H : Hortense BAUDOUIN (M1) & A : Angèle MOREAU (M2)
H : Hi ! I’m Hortense Baudouin, I am a first year master’s student in a clinical psychology program here in Nantes University!
And you, can you introduce yourself?
A : Hello, my name is Angèle MOREAU, I am a student in second year of master’s degree in clinical psychology.
Hortense, when did you decide to study psychology? Was it a long time goal or very unexpected for you?
H : I always intended to get a degree somewhere in the medical field because I loved biology, so after high school I tried one semester of med school and it went very poorly, for a variety of reasons, but I had a few psychology classes there that i really liked, so i decided to switch and study psychology. Back then I intended to get into a neuropsychology program, because it seemed more “sciency”, and a bit more “up my alley” so to say, but then I ended up liking clinical psychology a lot more.
And you Angele, was clinical psychology alway your first choice or did you hesitate with another discipline ?
A : Having always been interested by the medical and sport world, I studied physical and sports activities adapted to health before turning to psychology. It was my internships as a physical activity teacher in a psychiatric ward that made me want to go into clinical psychology.
I have another question : What are you planning to do with your degree? Do you have a good idea of your ideal career path?
H : Ultimately I’d like to be self-employed and have my own practise, because I like being independent, but I want to work with a team for a few years before that, so I can develop my skills and get some experience. I would also love to work with a non profit organisation, I’ve been doing some volunteering work for a couple of years now and I would love to be able to continue professionally.
Why did you choose the University of Nantes to obtain your degree?
A : I did the first two years of my Bachelor’s degree in psychology in distance education, at home to be able to work at the same time. I then completed my third year of my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Aix-Marseille. For my Master’s degree, I chose the University of Nantes for it’s integrative approach of psychology and the plural nature of its teaching. Moreover, I wanted to discover a new and different region of the South-East where I come from.
Is there anywhere where you would love to get an internship/ work but don’t have any experience in yet?
H : I would love to have a chance to work with teenagers! I’ve done quite a bit of studying about it but I haven’t had the chance to get an internship in that field yet. It seems like it could be challenging, but my classmates who did their internships with teens seemed to find it very rewarding. I guess I’m curious to see how if I’m cut out to work with younger people or if I should stick with working with adults!
You have previously talked about internships, what experience do you have?
A : I have done several internships in different structures during my two licences. I have done internships in adult psychiatry (with schizophrenic and bipolar patients), addictology, child psychiatry and I am currently a psychologist trainee in a centre that fights against radicalisation among young people.
And to conclude, what’s your Master thesis about? How did you choose it? Was there anything else you would have liked to do work on?
H : My master thesis is about the relevance of a numerical tool in the treatment of addictions. It’s particularly interesting these days, because this tool offers, among other things, a platform to make video calls with your patients, so a lot more practitioners started using it during lockdown. I would have liked to study something related to the elderly, but because of the Covid situation I didn’t think it was very practical or safe, so I chose this subject, which was something one of my professors worked on.
Last question, what did you learn from your experiences?
A : All my experiences have been interesting and enriching. My internships allowed me to make links between theory and practice but also to discover my capacities and my limits. For example, I know that, while I am able to show my listening and my empathy, the management of emotions is still to work. My internships in various departments allowed me to discover the audiences with which I am most comfortable working and for which I have the most interest. In this case, adult psychiatry and the field of addictology.
H : Thanks for this interview, it was nice chatting with you ,have a nice day!.
A : Thank you Hortense, it was a pleasure for me too, have a nice day !