Resources
A glossary of French psychology studies
The words used in French higher education and in the profession, explained without jargon. 28 definitions, useful before choosing a school and before an admission interview. Several have no English equivalent and are kept in French on purpose.
A
- Apprenticeship · alternance
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A format that splits time between the school and a company. At ESPÉ, the MSc in Psychology and Human Resource Management works this way: one week of classes for every three weeks in the company, over 2 years. Under a French apprenticeship contract, the employer covers tuition and pays a salary.
- Integrative approach
-
A way of teaching and practising psychology that is not tied to a single school of thought. The practitioner knows psychoanalysis, cognitive and behavioural therapies, humanistic and systemic approaches, and chooses the tool suited to the person and the moment.
B
- Bachelor of Science · BSc
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A three-year undergraduate degree carrying 180 ECTS credits. At ESPÉ it is an institutional degree: it does not have the status of a French national licence, but its credits make further study easier.
- Need-based scholarship
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Financial aid awarded according to family income. The French state awards, run by the Crous, are reserved for state-recognised programmes and therefore do not apply at ESPÉ, which runs its own need-based awards of up to 50% of tuition.
C
- CVEC · student life and campus contribution
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A compulsory annual contribution for every student enrolled in French higher education, public or private. It funds health, sport and culture on campus, and costs €103 a year.
- ECTS credits
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The European unit for measuring student workload. One year is worth 60 credits, a bachelor 180, a master 120. They make a study path easier to recognise abroad and between institutions, without ever guaranteeing admission.
- Training centre
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At ESPÉ, a facility modelled on Quebec university clinics where second-year MSc students see clients under the supervision of experienced psychologists. Sessions are filmed, with everyone's consent, and reviewed in supervision.
D
- Institutional degree · diplôme d’établissement
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A degree awarded by a school under its own responsibility, without state recognition. That is the status of ESPÉ degrees today, with the exception of the EBS Paris Master Grande École earned through the human resources double degree.
- Professional ethics · déontologie
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The body of rules governing a profession. In psychology it covers confidentiality, consent, the limits of the relationship and the duty of competence. At ESPÉ it runs through the whole curriculum rather than sitting in one isolated module.
E
- EMDR
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A therapy based on eye movements, used mainly in the treatment of psychological trauma. It is covered in the second year of the MSc in Clinical Psychology.
- Clinical interview
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The encounter between a practitioner and a person, for assessment or for care. It is learned and rehearsed: it is a subject in its own right from the first year.
G
- Master grade · grade de master
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Recognition granted by the French state to certain institutional degrees, giving them the standing of a national master and opening access to doctoral study. The EBS Paris Master Grande École, earned in the double degree with ESPÉ, carries it.
M
- Master of Science · MSc
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A two-year postgraduate degree carrying 120 ECTS credits, oriented towards professional specialisation. At ESPÉ it is an institutional degree.
- Mon Master
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The French national platform for applying to university master's programmes. ESPÉ's MSc programmes are applied for directly with the school, outside this platform.
P
- Parcoursup
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The French national platform for admission to higher education after the baccalauréat. ESPÉ's bachelor programmes are applied for directly with the school, outside Parcoursup, at any time of year.
- Psychologue · psychologist
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A title protected by the French law of 25 July 1985 and its 1990 decree. It requires five years of study validated by the state, at a university or at the École de Psychologues Praticiens. ESPÉ degrees do not grant access to it today.
- Psychiatrist
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A medical doctor specialised in psychiatry. They can prescribe medication and practise psychotherapy. The route runs through medical school, not through psychology.
- Psychotherapist
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Also a protected title in France, subject to entry in a national register and to conditions of training and clinical placement. It is distinct from both the psychologist and the psychiatrist title.
- Psychopraticien
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An unprotected French label used by professionals trained in one or more counselling methods. It does not open the posts reserved for holders of the psychologist title.
- Psychometrics
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The measurement of aptitudes, traits and psychological functions using standardised tests. It is taught from the first year and practised on placement.
Q
- Qualiopi
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A French state certification attesting to the quality of a training provider's process, against seven criteria. It covers how an organisation trains, not the value of the degree it awards.
R
- RNCP
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The French national register of professional certifications. An entry in the RNCP attests that a certification is recognised by the state for its level and its competences. The EBS Paris Master Grande École appears there under number 42264.
S
- Supervision
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An arrangement in which an experienced practitioner supports a trainee or practising colleague in their work. At ESPÉ it frames clinical placements and the work in the training centre, in groups of at most fifteen students.
- Systemic approach
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An approach that considers a person within their relationships, family ones in particular, rather than in isolation. It is taught alongside the other approaches and deepened in the therapeutic approaches track.
T
- Cognitive and behavioural therapies · CBT, TCC
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Approaches centred on thoughts and observable behaviour, whose effectiveness is documented for several disorders. They are taught from the first year, alongside the other approaches.
- Protected title
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A label whose use is reserved by law to people meeting precise qualification conditions. Psychologue, psychiatre and psychothérapeute are protected titles in France.
W
- WISC
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The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, one of the most widely used tests in clinical psychology. Administering and interpreting it is learned at MSc level.
A word missing?
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