In this edition of the CEStafette Marte Disse is interviewed by JEROM EBENAU
Hi Marte, thanks for agreeing to do this interview! I first got to know who you are during one of the CES events. When I was younger, I considered studying psychology for a long time. Although I ended up doing something else, I would love to hear what your work is like as a student psychologist. Could you first tell me what drew you to this field?
That developed over a longer period. I had been interested in psychology for a while, but I first studied Social Work at Saxion. Eventually, I thought to myself, well why wouldn’t I just do psychology after all? So, I registered and went through all the processes. In my first statistics lecture, I did get spooked a little bit and I saw the challenge ahead of me, but of course, it all worked out fine. I never really ‘planned’ to do this as such, but I just really enjoy getting to know the current generation of students, they are very different from my generation.
How did you get to this position?
Well, I used to study here myself and that was quite an experience because I did not start my studies until I was 42. I always liked being at UT and felt comfortable here. After graduating, it was not very easy to find a job, so for a while I worked in healthcare, but I kept an eye on job openings at UT because I really wanted to work there. Then I found a position as a student psychologist and even though I was ‘just’ a basic psychologist, I was excited about this function. Since I had just recently studied here, I could understand students’ experiences. There was another and more experienced candidate who also applied, but because I connected well with the team and had life experience, in the end, I was hired.
What skills do you think are essential for your position?
Conversational skills, good listening skills. And I think it’s especially important to position yourself in a neutral way when someone enters the room, to make them feel comfortable. Especially here, some students have never talked to a professional in this way before. Also, it’s important to be neutral in the sense that you do not judge, you have to be open.
What does an average day look like for you?
Well, of course, there are conversations, and individual sessions. It differs how many of them I have, usually around five or six a day, each lasting 45 minutes. A colleague and I also train students to deal with the fear of failure every week. And of course, there are the usual meetings. Between sessions I work on what was discussed to build up a file on the student. Students can have a limited number of sessions with us. If the sessions are not sufficient, we look at whether the student could benefit from group sessions, or we recommend they find help through their GP who can refer them to a long-term mental health professional. We do not diagnose students, so for matters that need more attention than e.g. procrastination, we can refer them to external health professionals.
What do you like most about your job?
You meet people from all over the world who open up to you. That’s very special and beautiful to me. There are a lot of differences between cultures but also generations. In the past students wanted to study for an extended period and would delay starting work. Now students call themselves old and feel a lot of time pressure. Even just half a year’s delay in their studies seems like too much to some of them. Additionally, because of the pandemic, I think there are more students with social anxiety. Especially students who were in puberty during that period might have difficulties in the coming time.
Have you noticed any big changes in the number of students who visit you and what they visit for in the past 4 years?
Well, I have only been here for two years, so I can’t really tell. But of course, students mention the pandemic, as well as other things going on in the world.
What do you like about working at CES and SACC?
I really, really like my colleagues. I’ve never had a team like this before. When I was working in healthcare, I was in a team that was a bit difficult to work with. Here I feel like I’m part of a team. Outside of the team as well, I like to just have a quick chat in the hallway, or at CES events like the Christmas event. I like to approach people there that I don’t know yet and who might be working on something completely different.
What do you like to do in your free time and how do you keep a healthy work-life balance?
Travelling. I try to travel as much as I can. Last year I was in Japan, that was a lot of fun. I also have a dog. On top of work, I often take care of my mother. For example, last year she broke her leg. After all those things you do not have a lot of time left.
I’m creative too, I like to paint and draw. For a while, I did not have a lot of room at home, so I made very small paintings, but it can be anything. The process is more important to me than the outcome. I primarily do it to unwind.
Keeping a work-life balance can be challenging. Of course, sometimes after work, I still think about work. But it’s not something I dislike; I’m just really interested in my field. I like to journal now and then to let go. My dog also really helps me forget about my work. I can’t say I have that many difficulties keeping a balance!
If you could be fluent in a language you do not speak yet, which one would it be and why?
Language is really important to me, it’s something that I like about my job as well. I switch between speaking Dutch, English and German all the time. I would like to be able to speak French since I have relatives in France but still can’t speak it. Japanese also sounds nice, but I think it would be really difficult. I think it would be easiest to learn while I’m there. I know that when I visit my family in Paris, it gets easier to speak or sometimes I even think in French. Before starting psychology, I considered training to become an interpreter, but it was not possible to do this nearby.
What song do you consider your anthem and why?
That changes over time. Nowadays I would say Gregory Porter’s song No Love Dying. The song builds up well and has a warm, comforting atmosphere, like putting on a coat. I like not to listen to anything on the way home, but in the evening I love to listen to this song.
Thank you so much, Marte, for doing this interview! It was nice getting to know you and hopefully, we will run into each other around Vrijhof again!
