Module 8
Staying Mentally Healthy
Knowing where to turn when you're struggling is part of living well in France — and the French mental health system, like everything else here, has its own logic. This module covers all the basics, whether you need a bit of extra support or help from a trained professional.
Who's who in French mental health
The titles don't map neatly onto what you may know from home, so here's the cast of characters:
Psychologist (psychologue) — has completed at least Masters-level training in psychology and must be registered with a government number (RPPS). Psychologists provide talking therapy such as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and assessment for disorders like ADHD and Autism. They are not doctors and cannot prescribe medication.
Psychiatrist (psychiatre) — a medical doctor specialised in mental health. Psychiatrists can diagnose, prescribe medication, and some provide therapy, although sessions may be brief (around 30 minutes). Their consultations can be reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie, like any specialist visit. Psychiatrists and psychologists tend to refer patients to each other depending on what kind of treatment is needed.
GP (médecin généraliste) — often the first port of call for mental health issues, just like at home. Your médecin traitant can rule out physical causes, prescribe medication if appropriate, and refer you onwards to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
Psychoanalyst (psychanalyste) — a practitioner of psychoanalysis, the approach founded by Freud that explores unconscious processes, typically through open-ended, exploratory sessions over a period of several years. This title is not state-regulated: anyone can call themselves a psychoanalyst, whatever their training.
Counsellor (conseiller / psychopraticien) — someone offering supportive talking therapy, often for life difficulties, grief or relationship issues rather than treatment for clinical disorders. In France, anyone can call themselves a "counsellor", so while a well-trained counsellor might be just what you need, you need to be extra careful to check their qualifications .
Life coach (coach de vie) — Coaching focuses on goals, motivation, and performance, and a good coach can genuinely help with things like career direction or confidence. An important caveat is that coaches are not qualified to treat mental health issues, and anyone can print the title "coach" on their business card.
Everyone says "therapist" – what is that exactly?
"Therapist" is the word English-speakers use most — and it's precisely the one to be careful with. It's basically an umbrella term covering anyone you might see for your mental health, from a psychiatrist to a counsellor. But it isn't a registered profession in itself: the word "therapist" does not guarantee any training, so be wary if someone calls themselves a therapist, and nothing more.
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So what do I do if I'm not feeling good?
I could use a bit of support
Sometimes what's needed isn't therapy — it's connection, structure, and someone to talk to.
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Community and faith organisations — the English-speaking churches, associations, and community groups across France often run support groups, coffee mornings, and befriending networks, and welcome people of all backgrounds.
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English-speaking listening lines — SOS Help (01 46 21 46 46, every day 3pm–11pm) is France's English-language emotional support line. You don't need to be in crisis to call: loneliness, worry, and "I just need to talk this through" are all normal reasons. Calls are anonymous and confidential.
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Self-guided support — the other modules of this guide can be helpful, and there are some very reputable mental health resources out there. We particularly recommend UK mental health charity Mind and the online treatment programs of This Way Up.
I need to talk to a professional
If what you're carrying is heavier or more persistent, it's time to talk to a qualified professional.
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Paris Psychology Centre — the English-speaking psychology practice partnered with this guide. Everyone at the centre is a registered psychologist practising evidence-based approaches. Therapy is available in English from native speaking psychologists, and can be in person and online.
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International Counseling Service (ICS) — an association of English-speaking psychologists and therapists in Paris, founded in 1979. ICS offers a free initial consultation to assess your situation and refer you to the right professional.
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BetterHelp and other online platforms — these generally offer subscription-based online therapy (often around 300€ per month). These platforms tend to pay its therapists poorly, so generally don't attract the best professionals. The same convenience — therapy in English by video — is also available from registered psychologists in France.
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Mon soutien psy — a heavily criticised state scheme that reimburses psychology sessions. It offers up to 12 sessions per year at a fixed €50 per session, with 60% reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie. Unfortunately, sessions are only 30 minutes, which is far below the recommended 50 minutes for treatment, and because of the low fee it tends not to attract the best practitioners. Participating psychologists mostly work in French, though some offer English.
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The public route — your médecin traitant can refer you to a psychiatre (reimbursed like any specialist) or to your local CMP (centre médico-psychologique), the free public mental health centres. CMPs are thorough but can have long waiting lists, and English availability is variable.
It's an emergency!
15 – the right number to call. This is the number for SAMU (Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente). This is the medical emergency service and equivalent to dialing 111 in the UK. They will ask a few questions about what’s happening and will either send a doctor or ambulance, or advise you to go to hospital. They also have English-speaking agents if that's easier. In France, the fire brigade (18) also responds to many medical emergencies. If you go directly to a hospital emergency department, you can receive care even if you are not insured or registered in the French healthcare system.
