Name: Doris Rodríguez ValesAge: 53Years in the field: Almost 4 yearsHobbies: Reading biographies
“Prepare yourself as much as you can”. This is the advice that Doris Rodríguez Vales gave to all the undergraduate students of Albizu University. She studied psychology when Albizu University was named “Centro Caribeño”. Now, she`s proud of all the academic skills she has achieved during her life and of her two daughters: Frances and Sofia. Psychology has given her mental peace and has helped her to establish a balance between positive and negative experiences. She`s a role model and a successful woman of 53 years old. Let’s learn a bit more about her job and how she has touched the hearts of children with special needs and with pre-school children’s parents!
HCAlbizu: Do you think that the field of psychology has changed over the years? In which aspects do you consider that the psychology field has changed in?Doris: “Yes, it has changed! The first thing is with the preparation. Before, you could work as a clinical or school psychologist with just a master’s degree. Now, the requirements have changed and you need to attain a doctorate to be able to work. There are some things that never change, for example: the psychosexual and development theories. However, with time, new ways of focusing on the problems arise and that’s a benefit because the psychologist learns how to give better treatment for those problems”.
HCAlbizu: Do you believe that these changes have been beneficial for the field?Doris: “Yes, with better preparation, people will have more aptitude for the position they work in and a better performance. I don’t mean to say that with more preparation, the better the performance because I consider that a good performance comes from the experiences. In many occasions, there are people with a lot of knowledge, but the real challenge is when you work. There is where each proves their own potential. I, with my Master’s degree, consider that with all the years that I’ve been working, I am more efficient and it has been greatly beneficial for me”.
HCAlbizu: In what and where have you worked?Doris: “I started in Special needs education, I worked there for a period of two years. Later, I spent 25 years working in the “Head Start”program, particularly, with pre-school children. In the last few years, I worked for two corporations: MCG and CANI. Now, I am not working”.
HCAlbizu: How was your experience in “Head Start”? Can you share an anecdote with us?Doris: “In “Head Start”, I started working with a different background. I say this because as I told you before, I had worked previously with children with special needs. When I had to work with pre-school children, the way I treated them had to be different and the direction of my intervention was different. Pre-school children are very dependent on their parents; they’re developing. This means that the people I shared my constructive criticism with were the parents. The greatest task in “Head Start” is to impact the parents in a positive way so there is a change in behavior”.
“I have hundreds of anecdotes [laughs]. For example, I remember that in one occasion, I was about to give a presentation and one of the mothers told me: “make it quick, teacher, I need to go and see the novela”. When you hear one of these phrases, you understand where children’s attitudes come from”.
HCAlbizu: What advice can you provide to the people whom are just starting to work in the psychology field?Doris: “I would advise them to be as well prepared as they can, learn from those who have been more time in the field, and never stop learning. The best learning is done when one works in their job. I recommend to gather information from different areas; work with children, teens, older adults and from there, decide. I mean to recognize which population you work with the best and the type of people you feel most comfortable with”.
HCAlbizu: Which psychological tests did you have the opportunity to administrate?Doris: “I had the opportunity to administrate the EIWA, EIWIN and WIBSI. I always try to give more than one test; the intelligence one, the visual-motor and the emotional were three that for me was a requirement to understand the situation of a person. While working with CANI, my work was assessing, I would give three tests in the areas I mentioned before”.
HCAlbizu: What advice can you provide to the general community of Puerto Rico when responding to a specialized test such as the EIWA, EIWIN or WIBSI?Doris: “The most important thing is to be objective and to not beat around the bush. My way of administrating them is gradually (from easy to hard). First, I start with the emotional test, then visual-motor and last, the intelligence test. I also want to give a recommendation to psychologists to be sure when diagnosing since the diagnosis will “label” the child before society and if there is a mistake, then it will damage the child’s “image”, leading to stereotypes. Also, a child with a wrong diagnosis has to wait three years for a reevaluation. It’s not a fair process for the child. Therefore, I want to emphasize the psychologist’s responsibility in the assessment of a person, a process that has to proceed with caution”.
HCAlbizu: Which tests did you have to take to obtain the Master’s Degree in Psychology?Doris: “I studied when Albizu University was called “Centro Caribeño”. In those times, we had to take an objective exam whose format was specific. I also had to take an oral exam. I could choose between an exam with questions and an oral exam. I preferred to take the oral test and I think I was right to do so [laughs]. Finally, I took the revalidation. In those times, only 30% passed the test. Now, the numbers have gone down”.
HCAlbizu: What advice can you provide to the people who will be taking the board exam in the near or distant future?Doris: “Try to prepare as early as possible. I don’t think you should wait until near the time of the test to review what you’ve studied. I advise to take advantage of the professional reviews that are offered, once you attend to one of those, the job gets easier. You would just need to study it”.
HCAlbizu: Which theoretical approach did the books of that time have? What was the message that was emphasized?Doris: “In the “Centro Caribeño”, we used the behavioral method more. I admit that I also used that method more. I say this [because] in “Head Start”, one works commonly with techniques of behavior modification”.
HCAlbizu: Have you done any community work?Doris: “I was a volunteer for some time in the “Centro Caribeño” in a specialized space for children. I also participated in a magazine while working with “Head Start”, writing articles about depression and anxiety. I didn’t have a specific assigned topic and my intervention was occasional”.
HCAlbizu: What message can you give to the community of undergraduate students of Albizu University?Doris: “I say: prepare yourselves well. Puerto Rico needs psychologists and above all, those that are interested in staying on the island to work. Our country needs us and if the social and political powers pay more attention to the development of psychologists, things can change”.
HCAlbizu: What message can you give to all the members of the Her Campus Albizu chapter?Doris: “It would be good if you would have the experience of visiting psychologists that can contribute to the magazine. Also, it would be good if you not only interview professionals, but also interview people who receive treatment from a psychologist. When I collaborated with the magazine, I remember that a strategy that always helped us was interviewing the parents of the children that went to the center. The parent’s opinion would help us determine if the type of learning we gave was being effective. Other people’s feedback helps regain a lot of information”.