French-language Clinical Psychology - a unique field of study

Selective training

These are the comments from students in the Psychology department. Unlike the department's overall curriculum, the Clinical Psychology program is taught in French. The program is a collaboration with the University of Toulouse II in France, supported by the Agency for Francophone Universities (AUF).

Currently, many universities offer psychology programs, such as the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the University of Education, and the Trade Union University, with similar teaching and training programs. To meet societal needs and improve employment opportunities for graduates, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, has opened a new sub-discipline within its faculty: Clinical Psychology. This program is entirely new, advanced, and more specialized than the broader field of psychology training.

To enroll in this program, student admission is based on their university entrance exam scores, ranked from highest to lowest. The selection of high-achieving students aims to train a truly high-quality workforce.

From their very first years, students are equipped with French language skills alongside their general university subjects. This serves as a stepping stone, allowing them to gain more exposure to their majors taught directly in French in their second year.

Vu Hong Ha Anh, a first-year student in the French-language Clinical Psychology program, shared: “I enrolled in the French-language Clinical Psychology program because I already have a good command of English and now want to learn another foreign language. Besides, Clinical Psychology is both a new field and one with great career prospects after graduation.” Although she is only in her first year learning French, Ha Anh finds this new teaching method extremely enjoyable.

Learning goes hand in hand with practice.

With a duration of four years, the training program balances study time and practical training. Students regularly visit facilities and consulting centers to verify the knowledge they have acquired.

Students are trained to meet the needs for intervention, psychological assessment, psychological monitoring and diagnosis, and parent mentoring and guidance. In particular, during their studies, students learn to work with teams of therapists and educators.

According to Dr. Tran Thu Huong (Deputy Head of the Department of Psychology), clinical psychology training at the Department has many new features, especially the fact that most specialized subjects are taught by experienced and reputable foreign lecturers: "The priority of this program is to help build clinical and social functions for practicing psychologists; to provide in-depth training for practicing psychologists to work with children, adolescents, families, as well as with professionals related to these groups."

Opportunities for further education

It can be said that the training partnerships with international organizations and French universities offer a great opportunity for Clinical Psychology students to directly interact with the French language and culture, and receive excellent support in their studies and employment after graduation. Students benefit from many policies of the Francophone University Agency such as: social scholarships for outstanding students, opportunities to study with experts from French-speaking universities, scholarships for internships, master's and doctoral programs at one of the French universities…

Ms. Nguyen Mai Anh, currently a lecturer in the Psychology Department and a former student of French-language Clinical Psychology, shared with us that studying Clinical Psychology was the right choice. Unlike many current training programs at universities in Vietnam, she started her specialization in her second year of university, not her third. Furthermore, learning another language besides English increased her job opportunities. Upon graduation, students receive a French language certificate issued by AUF.

According to Dr. Tran Thu Huong, graduates with a Bachelor's degree in French-language Clinical Psychology are recognized as equivalent to a Master's degree (Level 1) and can directly enroll in Level 2 Master's programs at French universities or in the joint Master's program in French-language Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. This is also the primary source for selecting postgraduate students for state scholarships or international cooperation programs offered by the University. The scope of this field is very broad, encompassing many areas from health, education, and training to career guidance, working in consulting centers, research institutions, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and hospitals… This can be considered the only social science program where students can work in hospitals.