Questions and Answers

What is a clinical psychologist ?

A clinical psychologist is a health care professional endorsed by the gouvenement. He is trained to identify, help and deal with psychological issues.  He works with patients and provides therapies suited to their needs, he can also offer psychological tests ( inteligence, personality...). He can work one on one, with groups of patients, with couples and families.

A psychologist must abide the code of ethics of his profession[1]. The sessions are of course completly confidential, the psycholgist is obliged by the professional discretion.

Whom do you work with ?

I mainly work with adult patients. But I can provide sessions for teenagers and children.

How to tell if therapy is really what you need ?

It is essential to ask this question but it cannot be answered without other asking other questions:

Do you feel in  mental pain? Is this pain a lasting issue that hinders your daily life? Are you experiencing a loss of meaning in your life? Some individuals feel the need to reasses their lives; other still want to gain a better understanding of themselves.
Therapy can be a solution to reduce this suffering, it can give you  better ways of living your life.

How long does the therapy last for ?

This question is frequently asked and absolutely legitimat. However there is no exact answer to this question. The length of the therapy depends on the patient's pacing and his request. Lastly, you should know that you are free to suspend or stop the therapy when ever you so desir, that been said it is better to talk about it with the psychologist prior to the end, inorder to prepare the conclusion of the therapy.

[1] The code of ethics's website ( in french) : http://www.codededeontologiedespsychologues.fr/LE-CODE.html

What kind of therapies are offered ?

As a clinical psychologist I provide two types of therapies:
- Counselling,  which is a shorter and more subject focused therapy. It is mainly offered to people with occasionnal issues or that are facing a difficult and sensitive time (ie: passing of a relative, lay-off, accident, harssement at work or in the family, crisis among the couple, the annoucement of a disability for one-self or a relative, loss of self-confidence...). The goal of this therapy is an emotional easing of the situation as well as a better handling of one's life and feelings.

- Analytical psychotherapy ( also called psychodynamic therapy)  is mainly offered to people willing to go in depth into their psychological issues or individuals with difficulties that drastically hinder their lives ( such as depression, burnout, existential depression, loss of adjacency due to disability or an illness, complicated grief, severe anxiety, psychosomatic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, severe interpersonal difficulties...). The aim of this therapy is to deconstruct and understand traumatic events and false believes that the patient as experienced. This can help the patient move forward with his life without rejecting his past. Analytical psychotherapy is long term and aims for a  postive and long lasting evolution even after the end of therapy itself.

Lastly, you should know that the type of therapy isn't forced upon you, and you have the right to switch from one to the other if you fell the need for it.

What to expect from the first session ?

During the first session the patient is encouraged to talk about his request and expectations in regard to the psychotherapy. This first contact will also provide the opportunity for the psychologist to ask  multiple questions to his patient inorder to better understand his life experience.

This first session can lead to a psychotherapy, but it can also result in a reference to an other therapy , if the other approch is more adapted the patient's needs.

How much does a session cost ?

The sessions I provide last for one hour and costs 50 euros. The fees can be negociated in cas of financial hardships ( i.e. unemployment, disabilitating illness, low income...). Any session canceled less than 24 hours prior will be due.

Are the sessions payed back by the french health care system ?

The psychological sessions I provide are not repaid by the national health care system (Sécurité Sociale). However some insurances refund sessions ( under certain circumstances).