Amirdine Mohamed Laila (M2) and Manikon Amandine M1
Hello, everyone and welcome to this podcast, I’m Amirdine Mohamed Laila, and today I’m with Manikon Amandine. We’re both doing a master’s degree in developmental psychology and we’re meeting today to talk about our studies, our backgrounds and our future prospects.
L: Let’s get off to a good start, would you like to introduce yourself? A: Hello my name is Amandine, I am thirty one years old, and I am in the first year of a master’s degree in psychology, specializing in children and teenagers. I am in retraining, so I have a rather atypical career.
A: I am also going to ask you to introduce yourself if you wish: L: Of course my name is Laila, I am 21 years old, and as you know I am currently doing my second year of PEADID master’s degree. I come from Comoros Island and I have done all my university studies in Nantes.
L: Up to now, have you done all your university studies in Nantes? Or have you just arrived for the Master’s degree? A: Even though I had already imagined moving to a city other than Paris, I really wasn’t sure. but this master is very important for me so I moved to Nantes for this purpose when I knew that I was accepted here. So, I’ve been here for only three months. I am happy to have been accepted in this formation because the selection isn’t easy. The girls in my class are great, so it’s pretty nice. L: Oh I’m very glad for you, it’s very important to have a good group cohesion, so,tell me how do you find the city?
L: How do you feel about this year, which we know is considered to be very intense? Are you enjoying the classes so far? A: If I must be completely honest, the beginning of the year was very complicated and so far I had to look for an apartment, and it was very long and complicated. It did not allow me to concentrate fully on learning. It caused me a lot of stress which continues to persist a bit. As for the lessons, I have mixed feelings. I have the feeling that I am not stimulated enough. I tend to get bored. I hope that will change.
L: That will change for sure, you were talking about stress and mixed feelings, how do you allocate your working time and manage your stress? A: To be honest again, managing work and stress is not my strong suit but I do what I can. After all, I’m in Masters so I’m not too bad. However, the bachelor’s degree allowed me to progress in the management of my personal work, and the lessons on coping strategies helped me in particular to better manage my stress. I do know, however, that I am better at managing a job than homework. Because if you fail the master’s degree, it’s over. While yes if you don’t do your job well you can get fired but you can still find another job.
A: And you, can you give me your opinion on the Master? L : Globally, I would say that I am quite satisfied with this training which I find very complete. Since the Bachelor’s degree, the PEADID Master’s degree was the one that interested me the most, on the one hand because, as its name indicates, it focuses on child and adolescent development and on the other hand this development is bordered according to different domains, i.e. conative, cognitive, and motor development. But being on the master itself, it is true that there are some courses that I liked a lot such as the courses on emotional regulation and personality and others not necessarily but, we need knowledge that can be useful in many aspects.
L: It may be a bit too early but do you feel a difference with the bachelor? A: I expected to be taught more new things. Otherwise the organization of working hours is different and there is more stress because it is imperative to do an internship. However, I perceive a slight difference within the teaching, that is to say that we have additional courses which involve actors who play the role of patient, to allow us to confront a real situation of therapy. L: Absolutely, it is another form of organization that we have to acquire, but it is also what will help us to prepare for our future job search.
A: Do you think that the Master’s degree prepared you well for your future job? L: I think that we will never feel well prepared to work with humans where there are a lot of inter-individual and even intra-individual differences. Afterwards, I think that this “impostor syndrome”* that we can feel can be productive on the one hand, because it leads us to be vigilant and to dig deep inside ourselves to take decisions. Nevertheless, I think we should trust ourselves, because we have done five years of studies, not forgetting the continuous training, the supervision or the intervision, etc. And maybe one thing to keep in mind as a future psychologist working with children is to always be creative and to choose tools to awaken their senses like Q-bitz game, drawings, play dough…..
