The following interview presents the career path of Mr. L, a clinical psychologist working in paediatric psychiatry in Nantes.
Interviewer: Can you tell me what was your academic career before becoming a clinical psychologist? Have you studied any specific courses since getting your degree in psychology to improve your training?
Mr. L: “I got my Bachelor in psychology in the University of Nantes, and I got my Masters degree in clinical psychology and psychopathology in that same university. I haven’t studied any other specific courses.”
How did you come to be interested in psychology? What drove you toward this path?
“I have always been intrigued by human beings in general, and by their psychology in a more specific way. Besides, I like to describe myself as a philanthropic person. Thus, I wanted to find a profession in which I could help others in the health care field with a specific focus on psyche rather that on the somatic.”
In your opinion, what qualities are required to become a psychologist?
“I think you need to be benevolent and respectful, to have a kindly ear, to feel comfortable within the relation to others. You also have to be in accordance with your own theoretical and clinical frame of reference, to display humility, to have sufficient observation and analysis skills, and the capacity to stand back from what you can hear and see during therapy.”
Do you have any specific skills in this field? What is your scope of intervention as a therapist?
“I have been trained to do several things while working in the field of psychology: Firstly, I can propose individual patient care with psychotherapy or psychological support, I also manage group therapy and propose familial counselling for the patient’s family members. Secondly, a big part of my work as a psychologist is multidisciplinary team work with all the different nursing staff members. I participate to the development of healthcare projects for patients with my co-workers, I lead and regulate weekly meetings and team practices analysis time with the staff. Lastly, I can conduct psychological examinations thanks to my clinical observation and diagnosis skills, and the theoretical-clinical psychopathology knowing that I have about children, teenagers and adults. In this range, I also do psychometric and projective tests with patients (WAIS, WISC, WPPSI, ADI, ADOS, Rorschach, Pattenoire).
What kind of health care facility have you worked in during your career? What about now?
“I have worked in a Psychiatric Hospital with adults for eight years, in Medical-Psychological Centre (CMP) and Part-Time Therapy Centre (CATTP) for adults as well. I also worked in a detention centre for five years. Nowadays, I work in paediatric psychiatry in a Medical-Psychological Centre, which also has a Part-time Therapy Centre in Le Loroux-Bottereau”
What are your missions as a psychologist in your current job?
“I have specific missions being a psychologist in hospital public service. I do direct clinical work that gather clinical consultations, psychological reviews, individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapy. I also do indirect clinical work such as clinical consultations analysis, institutional work (teaching, action and training courses, sector work and workwith caretakers about their practice. Moreover, I have dedicated time to do research, train and inform myself, teaching other caretakers about specific care that we can provide to patients and do research studies.
What tools and theoretical approaches do you feel is best working with on your area of expertise? Why?
“I use psychoanalytical metapsychology as a reference in my daily practice, as a tool of conceptualisation and understanding of psyche’s life and psychopathology. I also do institutional psychotherapy in order to support, question and humanise institutional health care practice. In addition, I use psychoanalysis as an investigation and comprehension method of my own psychic processes, and as a tool of psychotherapeutic control to think and guide my practice as a therapist. Indeed, in my opinion it is a necessityto do psychotherapeutic work on yourself or to benefit from supervision when you are a psychotherapist.
Words I have learned:
- To be benevolent = être bienveillant
- To be in accordance with = être en accord avec
- Display = montrer
- Scope of intervention = champ d’intervention
- Nursing staff members = équipe soignante
Written by Alexia Gay