Final results for scholarships
13 August 2014
Personality and safety at work in the organization – expert lecture
4 September 2014
Interview with our student Jovana Ognenovska – Bakalovska for Fakulteti.mk
As a former art editor of the most popular magazine for women in Macedonia, Full, a student at the Slavic University, a columnist and author of several books, Jovana Ognenovska – Bakalovska says that she lived the dream of every girl.
Today she lives in Oxford, England, and works as a psychologist in one of the largest psychological centers – “Littlemore” and says that this is the only profession she is currently occupying.
F: How and when was the love of psychology born in you?
J: Love for psychology has always been present in my life so that there is almost no point in my life when I started wondering about it. What I can distinguish as a “trigger” at a given moment was the professional writing of texts related to the journal Full.
Q: How did you start building your career as a psychologist?
J: After graduating from the Faculty of Philology in Skopje, I enrolled at the Faculty of Philosophy at the Faculty of Psychology in Skopje. Torn between the regular studies at the Faculty of Psychology and Professional Responsibilities at the publishing house NAM Press, I had to decide to give up on something, because the exhaustion was really merciless.
At this time of hesitation, I met with Mr. Vangelitsa Gavrilova, an employee of the Faculty of Psychology at the International Slavic University. Attracted by what she has brought to me for the Slavic University as an educational institution where students study without unnecessary pressure and have the chance to learn the best in the field of psychology, I decided to continue my studies there.
F: From your experience, is there a difference between state and private universities?
J: The difference in studying was more than perceptible – from a conservative and stereotypical environment in which professors still aggressively imposed their authority, I found myself in a relaxed and pleasant institution in which, from the front door, you are welcomed by positive and smiling faces ready for you help and make your study really satisfying. That principle of studying applied by the International Slavic University is the principle that it is studying at the University of Oxford, one of the oldest universities in the world.
Q: Do you feel that your university choice was one of the important factors that helped build your career?
J: Graduation of the Faculty of Psychology at the Slavic University, as well as the postgraduate studies at the Department Clinical Psychology at this university played a key role in my professional determination. I can not even imagine right now to deal with anything other than psychology. Simply the parts of my life puzzle are folded one by one and at this moment I can immensely say that I’m tracing a career that many psychologists in Macedonia would like.
F. Today you live and work in Oxford. How has your education contributed to fitting the whole environment? How has your degree been recognized in the UK?
F: What does it mean to be a member of Britain’s Greatest Psychological Society, the British Psychological Society (BPS)?
With membership, I have the exclusive right to the monthly edition of The Psychologist magazine which contains all the latest psychological achievements in England and beyond, as well as a membership card that allowed me to attend all seminars, conferences and trainings organized by BPS in England and elsewhere in the world.
J: The care for mental health in England, as well as in all other more developed countries in the world, is at a very high level. We all know that mental hygiene is fundamental to the proper functioning, not only of the mind, but of the entire organism. Stress and management of the consequences of it are particularly important in maintaining proper mental hygiene. The mindset of people in England is very different from that of people in Macedonia. The role of health professionals in England is great and responsible. Especially those in the field of mental health are included, as according to the latest Mental Health Foundation data: – 1 out of 4 people experienced some type of mental disorder over a year. – Anxiety mixed with depression is one of the most common mental disorders in Britain. – Depression is present in 1 out of 5 elderly people – Only 1 in 10 prisoners have no mental disorder.
The statistics I have listed are sure proof of the attractiveness of psychology in Britain.
J: After official migration to Oxford and after approving of the diploma, since 2011 I am employed at Littlemore, one of the largest psychiatric centers in Oxford. I can say that I had the great fortune to find myself at the right time in the right place, with the right people. Without a little delay, I got the first job I applied for. I started as a Mental Health Care Assistant, and after a few months I progressed to the Assistant Research Psychologist on projects related to young people with dementia. Before leaving maternity leave, I got the position of Senior Family Support Worker and I worked solely on evaluating the anticipated therapies for treating patients and the psychological support of the families of patients.
I received a really wonderful job offer in the field of forensic psychology just a week ago, as part of the Forensic Community Mental Health Team (FCMHT), also in the Littlemore Mental Health Center.
Forensic psychology has always been a challenge, so I would certainly try to fit myself in this area. My life motto says that every experience in life is welcome.
F: What would you recommend to our readers and future students?
Psychology is not a scientific discipline that can be learned from entertainment. Studying and working with psychology requires dedication and constant consulting of literature and scientific achievements.
Just relax, without panic and stress, studying at ISU is a pleasure that will greatly enrich you not only as a professional but also as a person.
