Currently, we live in a globalized society in which internationalization is increasingly gaining relevance as a determining factor for developing not only personally but also professionally.
Specialize by pursuing a Master’s degree at ISEP
Precisely for this reason, Guillermo García Castillo, after graduating in psychology, decided to continue his studies at ISEP, thanks to the international character it provided him. On the one hand, studying the Master in Clinical and Health Psychology at ISEP offered him the possibility of obtaining a degree valid in some Latin American countries. On the other hand, Guillermo tells us that being able to share a classroom with psychologists of different nationalities and thus exchange the professional experiences each of them had had in their respective countries, made “the experience incredible”.
Similarly, Guillermo’s choice when selecting the Master in Clinical and Health Psychology at ISEP was also influenced not only by the opinions and recommendations he received about ISEP from former psychology classmates, but also by his desire to choose training that would allow him to acquire more detailed knowledge and skills oriented towards patient intervention, thus moving away from all the theory he had previously received at university.
This practical approach was possible because, as Guillermo indicates, “all my professors practiced psychology in their respective areas while teaching classes in the master’s program. They were not professors stuck in their own treatises related to their thesis, which they hadn’t touched years after completing it,” so they didn’t focus on memorization, but rather their intention was to teach them and provide them with useful knowledge for their daily practice.
Professional Psychology Internships
Furthermore, Guillermo points out that the internships he completed at ISEP greatly influenced his personal, professional, and even emotional development. Firstly, he was at the clinic of Dr. José Antonio Molina del Peral, who, according to Guillermo, made him change his interests, starting to become interested in addictions. In these internships, Guillermo was able to see a therapeutic process live and in person, being clear proof that he was dedicated to what he wanted.
After these internships, Guillermo completed other internships at the neurocognitive rehabilitation center Cognitiva Unidad de memoria, which allowed him not only to take his first step into a completely new world for him, cognitive stimulation and neurosciences; but also to get his first job as a psychologist. With this, Guillermo began to acquire knowledge about brain function, cognitive skills, neurosciences, interaction with the elderly population… and realized that he liked this field more and more.
So much so that he set aside the progress and projects he had in the world of addictions, to focus on neurosciences and thus specialize in group therapies and cognitive stimulation and interaction with populations affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
From Studying at ISEP to Working in Australia
Thanks to this, Guillermo had the opportunity to travel to Australia to lead a cognitive stimulation project for elderly populations affected and unaffected by neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, Guillermo, in addition to performing these types of therapies, is responsible for the coordination of the project and the team, while also providing training to people who care for the elderly.
In this way, Guillermo has managed to work on something he is passionate about and enjoys. He himself admits that what he likes most is “the interaction with patients along with the coordination of the project and other professionals”.