Melissa Griemink, MSc
Graduated Cum Laude in February 2025
I graduated cum laude from the master’s track Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety (PCRS) at the University of Twente in February 2025, and I look back on this year with both pride and gratitude. The programme offered me the opportunity to explore themes that I am passionate about — such as restorative justice and victim-offender mediation — while also developing practical and research skills that I now apply in my professional role.
Experiencing the courses
The master track consists of four mandatory courses and one elective. I particularly appreciated how the programme combined theoretical depth with experiential learning and societal relevance.
Group Dynamics and Interventions
This course introduced me to intra- and intergroup processes like group conflict, power dynamics, and subgroup formation — not just in theory, but through hands-on experience. We were encouraged to reflect on and feel the group dynamics by actively engaging in exercises and designing interventions ourselves. This experiential approach made the content stick and helped me develop concrete skills for facilitating change within groups.
Advanced Research Methods
This course helped sharpen my critical thinking and research skills. I learned how to assess the quality of psychological research and use methods such as eye-tracking. The course laid a strong foundation for my thesis and taught me how to effectively communicate findings with both academic and non-academic audiences.
One of my personal learning goals during my master was to improve my research skills, particularly using R. At first, working with R was quite a challenge — especially coming from a background with limited programming experience. However, through perseverance and support during the Advanced Research Methods course, I managed to significantly develop my skills. By the time I was working on my thesis, I felt confident enough to use R for all my analyses and to create clear and professional data visualisations.
Psychology and Crime
In this course, I delved into the psychology behind criminal behaviour and the justice system. We explored topics like police interviewing, lie detection, victim-offender mediation, and cybercrime. I was particularly drawn to the topic of rehabilitation after sexual offences — a subject that ultimately shaped both my internship and thesis. The course pushed me to think critically about justice, punishment, and human dignity.
Psychology of Sustainability
This course provided psychological insights into the societal challenges of sustainability. It helped me understand why well-intended interventions can have unintended effects and how to design behaviorally informed policies. I learned how to apply social psychological theories to foster long-term behaviour change — a skill useful in any domain of applied psychology.
Elective: Learning and Instruction
As my elective, I chose Learning and Instruction, where I explored the design and effectiveness of learning materials. It strengthened my interest in education and knowledge dissemination, and connected well with my desire to support others in their development — both personally and professionally.
Internship & thesis
Both my internship and thesis were conducted at Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling, an organisation that facilitates restorative justice processes. My thesis, titled “Predictors of Participation in Victim-Offender Mediation after Sexual Offences: The Opposing Roles of Pre-existing Relationship for Victims and Offenders,” explored the psychological predictors of willingness to participate in mediation after sexual offences.
I was fortunate to conduct this research as a follow-up to my internship, during which I shadowed a policy employee and conducted research into the role of victim-offender mediation in sexual offences and its relation to the criminal justice process. My thesis offered new insights into how the nature of the relationship between victim and offender can affect participation decisions — a topic that has real-world relevance for improving restorative practices.
I am especially thankful to Greetje de Haan at Perspectief Herstelbemiddeling for her expert guidance during my internship, and to my supervisors Dr. Sven Zebel and Dr. Jiska Jonas at the University of Twente, for their invaluable feedback and encouragement throughout the research process.
Teachers & community
The lecturers in the PCRS programme are knowledgeable, accessible, and passionate about their work. They foster an open and interactive learning environment where critical thinking and personal development are encouraged. The small-scale, supportive atmosphere allowed me to grow not only as a student but also as a young professional preparing for the job market.
Where I am now
As of May 1, 2025, I started a new chapter as a behavioural scientist at Aveleijn, an organisation providing care and support for people with intellectual disabilities. In this role, I apply the theoretical and practical knowledge gained during my master’s to support clients and teams with behavioural interventions and psychological insights. I’m excited to continue learning, collaborate with passionate colleagues, and make a meaningful contribution to the care sector.
Final thoughts
The PCRS master track has equipped me with a strong foundation in both applied and research psychology. It challenged me to think deeply about human behaviour in contexts of conflict, risk, and safety, and provided me with the tools to make a real difference — whether in justice, care, or policy.
If you're looking for a master’s that combines academic rigour with real-world impact, PCRS is a truly meaningful choice.