How stress crept up on me unawares...
Karen, 51,
originally from Leeds
"I live near Lyon with my family, I run a small business, and I'm the person friends come to when they need something sorted. So it took me a long time to admit I was struggling.
It wasn't one thing. My mother back in Yorkshire was getting frailer, and I was managing her care. The business had a rough year. My teenagers needed me in that relentless way teenagers do. I kept saying I had no right to feel overwhelmed. I could cope with each individual thing, so surely I should cope with all of them at once. That was the trap.
What changed things was finally describing it all to a friend, who said: 'Karen, you're carrying two whole countries.' Hearing it laid out, I stopped treating my exhaustion as a failure and started treating it as a workload problem. I delegated parts of the business to my deputy, arranged proper care for Mum, and put two evenings a week back in the diary that belonged to nobody but me. My advice? Nobody is stress-proof. Check your own stress from time to time, especially if you're the person everyone leans on."
How stress crept up on me...
Karen, 51, originally from Leeds
Reducing stress – 6 ways to empty the bucket
1 Sleep first – do everything else later
Sleep is the tap that widens all the others. Nearly everything gets harder on poor sleep — your mood dips, your patience thins, small problems feel bigger. Protect a consistent sleep rhythm before optimising anything else: regular bedtime, wind-down without screens, and be honest about how caffeine and alcohol are affecting your nights.
2 Calm your fight-or-flight response
When stress spikes — before the difficult meeting, after the upsetting phone call — you can calm your nervous system directly through your breath. Try this: breathe in slowly for four counts, then out for six. The extended exhale activates your body's natural relaxation response. Two minutes is enough to take the edge off an acute moment. It's free, invisible and works anywhere.
3 Move your body
Exercise is one of the most reliable stress-relievers we know of, but it doesn't require a gym membership. France is built for walking: to the boulangerie, to the market, around the block after dinner. A daily walk counts. If you want more structure, France's rich associative culture means there's almost certainly a local club for whatever moves you — and it opens the connection tap too.
4 Take the real lunch break
Here's where living in France works in your favour. The French treat rest as a legitimate part of life: the proper lunch away from the desk, the sacred weekend, the holidays actually taken. If you work in an environment that has an eat-at-your-desk culture it's worth consciously reclaiming the French habit of genuine pauses. It's is one of the best stress-management systems ever devised.
5 Contain what drains you
Recurring stressors lose their power when they're contained rather than constant. If admin weighs on you, give it one scheduled slot a week rather than letting each letter hijack a day. The same applies to other slow drips: difficult family phone calls, work email out of hours, the news cycle. You often can't eliminate these inflows — but you can decide when they're allowed to pour in.
5 Unblock the taps – do what really restores you
Notice the habits that feel like relief but keep your water level high. Passive scrolling eats the evening without restoring you. A nightly drink might disrupt the sleep you need most. Staying glued to the news keeps your nervous system on alert. None of these need to disappear entirely, but swapping even one for a genuine tap (a walk, a call with a friend, an early night) makes a real difference.
Sleep – the key to managing stress
Struggling to switch off? Sleep is your best defence against stress, and it's often the first thing to go. Clinical psychologist Francis Merson shares four research-backed ways to get a proper night's rest.
Key Takeaways
1. Keep a consistent sleep schedule — same bed/wake time daily, skip long naps
2. Get daylight early — 30 minutes of morning light to set the body clock
3. Make your bedroom work for sleep — cool, dark, quiet, screens out
4. Wind down on purpose — no caffeine/alcohol/heavy meals late; wind-down routine, to-do list for racing thoughts
How I stopped letting bureaucracy ruin my week...
Priya, 39,
originally from
Birmingham
"For a long time, every envelope with a government logo sent my heart rate through the roof. I'd open letters from CPAM or the tax office the moment they arrived, panic about what they meant, and spend the evening on forums trying to decode them. French admin was leaking into every single day of my life.
The change came when a French colleague laughed (very kindly, by the way) at my panic and said, 'Priya, nothing in French administration happens quickly. Why are you rushing?' She was right. I was treating every letter as an emergency when the system itself runs on a timescale of weeks and months.
So I made a rule: admin happens on Sunday mornings, with a coffee, and nowhere else. Letters go straight into a folder unopened. On Sunday I open everything, deal with what I can, and list what to chase.
And nothing bad happened. The paperwork didn't shrink, but the space it took up in my head shrank enormously. My advice? Contain it. French bureaucracy will happily expand to fill your whole week if you let it. Don't let it."
How I stopped letting bureaucracy ruin my week...
Priya, 39, originally from Birmingham
