challenging. For me, it felt like a time when I had to quickly realize my ambitions and be very happy. Pushing away feelings of insecurity, fear, and sadness eventually broke me, leading to emotional exhaustion. I hope you give yourself the peace and space to let (working) life unfold more as it comes.

The amount of people who live with dementia is increasing rapidly in our ageing society. There is no cure for dementia (yet) and the disease has a big impact on society as a whole, but most importantly on people with dementia and their informal carers. These facts highly motivate me to contribute to the support and well-being of people with dementia and their loved ones.

My role focuses on three main activities. First, I connect people living people living with dementia to volunteers through our buddy project, providing them with meaningful social support. Second, I collaborate on various projects aimed at improving dementia and informal care support in Utrecht, working alongside partners like the municipality, dementia case managers, and dementia care organizations. Third, I offer and host trainings about dementia and related topics for informal carers, volunteers and health care professionals.

What I’d like to share with you: Don't worry if your dream job does not appear to be your dream job after all. Life will always offer new opportunities to find the things you feel intrinsically motivated for. A nice thing about the master's programme that you're doing right now, is its connection with and translation of science to practice. I'm sure that with that you'll be able to make great impact in the field(s) of your interest.

Healthcare is going through a massive reforms. These transformations are not just about what kind of care is given, but who is responsible for it and, crucially, who gets access. I work directly with local communities to really understand what’s happening on the ground and to push for solutions that make the system more just and fair. 

I work as a researcher at Planbureau Fryslân and an external PhD candidate at the University of Groningen. In collaborate with care organizations and advisors to monitor developments and propose changes to the system. In practice? That means some project management, some strategic advising, creating dashboard, media outreach and honestly, a lot of talking to people to connect the dots.

My own path from highschool to here wasn't a straight line. It was bumpy and full of lucky coincidences. My advice? Don't stress too much about finding the perfect specific "job title." Instead, focus on the kind of impact you want to make. Holding onto that bigger picture helped me find opportunities I never had imagined. 

My name is Ieva Baršauskaitė, I am a clinical psychologist and Gestalt coach and counsellor. I work in my private psychology practice in Amsterdam with adults, individually and in groups. I also co-facilitate workshops on the topics of identity, dialogue and conflict. 

I find myself in a world that is hurting. I also find myself in a world full of beauty and resilience. For me life is both - pain and beauty. What draws me to the work of psychotherapy is the opportunity to contribute to collective healing and building environments that are caring, supportive and inclusive. That is how I imagine our world to be(come). Undoing oppression, violence and domination in personal therapy work is political for me. Changes within individuals have direct impact to our society. 

I also love working with groups. It replicates our more natural state of being among peers and learning how can we hear each other, how do we share, listen and care for one another in real time. It is a precious and difficult work. Group work is necessary as we are becoming increasingly isolated, lonely and siloed in our bubbles.  

I wish for you to learn about yourself, discover your passions, invest in your pleasure. To find your place in this world, we need to know ourselves and what is important to us, and this knowledge comes from within. 

I want to reassure you - you have time. There can be many career shifts in your life time, and probably there will be. Follow what interest you, what you are naturally good at, what draws you. It does not have to be “trendy” or prestigious.” 

For people interested in working in healthcare - it is a rewarding and challenging field, often with high workloads and high levels of burnout. It is crucial that you learn how to take care of yourself, your boundaries, listen to your body and find a way that works for you.  

For international students - finding your place in NL can be hard. Living an immigrant life has its own challenges. It is a never ending exploration of (non)belonging. I am happy to share my experience and answer any questions you have.