Alumni Spotlight

Camelia Liow, Crisis and Trauma Program class of 2015, currently practicing social worker with a Family Violence Specialist Centre, Singapore

Before coming to the Crisis and Trauma Program, I took my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Centre (IDC) in Israel. I chose the Crisis and Trauma Program after finishing the psych degree, when I wanted to further my education and obtain a Masters in Psychology or a related field. I was very interested, at that time, in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and so I found the perfect course at Tel Aviv University. It was definitely helpful that the whole program is conducted in English, unlike some schools in Israel, which may require you to pass a Hebrew language module in order to graduate. 

The best parts of the program, however, were the small classes and the experienced professors. I appreciate how the classes were such a cozy size, making them very conducive for learning. Because of the class size, our questions were always answered and we did not have to rush to get the attention of our professors. As for the professors, I am thankful how many of them are influential experts in the field, and so willing to share their academic papers. They not only shared their academic findings and theories with us, they also shared their own personal experience working in the field.

The course on domestic violence related stress, under Prof. Einat Peled, has been most relevant to my current career, as I’m working now as a social worker at a Family Violence Specialist Centre in Singapore. However, I think the wide range of courses covered throughout the program was helpful in giving knowledge about different fields of crisis and trauma. There is something here for everything that students may be interested in.

The knowledge of the professors that I have met was immense, but it was a pity that I was not able to tap into their expertise in the past because I did not have cases where I could ask for their advice or opinions.  So if I would have done something different, I think I would have gotten some professional working experience before joining this Masters program.

I am enjoying my current job, but have plans to take on responsibilities related to child protection as well. Working with children is something that was not extensively taught in the Crisis and Trauma Program, but there were definitely some skills which will help me to manage the trauma of families and children together.