Juliane : Hi Marlène, how are you ?
Marlène : Hello Juliane, I’m fine thank you. So you’re a M2 right ? Could you tell me more about your background ? What have you done before this Master’s degree ?
Juliane : Yes sure ! So I did my Bachelor’s degree in Nantes. I’ve always been interested in clinical psychology but I knew the admission selection was tough so I feel lucky to be here. I find the courses really interesting. And I feel much more prepared now to conduct therapies. And you, where did you get your Bachelor’s degree ?
Marlène : Wow, congratulations! I also did my bachelor’s degree in Nantes, but I had the chance to spend a semester in Erasmus. So I chose to go to Budapest to discover Eastern Europe and because the courses were in English. It was an incredible experience and very enriching on a human level, I met people from all over the world. About the master’s degree, I applied in all of France. I wanted to move in a other city to discover a new university, but I was only accepted in Nantes and I already feel very happy to have been accepted somewhere. By the way, in your opinion, which course is the most interesting ?
Juliane : Well, I am glad you’re here and I hope that you’ll love the Master as much as I do. I think I especially love the courses about health psychology as I am doing a research project in this field. So far, what is your favorite course ?
Marlène : At the moment my favourite course is the clinical interview course, because it is a practical course. In addition, we are lucky to have actors who come and play the role of the patient and I think that’s really great.
Have you done any internships yet ?
Juliane : I see. Yes, so my first internship was in a SESSAD with children and teenagers affected with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities. It was the first time that I met with ASD patients and it was so humanly rewarding. My second internship took place in a child and youth psychiatric center. This one was even better than the first one as I really got along with the other professionals. I could feel their desire to teach me and to involve me in the team meetings and discussions. Then last year I did my M1 internship in that same psychiatric center as I could not find an internship elsewhere. In a way it was quite different from the first time I was there because I did conduct interviews on my own. Now, I am actually practicing in a Physical Reeducation Center and I am settling really well. I have my own patients and the autonomy that my supervisor gives me makes me feel useful. And you, can you tell me more about your internships ?
Marlène : In my third year, I did my first internship in a listening unit for young people, with two psychologists; it was good, but what I didn’t like so much was that it was a place for support, but not for psychotherapy. In my third year, I did an internship with a psychiatrist who didn’t prescribe medication and practiced psychotherapy, particularly with hypnosis. I found this internship really interesting and I realised that I wanted to do that later in my own practice. For this year’s internship I still haven’t found one, but I’m actively continuing my search. I have an interview in 2 weeks with a psychologist who works in an association that supports children with visual or hearing disabilities. By the way, what is the subject of your research project ?
Juliane : Well I hope that you’ll get the internship. So, I am doing a research project on breast cancer patients. Women with breast cancer frequently express new needs, such as the need for social support. In order to support them during their treatments and afterwards, means are being set up such as the accompaniment by a patient-partner. A patient-partner is a woman who has also been affected by the disease and has developed knowledge that she puts at the disposal of other patients. The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the effects of patient-partner support on emotional distress and perceived social support in breast cancer patients. So far, the first results show a significant difference between the groups in terms of informational support.
And you, what is your research project about ?
Marlène : My research project deals with Mental Health Literacy (MHL), proposed by Didier Acier. This is a research project in partnership with other European universities. It is a quantitative study that will be carried out directly with students at the University of Nantes. And I was wondering, what would you do after your diploma ?
Juliane : Well, I would love to continue with a thesis, but I still have doubts. One the one hand, I say to myself that if I don’t do it right after my graduation I will never do it and that I should undertake this work while I am still young and have no personal constraints. On the other hand, I am not sure I can do it, it is such a huge amount of work, you know. It raises a lot of questions, like “Am I able to do it?” “Do I have what it takes?”. I am ambivalent because I would love to work in the research field and most of all to teach at University but also I am pretty sure that once I get the psychology diploma I’ll want to practice right after. And you, what do you want to do after your Master’s degree ?
Marlène : Well, once this research project is completed, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to get involved in a thesis. At the end of second year of Master’s degree, I would like to do like a gap year. I don’t want to work just after my diploma. After a few months of travelling, I would like to train in therapeutic hypnosis and open a part-time practice and find a part-time job in an institution. Also, I wanted to know how you experienced the first lockdown due to the coronavirus, did it affect your master’s admission and your M1 ?
Juliane : Honestly, I experienced the first lockdown, in 2020 quite well. It gave me time to keep me up to date in my courses. Thanks to coronavirus I had time to study (a lot) but also time for myself. That was quite appreciated to be fair. But then, the second one in M1 from November to January, I worked 24/7 and could see no one. It was difficult to manage anxiety due to the Master degree expectations. I wasn’t able to take time for myself without feeling guilty. And you, did the lockdown impact your studies ? How did you experience the situation ?
Marlène : The lockdown started during the second semester of my 2nd year of Bachelor, and I must say that it was surprising, because at the beginning we were just supposed to stay at home for two weeks, but in the end we never came back to class. Then in the first semester of my third year, I was in Erasmus in Budapest and all my courses were distance learning, but the rules in general on covid were more flexible in Hungary. When I came back, all the courses were distance learning for the whole semester and sometimes it was difficult to stay focused and motivated when you spend all day behind a screen.
Juliane : I totally agree with you. Well, thank you so much Marlène for this discussion, it was really nice to get to know you and I wish you a great year.
Marlène: Thank you too, it was a pleasure to exchange with you, and interesting to find out more on your future prospects. Bye.