L: I didn’t ask you but what do you like the most about the profession of psychologist? A: Since I was very young, I liked to observe people, to try to understand their state of mind and their behavior. I have always understood that in order to have a good relationship and to be able to evolve, it was necessary to understand yourself and to understand others. I also understood that humans are a complex entity and therapy was a good method to help with psychological suffering. Because it makes it possible to become aware of certain aspects of ourselves, even small ones, allows us to change a lot of things. What I appreciate most is this human relationship, this exchange which is based on benevolence and non-judgment and trust.
L: In which field would you like to work in the future? A: I had a lot of trouble choosing the field I wanted to work with. And this, because I love all areas of psychology. So today I want to work with children and teenagers, preferably within child protection structures, but it is not impossible that I will change my goal later in my career.
A: And you, what job do you want to do after this Master’s degree? L : First of all, I want to continue my studies by doing a formation on intercultural and transcultural psychology. Therefore, I would like to work later as a psychologist in facilities welcoming migrant children.. Migration is a topical issue, and I think it is necessary to help these young people, who sometimes arrive with very heavy traumatic life stories, to rebuild themselves and, why not, to start a new life. L: Where do you plan to do your internship this year? A: As I want to work in child protection structures, I’m directing my research in this area. But I am also looking to integrate CMP (psychological medical center) or any structure that supports children. I really hope that this internship will allow me to get a more concrete idea of what the profession of psychologist is and that it will allow me to motivate myself more and to redouble my efforts in this course. A: Have you incounted any difficulties in your search for an internship? L: Yes, otherwise it would be too easy, last year for example I found my two internships around February-March and this year I’m still looking even though I started last academic year. In addition, it is a stressful process, as we sometimes receive a lot of negative answers which can affect our moral, our motivation and our self-esteem.
A: But In your opinion, what did your internship bring to you more than the courses? L: Well, it helped me a lot to refine my understanding of the practice of the profession and the collaboration between different professionals. When you are in the field, you really realize the need of flexibility, distance and diversity. Furthermore, I understood the importance of being comfortable with our one practice and of maintaining a critical eye on it.
L: To Finish, Is there a subject that is particularly important to you that is not covered in the curriculum? If so, do you think it would be a good idea for teachers to think about it? A: I would have liked more psychoanalytic theory integrated into my studies even if I understand the importance and the necessity of scientific theories. Because if psychoanalysis is not considered as a science, we cannot deny its usefulness and current psychology is based on the theories associated with it. The Freudian theories* for example, although reversed are reflected in different aspects of daily life and are very consistent to explain certain factors underlying certain pathologies. Otherwise, I would have liked more lessons that allow us to put ourselves in a situation. That is to say, less theory and more practical cases where we are taught to communicate, to react, and to manage our emotions..
L :Thank you very much Amandine, for this time of exchange, I hope you will have a good university year and especially that you will enjoy it. A: Thank you very much Laila for this exchange too, and Also, big thanks to you for listening to us. If you want to know more about psychology studies, you can contact us on our respective student email addresses : laila.amirdine-mohamed@etu.univ-nantes.fr; amandine.manikon@etu.univ-nantes.fr. You can also consult the following links: : http://www.uninotes.fr/tag/temoignage/ ; https://psychologie.univ-nantes.fr/formation/licence-de-psychologie
Some Vocabulary: Words in order of appearance:
Impostor syndrome: The impostor syndrome is characterized by the impression of not being up to the task, it’s the tendency to attribute one’s successes to external causes such as luck, chance, or relations…). It also includes the impression of being overestimated, the fear that someone will one day prove our incapacity, the idea of being “unmasked” one day. (Leibovitz, 2020). For more information : Petitcollin, C., & Augagneur, J. (2014). Petit cahier d’exercices pour sortir du jeu victime, bourreau, sauveur. Jouvence éditions. Intercultural or transcultural psychology: Intercultural or transcultural psychology questions the place of the cultural dimension in the management and the evaluation of each individual.
Self esteem* : Personal judgment of value expressed in the attitudes the individual has toward himself (Coopersmith, 1967). The person evaluates himself.
Freudian theory*: Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, has developed several theories, including the one that states that our thoughts, our dreams reflect internal conflict that escapes us.