NIP Student Congress 2026
NIP Student Conference 2026
From Campus to Career: Empowering the next generation of psychologists
February 21, 2026 — Domstad Utrecht
How do you transition from psychology student to professional? Which careers and fields are open to you, and how do you navigate a world that is constantly changing? The SPS-NIP Student Conference 2026 focuses entirely on this crucial step. Under the theme “From Campus to Career: Empowering the next generation of psychologists”, we aim to connect students with professionals, link psychological disciplines, and bridge theory with practice.
Building bridges
The conference builds bridges on three levels. First, between study and the workplace, showcasing career paths, specializations, traineeships, internships, and first jobs of alumni. Second, between psychology and other domains such as AI, language & cognition, climate psychology, sports, music, organizational psychology, and defense psychology. Third, between personal development and professional identity, highlighting soft skills, ethics, communication, stress management, resilience, and lived experience. This approach prepares students for meaningful, forward-looking, applied work, both within and outside traditional psychology.
What to expect?
We are proud to host a diverse and inspiring line-up of speakers. Ross van Denderen covers organizational psychology in practice, and Stijn Voortman shares practical advice on internships and breaking into the field. Dr. Milene Bonte (UM) will discuss language, cognitive neuroscience, and psychology in education and research. You can find the full programme on the bottom of this page. You can find more details about the sessions and speakers on the Instagram page of the congress.
The program also offers interactive workshops and sessions to actively engage students in their development. These include “Day in the life of a psychologist,” Career speed dating, working in business as a psychologist, alternative career paths, CV checks, and LinkedIn photo booths. Skills and professional development sessions cover intercultural communication, soft skills, ethical dilemmas, and communication and persuasion psychology. Innovation and future-focused topics include psychology and AI, psycholinguistics, neurodiversity, and psychology applied to climate, sports, arts, and social work.
Tickets
All tickets for this event are sold out!
Did you miss out on a ticket, but would you still like to attend this event? You can sign up for the ticket waiting list to be able to possibly still get a ticket when tickets become available again. Interested in this waiting list? Send an email to the congress committee via nationaalcongrescommissie@gmail.com.
Programme
The programme consists of four rounds, each featuring different lectures and workshops delivered by speakers with diverse areas of expertise within psychology. Walk-in and registrations are at 8:30. At 9:00 we start with the official opening of the congress. There will also be a break inbetween rounds with a fully catered lunch for all participants.
In addition to taking part in the rounds, you can also visit our information market. Here, you can ask career advisors any questions you may have and/or have your CV or LinkedIn profile reviewed, network with psychologists working in the field, and explore new career opportunities. There are two moments to visit the information market: during lunch (12:30-13:30) and after the last round (15:00-17:00).
You can find the full programme below. For more information about speakers and content of the sessions, have a look at the Instagram page of the congress
*Speakers marked with a star will deliver their session in Dutch.
Round 1: 9:30-11:00
- Lezing: GZ psychologie*
- Lezing: Hilke van Cuylenborg* – Van Bingo tot Brein: de psycholoog in de ouderenzorg. Een casusgerichte lezing over ouderenpsychologie.
- Lecture: Katja Feiler – Lost in Translation? Entering the Dutch GGZ as an International.
- Workshop: Zeynep Sadun – schema therapy – an interactive workshop
Round 2: 11:15-12:30
- Lecture: Dr. Michael Bender – Social psychology
- Lezing: Mees Gradener* – Defensie advies sectie
- Workshop: Nick Hoeken – Sexological counseling
- Workshop: Marvin Kunz – Bridging Behavioral Science & AI
- Lezing: Raz van Houts* – Klinische psychologie
Round 3: 13:30-15:00
- Duo-lezing: Helen Bekker and Lindy Boyette* – BAPD (basisaantekening psychodiagnostiek)
- Lecture: Dr. Milene Bonte – Cognitive Neuroscience
- Lecture/Workshop: Lot Custers – Clinical Psychology
- Workshop: Stijn Voortman* – Klinische psychologie
- Duo-lezing: Chantal van der Leest + Iris Weijman* – NIP Expertgroep Klimaat- en gedragsverandering + Sectie Sociale en Economische Psychologie
Round 4: 15:15-16:15
- Workshop: Chris de Jong* – Klinische Psychologie (Kind en Jeugd Psychologie)
- Lezing: Paul westerman* – Arbeids- en gezondheidspsycholoog (NIP)
- Workshop: Nathalie Wolken* – Klinische Psychologie
Information market: 12:30-13:30, 15:00-17:00
At the information market, you will find several speakers with the areas of expertise listed below or who are involved with the organisations and bodies mentioned:
- Section Mental Health Psychology NIP
- Section Occupational & Health Psychology (NIP)
- BAPD: Basisaantekening Psychodiagnostiek (Basic qualification in psychodiagnostics)
- Opora Foundation (migration research institution)
- Section Forensic Psychology NIP
- EFPSA (European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations)
- Section Psychology Students NIP (SPS-NIP)
- Section Starting Psychologists NIP
- NIP Expert group Climate- and Behavioural Change
- Section Social Psychology NIP
For more information:
The conference will be held at Domstad Utrecht, only a five-minute walk from Utrecht Central Station. There are great facilities and food and drinks are also included for the whole day!
Follow the NIP student congress on Instagram (@spsnip_studentcongress) for full details about the workshops, speakers and other (programme) details. Also keep an eye on this web page for more details about speakers and content of the sessions.
See also the SPS-NIP Instagram (@spsnip) for updates on this and other (SPS-)NIP events.
For all questions, you can contact the congress committee by sending an email to nationaalcongrescommissie@gmail.com.
