I’m going to be honest. I wasn’t able to find a therapist that speaks English. They are available in the city, but for any therapist you have to pay around 50 euros per visit unless you have an international insurance. If you do look into international insurances, I would look to see if the insurance covers therapists that speak English or any therapist in Rennes (if this is where you choose to study abroad/live). Due to my situation, I had an insurance covered by my home university. This insurance is called GeoBlue, but it only covered up to five sessions and the only therapists nearby that accept this insurance were an hour away in Nantes. One really nice therapist decided to Skype with me once a week. I feel like these five sessions helped me get things off my chest when the overwhelming feeling of adjusting to a new country surrounded me.

The Search

First, we started at the university health center. This was kind of a frustrating experience for me, because the assist director couldn’t go back with me to the office. I was already a little stressed, but the nurse had a really hard time understanding me which kind of upset me. She was able to explain how there is a long wait to see students, since it is such a big school and I wouldn’t be seen until the time I would be leaving to go back to the U.S. She gave me a call about a list of English speaking therapists in Rennes, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to go to one.

Second, my director sent me to talk to a psychiatrist just to get another professional opinion. He suggested it since that’s where students in the past had gone to. The psychiatrist pretty much listened to me talk about my life and how everything has lead me to feeling and thinking the way I do today. The whole thing was in French. He only knew a few key words kind of like the therapist. He said he would’ve wanted to have sessions with me, but only if I was French because there would definitely be misunderstandings if we did continue. Psychiatrists are able to write prescriptions as well if they think that is what you need.

Third, my assistant director helped me to find a therapist for the five sessions. She called all of the therapists covered in Nantes and she found the only one that accepted the offer to Skype. The CIEE directors of the Rennes program are all very supportive and are there to help you with anything you need. I started Skyping with the therapist a week after she contacted her.

Therapy in French

At first, I felt trying to express myself in French took up too much time because I was trying to find the words to describe how I felt. Sometimes I didn’t even know the words in English, but as the weeks went on I felt like I could express myself more. I just didn’t want to feel cheated out of an hour because I was trying to figure out how to say one thing. I found out from the director of the program that most of the time the French only get a 30 minute session.

The therapist I talked to was very nice. When I wasn’t feeling the best mentally during the primary adjustment stages I was able to speak to her about my history and then I expressed what I needed to. I feel like she could see after the first session that I was just looking to find ways to help cope with how I felt sometimes. I was able to express more after she was able to understand my history better.

GeoBlue

Since I was unable to go to my therapist, I had to pay for my sessions through the GeoBlue app. It was pretty easy to use. I just searched for my provider and then requested direct pay for the provider. I looked into adding more sessions, but I would personally have to pay for it or have to have a doctor sign off that I needed more sessions. It would be beneficial to have more sessions, but I feel like I got a lot out of the five sessions.

MySSP app.

Another option I have is the MySPP app. This is CIEE’s very own app and only CIEE participants can use it. I haven’t used it that much since I haven’t felt the need to, but all you have to do is put your personal information and what program you are a part of to create your profile. There’s a news feed page, but the main reason for the app is to have the ability to talk to someone 24/7. You are able to message or call through the app.