In the Netherlands a physiotherapist is required to register. Once you’re registered you are required to update your skills. Every year you need to earn a certain amount of points. Health insurance companies will only allow their clients to see registered physiotherapists. Apart from some minor courses I took at OCA I haven’t been updating my skills.

Time for a big investment. I’m thinking of doing a masters of physiotherapy. And I’m thinking of doing it with a specialty in psychosomatic physiotherapy.

Psychosomatische Fysiotherapie benadert het bewegend functioneren vanuit de complexe relatie tussen somatische, psychische en sociale factoren. De psychosomatisch werkend fysiotherapeut wordt opgeleid tot een specialist op het gebied van psychosociale factoren. Hij biedt zorg bij hoogcomplexe problematiek ten aanzien van het bewegend functioneren waarbij de zelfregulatie van de klant sterk verminderd is. Hierbij spelen vaak persoonlijkheid, copingstijl, motivatie, stemmingstoornissen, angststoornissen, somatisatie, somatoforme stoornissen en de sociale omgeving een belangrijke rol. Dit gaat vaak gepaard met een hoog ziekteverzuim en/of disfunctioneren in de arbeidssituatie of het sociale leven. hu.nl

Psychosomatic physiotherapy approaches the moving body and its functioning from the complex relation between somatic, psychological, and social factors. The physiotherapist who wants to work with a psychosomatic approach will be trained to become a specialist on the area of psychosocial factors. His area of expertise involves clients with a diminished capability of self regulation who have highly complex issues regarding movement within a functional context. Key contributors are; personality, coping style, motivation, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, somatisation, somatoformic disorders and social surrounding. These issues will usually coexist with absence through illness and/or disfunctioning in a working environment or social life. hu.nl

I’m thinking of the “Hogeschool Utrecht“, because otherwise I’d have to go to Bergen in Norway. This is of course a no go seeing as a sister of mine already went to Norway and I’d don’t actually like going abroad.

Some stats:

• the master study will take three years
• study load will be 20 hours a week
  
• cost of the entire study will be €12.000,-
• every Friday I’ll have to go to Utrecht