A master’s student, Mirjam Sperling, completed her Erasmus+ internship at a Swiss competence centre for mental health. The stay abroad allowed her to deepen her professional knowledge and also opened up new career prospects.
Sometimes it is the seemingly small steps that steer life in a completely new direction. For Mirjam Sperling, it was the desire to step out of her familiar comfort zone and get to know the world of pain therapy in a whole new context outside Germany. As a physiotherapist with a bachelor's degree in prevention and health psychology and training as a pain specialist in Switzerland, she took the plunge and moved abroad. As part of her master's degree in applied psychology, she first started her Erasmus+ internship at the Centre for Pain, Sleep and Psyche in Zurich. She completed the second part of her internship at a centre of excellence for mental health and migration. What began as a practical step in her master's degree turned into a journey full of valuable encounters, new challenges and professional opportunities that continue to shape her today.
Internship abroad in Switzerland? What matters most is professional fit
Mirjam — originally a physiotherapist and business economist in health and social sciences — initially decided to study Preventive and Health Psychology. Because she wanted to learn even more about the psychological aspects of pain and therapy, she enrolled in the Master of Applied Psychology, specialising in Clinical Psychology at SRH Fernhochschule. Her motivation was: “How can I succeed in motivating patients to carry on their exercises independently and live their lives actively?”
The Erasmus+ internship during her master’s programme led her to Switzerland — to Zurich and Aarau. In Aarau, her second internship station, she worked in a competence centre for mental health and migration. There, she co-led a pain support group together with colleagues from psychotherapy and conducted pain-coaching sessions independently. This resulted in a permanent position. “From the internship a 20-percent job emerged for me, where I continue these activities plus weekly chair-yoga,” reports Mirjam Sperling.
Pain therapy in an interdisciplinary setting with people from different cultures
Working with refugees brought particular challenges, especially due to language barriers and diverse cultural understandings of pain. Interpreters supported the therapy, but the complexity of pain itself still made the work difficult. Nevertheless, Mirjam found the time incredibly enriching: “The gratitude of the people when you give them time is overwhelming.” A major advantage for her was the time she could take for patients as an intern — a freedom often missing in many systems.
Smooth organisation and strong support: how to succeed with an Erasmus+ internship abroad
Organisationally everything ran smoothly thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ programme, which made and accompanied her stay abroad possible. “The support from SRH Fernhochschule was wonderful — I really felt supported,” she summarises.
The combination of physiotherapy and health psychology as key to holistic pain treatment
From the interdisciplinary approach to the biopsychosocial model, she sees herself as a companion or coach who meets the individual needs of patients. Motivation plays a central role here — especially since people suffering from chronic pain struggle daily with fluctuations and isolation. The combination of physiotherapy and health psychology helps to find ways out of the pain spiral.
Mirjam’s next big step is to finish her master’s thesis. In parallel, she works independently as a pain therapist and continues to be employed at the competence centre. A major motivation for her is to merge physiotherapy and psychology even further, with a view to possible future training in psychotherapy.
Leaving the comfort zone with courage and curiosity: why study abroad experiences are so valuable
She encourages her fellow students who consider doing an internship abroad: “Leave your comfort zone, no matter how old you are or even if it’s only for the time of the internship or stay abroad. The experiences broaden your perspective and contribute tremendously to your personal growth.” Mirjam’s story impressively shows how valuable and enriching a period abroad can be — both personally and professionally. A courageous step that opens doors and expands horizons.
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