Rita Vilar, 23 years old, graduated in Psychology and completed her Master’s in Clinical and Health Psychology at Universidade Portucalense. He defines the psychologist as “the flashlight that points the way, but that does not walk it”. She was born in Santa Maria da Feira and her resolution for 2020 is “to start the Junior Professional Year”.

Comunica UPT: What led you to study psychology?
Rita Vilar: Psychology was not in my plans for the future. When choosing a Higher Education course, I was only sure of one thing: I wanted a course related to human behaviour. Starting from there, I chose Psychology, and I couldn’t be happier. From day one, I couldn’t imagine myself in another degree.

For your Master’s degree, where did you do your curricular internship and how was that experience?
I did my curricular internship at Obra do Frei Gil, more specifically at the Family Support & Parental Counselling Centre. This internship took place between October 2018 and May 2019, in a total of 680 hours, and was the most enriching experience of my academic career. All the activities that I developed, in the scope of this opportunity, allowed me to embrace the theory allied to practice, with constant challenges that I overcame thanks to the mutual help of a multidisciplinary team. From this team I learned that sharing knowledge and experiences is the richest way to work.

What were the main activities developed during this internship?
In this internship I worked with three families. I helped the parents to apply a parental education program and helped the children in a self-regulation of learning program. I also had the opportunity to develop and apply a dynamic regarding prevention of child abuse, and to apply a child development skills assessment scale, and make its report, to one of the children I followed. All these activities allowed me to develop systemic skills that has been taught in my academic career.

What did you learn in this first working experience that you will never forget?
This experience taught me many lessons that I will take into my personal and professional life. One of them is to always work meaningfully, not to forget the reason why I started, and to go back whenever necessary. I also learned that it is fundamental to have theoretical support and always know the cause for which I work. I’ve learned that I must never quit questioning, wanting to know more, and wanting to do things differently. I learned that every small step is a great achievement. I also learned that all families are competent, but that I can’t ask a family to fly if it has no wings. Above all, I must never forget that prior to being a professional, I am a person.

Any advice for students who will embrace internship and job opportunities?
I advise you to ask, research, to crave knowledge, and to make the most of that experience. Don’t just settle for what has already been done, and think outside of the box. Believe in the skills you have and identify those you can still develop. Talk, be sincere, and express expectations. Embrace opportunities, be available to improve, and be open-minded.

What would you like to do in the area of Psychology and why?
Psychology is a tree with many branches. The fact that it is a science with such vast and diverse possibilities does not make it easier to decide. I admit my heart leans towards the clinical area, but I don’t rule out Educational Psychology, because of the interest in developing skills in children and teenagers that I discovered during the curricular internship. It would be perfect to combine these two areas. Who knows, maybe develop a program for emotional regulation in children and teenagers, to enhance a good quality of emotional life, with the ultimate goal of personal development and self-knowledge.