English version

Yann Zoldan, PhD

Psychologist, Psychotherapist, and Associate Professor at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Presentation

I am a clinical psychologist and researcher whose work lies at the intersection of critical psychology, transcultural mental health, and socially engaged clinical practice. My research and clinical work explore how psychological suffering is shaped by broader social, political, and cultural contexts, particularly in situations marked by marginalization, inequality, and exclusion.

Across research, teaching, and clinical practice, I seek to develop approaches that remain attentive to lived experience, relational dynamics, and the ways in which power structures shape both subjectivity and care. This perspective informs my commitment to practices that are both clinically rigorous and socially situated.

Research

My research is primarily qualitative and grounded in critical and community-based methodologies. It is often conducted in close collaboration with practitioners, institutions, and community partners, with the aim of producing knowledge that is both theoretically meaningful and practically relevant.

My work focuses on issues such as LGBTQ2S+ mental health, the prevention of social polarization and violence, and reproductive health and justice. It also engages with transcultural and decolonial perspectives in order to question dominant frameworks in psychology and to better understand the diversity of lived experiences.

Current projects include participatory initiatives with youth, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations that aim to rethink clinical practices and care systems in light of contemporary social challenges.

Clinical Practice

My clinical practice integrates humanistic, psychodynamic, and transcultural approaches. I work with adolescents and adults in a variety of contexts, including trauma, experiences of violence, and issues related to identity, gender, and sexuality.

Particular attention is given to individuals from diverse cultural and migratory backgrounds, as well as to those whose experiences are often marginalized within dominant clinical frameworks. My approach emphasizes relational engagement and seeks to move beyond standardized models toward a form of care that is responsive to context and grounded in ethical reflection.

Teaching and Supervision

I teach at both undergraduate and doctoral levels in areas including psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theories, existential and humanistic psychology, the psychology of sexuality, and clinical supervision. My teaching aims to create spaces for critical reflection, where students are invited to engage with theory in relation to clinical practice and broader social issues.

Publications and Engagement

My publications contribute to discussions on clinical practice in contexts of inequality, as well as on questions related to gender, sexuality, subjectivity, and collective forms of suffering. Through this work, I engage with critical and interdisciplinary perspectives that seek to expand the scope of contemporary psychology.

Beyond academic publications, my work involves ongoing engagement with public and professional communities through conferences, collaborative initiatives, media contributions, and partnerships with community organizations. These activities reflect a broader commitment to bridging clinical practice, research, and advocacy, and to making psychological knowledge accessible and responsive to contemporary social issues.

Thinking a critical psychology of subjective alienations, and promoting a clinical practice of liberation against the brutalities of the world.

Professeur de psychologie