In this podcast, Cholé and Lou share their experience as master 1 and master 2 psychology students.
Hi Chloe, how are you? How is your year going so far?
Hi Lou, I’m fine thanks! Well there’s a lot of work compared to the Licence, but I’m enjoying it so far. Yes I remember that the workload just in terms of lectures was huge in the first semester of master 1. By the way, have you already started your M1 internship ? Where are you at this time ? Actually I’m still searching for an internship, it is so difficult to find one… I would like to do it with individuals with addictions, because I would love to discover what it’s like to work with this public, and addictions are also the theme of my thesis. I’m afraid I will have to give up this project because it’s already december and I still don’t have an internship. So right now I’m researching in every type of structure. Anyway I’m really looking forward to the internship, there’s so much to learn.
What about you, did you have any issues finding an internship ? Yes indeed, it is very difficult to find structures that accept to take a psychologist student and even more in a complicated health period like the one we are going through. i sincerely sympathize with you.I also had difficulties to find an internship last year and I finally found one in April that I started in June. Don’t lose hope, I’m sure you’ll find one eventually.
Thanks that makes me feel better ! So where are you doing your M2 internship ? Do you like it ? I’m doing an internship in a public structure that includes several homes in the south of Nantes. The residents of the home are mentally handicapped people or people with associated mental disorders. Yes, I love the work I am doing with the residents.
It sounds really interesting! Is it with this particular public that you want to work with when you become a psychologist? I would like to work with adults with psychoses, especially with patients with schizophrenia.
What do you like with this public ? What I like about these patients is that most of them, at least the ones I’ve met, really want to work on themselves.They have good comprehension skills and are aware that they suffer from a psychopathology that is responsible for their symptoms. Many of them suffer from delusions of persecution, hallucinations that generate strong anxiety. All the work will consist of understanding where these thoughts come from and questioning those that are dysfunctional. In most cases, they are willing to work on this to reduce their feelings of anxiety and improve their quality of life.
And you, what type of patients would you like to work with? I don’t really know for now, I need to do some more internships to be sure. But as I said I’m interested in addictions. Also, I would love to work with people with traumas, maybe in an association. Anyway these two disorders usually come together. But one thing I’m sure about, is that I want to work with adults with psychiatric disorders. I’m not really interested in working with children and teenagers
Okay, thats interesting. Same question as yours, why would you want to work with this particular type of patient ?I used to do some volunteer work in an association with people that have addictions. I really enjoyed it, it really made me want to work with this type of disorder. As long as I talked with them, I realized they all had important issues, especially traumas. It was a rewarding experience, I did learn a lot.
Do you want to work as a psychologist straight after your degree ? Yes, I would like to work directly after the master’s degree. I hope to find a position in the social field as a clinician psychologist. I am interested in working in inclusive psychology, using the four theories of psychology according to the patient and his or her needs. Later, I would also like to specialize in systemic therapies, hypnosis and mindfulness therapy
How about you ? How do you envisage the beginning of your professional activity? Before working as a psychologist, I would like to take a CBT training course. I think it lasts a couple of years. I would feel more efficient in helping the patient if I do a specific training course. And in the future, I would also like to do some humanitarian work. This would allow me to travel a lot and help people, which are two things I love doing.
But to be able to do all this, we have to do a thesis, what is yours about ? My thesis is on the relationship between/ADHD, social anxiety and cannabis addiction.
And you, on which subject are you doing your thesis work? I’m working on cannabis addiction too! But it’s more of a comparative study between the effects of cannabis and CBD on anxiety and depression. I’m also looking for the motivations to consume CBD rather than cannabis.
What do you like about this research topic?I like it because CBD is new, so there’s a lot to discover about it. Some studies show a lot of benefits in CBD, like an anxiolytic effect for example. All this proves an important medical potential in it.
To finish, what advice would you give to a M1 student to succeed in the Master ? The advice I would give to a master 1 student to succeed in his master’s degree is to work, but I’m sure you don’t need me to do that. So my advice is to take time for yourself, do the things you like, spend time with your loved ones. This will allow you to relax and be less stressed. With that, you should be able to handle all the pressure of doing this master’s degree better. Good luck to you! Take care of yourself