Why Apply for the Gaining Experience Programme?

Want to get a unique experience as an Early-Career Psychiatrist?

The Gaining Experience Programme offers Early Career Psychiatrists (ECPs) the chance to broaden their clinical, research, or teaching skills through short observership placements of two to eight weeks in psychiatric institutions across Europe. It is an excellent opportunity to gain new perspectives on mental health systems, enhance your professional network, and connect with mentors under the EPA Early Career Psychiatrists Committee (ECPC).

All participants can confirm it: the GEP is an unforgettable experience.

Lisiana Demiraj, GEP2026 participant, says: ”I had the opportunity to learn more about the multidimensional approach toward the patient, including psychotherapy and especially group therapies, which I was able to observe. It was also very fortunate that the doctor had several Albanian patients, allowing me to conduct psychiatric interviews in my own language and later discuss the cases with him. This was both professionally valuable and personally meaningful for me.

I encourage every young psychiatrist to apply for these observerships and to find their own field of interest so that the learning process can be as effective as possible and the possibility for contribution even greater. Most importantly, I encourage them to apply without hesitation, because these opportunities can significantly change the quality of one’s professional life and broaden the entire intellectual approach toward psychiatry and the patient.”.

The Gaining Experience is the opportunity to bring home knowledge learned abroad, in a new and different work environment: “This observership broadened my clinical perspective and allowed me to observe the structural workflow of a different European psychiatric institution. I had the chance to present an overview of my home institution and discuss our practices with the hosting team. I plan to make a presentation about my observership at my home institution to share the knowledge I acquired.” Shares Muhyiddin Bera Demirtas, GEP2026 participant.

Interested? You can apply here.