Interview with Nikol Bisahová
Who are you? Present yourself
Hi! My name is Nikol Bisahová and I´m coming from small town called Púchov in Slovakia. I was studying Psychology and during my studies I´ve had the opportunity to study one year in Scandinavian countries, thanks to Erasmus+. With this experience I explored my passion for traveling, getting to know new people from another cultures and improving languages. In my spare time I enjoy reading books, going for a run, hiking, meeting friends and spending time in the nature. I am very open-minded and easy-going person who likes to socializ .
Why did you choose to do an Erasmus Plus Traineeship project?
When I finished my studies I really wanted to connect the knowledge I obtained in the university with real experience in my field. I also preferred to do traineeship somewhere abroad and therefore I chose Erasmus Plus Traineeship because it was exactly what I was looking for. This opportunity was great for getting the real experience, personal & professional development.
Why in Spain with Mille Cunti?
I chose Mille Cunti because this organisation caught my attention immediately. When I found out that they are looking for interns, I´ve read the main tasks of the traineeship and I was just amazed by the offer. I have never seen opportunity like this before. Something in different country, related to my studies, doing activities in different units of hospital, helping old people or people with mental issues and working in international team. It was a great match with something what I was looking for. Moreover, I always wanted to spend some time in Spain and this was the chance I was waiting for. I have applied, had a skype call with my future (super nice ) supervisor and I´ve been chosen The whole process was very easy and smooth what I appreciated a lot as well.
What were your tasks during the internship?
I would say that I went through 3 phases of my internship tasks – in the beginning was adaptation phase, where I was exploring how everything works, more learning and observing the activities, I also started to prepare activities. In the second phase – I started to be more active. Preparing all name games, energizers and main activities for each unity (Psychiatry, Daily Psychiatry, Health Centre with old people, Pediatry, Eating Disorder unity and Psychiatry for young people), also lead presentation, name games or energizer in groups. In the last phase I was more independent with preparing activities as well as leading them. We were also responsible for Tandem – language exchange meeting with local people or foreigners who would like to improve English, Italian or Spanish.
Did you learn something? Did this experience to improve your personal and professional profile?
I´ve learned a lot of new things, a new approach to people with mental illness and how to work with them, it was definitely great professional experience. I also realized how important is effective teamwork, cooperation and good relationships with people you are working with. Everything went so smooth and easy when we communicated openly about problems or something we could as a team improve. Personal growth came along with all new situations, moving to different country and dealing with language barrier. Sometimes it was challenging but this was necessary for selfimprovement and all soft skills we could improve in group work.
What would you like to do after this experience?
I would like to find a job related to psychology. I´m also considering try to work in an international company as an occupational/work psychologist. This experience was also great for improving teamwork, leading activities with group of people and I´ve learned a lots of name games or energizers as well. Therefore, I would like to use this knowledge for improving performance or relationships at workplace for instance during the teambuilding activities. Apart from looking for a job, I´m still planning to travel, participate in some youth exchanges or training courses and in my future I´d like to be a volunteer through European Voluntary Service.
Did the internship change somehow your prospective about role/contribution of psychology in society?
Yes, definitely. I started to realize how important is the approach when you are working with patients with mental diseases. I think sometimes in psychology we are very curious about diagnose, the specific symptoms or behaviour. In this experience was great to actually focus on patient (without knowing the diagnose), be with them, give them the energy during activities and mostly treat them in a nicely way without considering them as a patients with mental illness“
What would you like to tell a person that is wondering to start or not a similar experience?
I would like to encourage everyone to overcome the fear and definitely try something like this. It is a great experience, full of personal and professional growth, feeling of satisfaction with working with people who needs it. It is always challenging to come to another country, everything is new and you need to adjust to the environment, work or language but in the end it is always worthy.
