“Our program prioritizes the practical specialization of psychologists”
Andrés González Bellido, vice-dean of COPC and coordinating psychologist of the Master’s in Educational Psychology at ISEP, is running as a candidate for Dean of the Col·legi Oficial de Psicòlegs de Catalunya in the upcoming elections on June 7. At ISEP, we support his candidacy and spoke with him to learn about the foundations of his electoral program.
Why have you decided to run in the COPC collegiate elections as a candidate for Dean?
There are two basic reasons that led me to decide to present my candidacy for Dean of COPC.
The first is that we are at a critical moment in the growth process of Psychology, both from the training aspect (adaptation to the Bologna plan, Bachelor’s degrees, Postgraduate degrees, Master’s degrees…) and from the perspective of professional practice to satisfy the growing social demands that we, as Psychology professionals, face.
The second is my professional experience as a manager over the last few years, as president of the Educational Psychology section, Vice-dean for the last 4 years, and as Secretary of the Education area at the State level. This experience provides me with knowledge of the COPC’s organizational structure and makes me aware of the strengths and needs we currently have in Catalonia.
What are the pillars of your electoral program?
The aspiration and vocation of service to promote a strong College, with good management in all its areas, representing the general interest of all its members.
As a summary of the program, I would highlight: consolidating and disseminating the profession; improving services and optimizing COPC management; strengthening cohesion with territorial demarcations; promoting professional sections and quality training; facilitating advice for the creation of private practices; adapting COPC regulations; and defending the profession against unauthorized practice.
Your campaign slogan includes “we want and we can do it with you”. What do you want to convey?
As almost always, slogans try to concentrate the essence of a project in a few words. In our case, we want to share the program’s objectives, which we are convinced of as a team; we can achieve it by contributing our enthusiasm, experience, and management capacity; and finally, we want to do this path with you, counting on your participation as a member. We are very clear that COPC is all of us.
Within your electoral program, you propose a set of objectives that you plan to carry out over the next 4 years. If you had to highlight three, what would they be?
It is difficult to highlight three from the set of objectives of our electoral program, but I believe that as basic pillars I would emphasize:
• The modification of different COPC regulations, especially the Statutes and the Code of Ethics.
• Transparency and participation of members in management.
• Specialized training and creation of the School of Psychological Practice in different areas of Psychology, as basic training aimed at the professional practice of recently graduated psychologists.
Within your electoral program, you emphasize the importance of improving collegiate services by adapting to new technologies. What role should ICTs play in the internal management of the college?
We are immersed in a period of unstoppable technological development; we must use ICTs as tools and resources that facilitate our daily activity, both professionally and in terms of management. Our program contemplates the implementation of the Single Window for the entire administrative management process, both internal and external.
Another proposal related to ICTs is the implementation of electronic signature and voting.
Your candidacy advocates for modifying the COPC Statutes and Code of Ethics. Why this need for reform?
Regulations are dynamic reference elements that must allow adaptation to legislative, professional, and social evolution. In the specific case of COPC, our statutes need a concretization that, as far as possible, avoids different interpretations; they must adapt to the regulations of professional colleges and the European directive, especially the Omnibus Law. Regarding the Code of Ethics, the modifications are for adaptation to the Omnibus Law and coherence with the state-level code of ethics.
Another highlight of your program is the desire to promote the training of members, especially through agreements with institutions like ours. To what extent is professional updating important in the sector?
We believe that students, upon completing their Bachelor’s degree, obtain a good university education, but it is necessary to complement it with specialized practical training: one of the priority projects of our candidacy.
For a long time, we have considered knowledge as the basis of training and specialization processes. Currently, training needs to go a step further and include “know-how.” This specialization of Psychology professionals in competencies requires both public and private centers that provide quality training, allowing psychology professionals to respond to the needs that society demands of us.
Regarding the different collaborations and agreements of COPC with both public and private institutions, we believe that what is truly important is that the training provided by the different entities has a recognized quality level, endorsed by professionals and programs that allow psychologists to acquire the necessary competencies in the different areas of psychological intervention.