After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at VU Amsterdam in 2007, Bonnie van Geldorp decided to continue her academic career with a Research Master’s in Cognitive Neuropsychology, as one of the first group of students to participate in the VU’s programme. “The Research Master’s equipped me with knowledge about psychological and psychiatric problems that still serve me well in my job today,” says Bonnie. “What’s more, I gained analytical and investigative skills that come in handy for the complex diagnostics work that I do. Essentially, the Research Master’s wasn’t just about research – it trained me to be a scientist-practitioner.”
PhD preparation
Perhaps most importantly, Bonnie’s Research Master’s degree prepared her for the PhD she was to start in 2009 at Radboud Universiteit in Nijmegen, the topic of which was neuropsychological studies on the interaction of working memory and long-term memory formation. “I carried out patient-related research that focused on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, Korskov and cerebral haemorrhage or stroke, as well as the effects of healthy aging on memory.”
Clinical work on mental health
In addition to her academic studies, Bonnie took a clinical internship and some additional training to qualify to work in the mental health sector, and to be eligible to participate in the mental health qualification at RINO Zuid in Eindhoven. And that, ultimately, is what led her to the Vincent van Gogh Institute for mental health. “I started my clinical internship there in 2014, right after I finished my dissertation. After two years of education at RINO Zuid and clinical work at the Vincent van Gogh Institute, I started working in my current department as a mental health psychologist. I work at an outpatient clinic for elderly people (65+) who have psychiatric problems. There, I treat people with depression, anxiety disorders and/or personality problems.” Bonnie provides group treatment (cognitive behavioural therapy and schema focused therapy) and individual treatment (cognitive behavioural therapy, schema focused therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)). “I also supervise neuropsychological diagnostic tests and have meetings focused on policy and organisation at the Institute as a member of the board of psychologists.
“I really enjoy working in mental healthcare – it’s such an important and often overlooked area of medicine. My days are extremely varied, and my scientific skills are still challenged by the complexity of the patients I work with.”
Professional planning
Bonnie is adamant that her Research Master’s was the stepping stone to her PhD, which helped her secure a place for her mental health qualification, which led to her career as a mental health psychologist. “Think carefully about what career you want to follow in the end, and make plans to achieve it,” she advises. “Doing a Research Master’s always adds value, even if you ultimately want to work clinically.”
