In this podcast, Philomène (M1), Julie (M1) and Camille (M2) meet again one year after the end of their bachelor’s degree in psychology and, then, 10 years later.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hsfVf246wTRT403PAwAEDKWcOpcLJvJd/view?usp=sharing
Julie – Hi Camille, it’s been a while since we talked last time, how are you ?
Camille – Hey Julie, you’re right, I think it was last year when we all finished our bachelor’s degree ! I’m fine and you ? Hi Philomene, glad to see you again
Philomene : Hi girls !
Julie – Thanks, I’m good. I’m feeling well since I’ve been accepted for the Master’s degree, I was upset that I didn’t get in. The selection is hard but I decided to persevere with two internships. The first one was with patients who come to be tested for sexually transmitted infections at the hospital. Inside this unit, patients had the possibility to consult a psychologist. Also, I did another internship with patients with mental health issues. I worked with three psychologists. With this internship, I was able to understand how the French psychiatric system works. And you Camille, what’s new ?
Camille – I started the second year of my master’s degree. The courses at the faculty are great : psychologists who work in different institutions in Nantes come to teach us. I just began my internship as well, I will support people with disabilities who have problems related to parenthood. I’ll also start another internship soon in an oncology service. And you Philomene ? How are you doing ?
Philomene – Oh great ! Same as Julie, I’m doing well even if all the things we have to do stress me out a bit. For me, it’s different than for Julie, I chose not to apply last year. I was looking for more experience before starting again for two years.
Camille – Oh Woah and what did you do during this break ?
Philomene – I volunteered in an association called “La Cloche” which works with homeless people or persons in precarious situations. The main goal of this association is to recreate links between people with and without a house. By working there, I understood that doing things together, like gardening or cooking is a really good way to break stereotypes and get to know each other better. Through this experience, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the singularity and the living conditions of the people I met. I also gained skills in project management. Finally, the most important thing I learnt there is to treat every person I meet with respect and dignity, no matter what they are going through. But I seem to recall you did something similar Julie, didn’t you ?
Julie – Yes, I was a volunteer with civic service. I was working with young migrants. I loved it ! I was in charge of the collective time with gardening, drawing, painting, and playing board games. I helped them with their job research or with school lessons. Those young people were generous and kind. Some of them are traumatised because of the migration trip but they are still smiling and resilient, it gives hope for the future ! Every Tuesday I participated in team meetings with a psychologist and a child psychiatrist. The psychologist’s specialisation was to work with a transcultural approach… Which audience do you want to work with when you graduate Camille ?
Camille – Oh, it’s so interesting and important to work with these people ! Last year, I did an internship at the Nantes hospital with diabetic children and adults admitted to somatic care wards. I really enjoyed it. Indeed, the sudden or gradual deterioration in the health of the body poses major existential questions and it makes sense to me to be supportive at this moment of a person’s life. And you Philomene ?
Philomene – I’d like to work with the elderly. This period of life can be rough to go through. Each person has an individual way of dealing with it and with body issues appearing at the same time, but work still has to be done to propose accurate care. In fact, helping people with dementia for example requires time and a capacity to reinvent the care. This is why I chose to do my first internship in a retirement home, and to focus my research work on links between a family, which is really important at this age. By the way, what is your research paper Camille ?
Camille – So interesting, I hope you will send me your project once it’s finished. In my research, I evaluated the impact of improvisational theatre on diabetic teenagers’ well-being. In order to ensure this, I organised improvisational theatre workshops with the teenagers of my place of internship. It was a complex project, especially with the pandemic situation, but really enriching. And you Julie ?
Julie – Now I’m back at school, I want to do my research paper on young refugees. When I was volunteering I could analyse the impact of the administrative regulation on their mental health. When I was talking with them, I saw so much emotional distress. French administration is not helping them to recover. This is something I would like to study. Indeed, I’m looking for a type of mediation I could set up to study the emotional distress some of them can feel and the impact of it on their studies, works, or private lives. Also, I would like to analyse their solidarity.
Philomene – We’ve got to go to our next class, bye Camille !!
Camille – Bye girls, hope to see you soon !
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Ten years later, at a conference on the effect of music on patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in Montreal.
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Philomene – Hi Camille, it’s so unexpected to find you in this place ! What are you doing here ?
Camille – I saw on a flyer that you were leading this conference, the subject interests me a lot so I came ! Congratulations, it was great, you seem to be an expert on challenging issues on Alzheimer’s disease !
Philomene – Thank you very much but I wouldn’t say I’m an expert though ! After different professional experiences with the elderly, I did a thesis about innovative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and more specifically about music therapy. Music has so much to provide to people with dementia : it’s a good way to organise thought, it brings a glimpse of well-being and it stimulates episodic and autobiographical memory. I was really excited, and a bit nervous to present today the result of 4 years of research ! So you live here in Montreal now ?
Camille – Yes, but just for a year ! I wanted to discover this country for a long time because, as you know, it is known for having a different and very modern approach to psychology but also to improvisational theatre. It’s also been a dream for a while to discover its wonderful landscapes and, obviously, to eat the traditional meal called “poutine”. I no longer work as a psychologist here, just enjoying life and taking photos.
Philomene – Haha, that’s cool ! Oh look, it’s Julie, it’s incredible !
Julie – Oh girls, how are you ? It’s so fun to meet up here, so far from Nantes, after all this time !
Camille – Yes, that’s what we said to each other. Do you live here too ?
Julie : For a while, yes. I’m doing an internship based on cognitive science. I wanted to see another way of working. Here, the support of people with mental health issues is really different. At the beginning, my purpose was just to stay aware of knowledge, but now I’m feeling ready to stay here and start a new life in Montreal. I want to work with old refugees who are living in Montreal and I experiment with the impact of the migration on their mental health, especially to see if there is a difference between local, Canadien people who are suffering from dementia and elderly refugees who also are suffering from dementia. However, the weather is so cold that this is the only thing that makes me hesitate!
And yesterday, I saw Philomene on the paper for the Conference. And I jumped in my car to meet you again, I was expecting to see you ! Indeed, I consider your experimentation as an inspiration for my researchers, and I want to ask you Philomene to join me for my research, if you like to, of course.
Philomene – Girls, what’s happening now is amazing, and I’m so glad you came to my conference !
Camille – Yes, we still have so much to tell each other ! It’s time for dinner, would you like to go to a restaurant together to continue this discussion? I know a wonderful place to eat poutines.