First School Psychology graduate at Leiden University
On Wednesday September 20th, Diamanto Fragkiadaki received her MSc degree in Psychology. She is the first student to complete the master’s specialisation School Psychology, which started in September 2016.
Diamanto chose to study School Psychology because of her strong drive to contribute to the creation of supportive school communities: 'I want to work with children in order to uncover their learning potential and support them in their social and emotional development.'
Professional development
She feels that the master’s programme has prepared her for this career path in several ways. The School Psychology specialisation provides a theoretical background as well as the opportunity to integrate both theory and practice. As part of the mandatory courses and during her internship Diamanto worked with teachers, school counselors, students and their parents. 'As master's students, we played a substantial role in interpreting, planning and carrying out interventions. This stimulated us to take responsibilities and develop a professional attitude. Moreover, the collaborative discussions during workgroups helped me to improve my coping with feedback and discover my strengths and weaknesses. This may be beneficial in my future work environment and in my collaboration with other experts.'
Unaccompanied refugee children in Greece
Diamanto’s immediate plans are to apply for jobs at Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) for unaccompanied refugee children in her home country Greece. 'I would like to help this vulnerable population by creating a positive environment within the care institution for minors and in the community.'
(Esther van den Bos)