Interview with Guacimara Hernández: the daily life of a psychologist

Sometimes psychology is seen as something cold and far from the real concerns of people. To dispel this myth, there is nothing better than knowing this discipline from the hands of those who are dedicated to it: psychologists.

In this case, we interviewed Guacimara Hernández, a psychologist who offers her psychotherapy sessions in the Canarian city of Arrecife.

Interview with Guacimara Hernández Santana, psychologist

Guacimara She is a psychologist specializing in Clinical and Health Psychology and in Sexology. In this interview, she tells us about her professional day-to-day life and about her impressions of the work she does with patients.

You have extensive experience as a clinical psychologist. What led you to study Psychology?

It is true that when I began to study the degree I saw it as something very complicated, but at the same time when you like something you study with great enthusiasm. It's a very pleasant career path when it comes to being able to help others, that's why.

Today, working on this is lucky for me, because it's what I like and the hours I dedicate to my work are many, but I can always say that I'm lucky because I chose well.

What characteristics do you think a good psychologist should have?

The fundamental characteristics for me are safety, accessibility, patience and being in continuous training. And above all, knowing well that the person is looking for help and not all of us are specialized in that, The first thing is to start from whether we can carry out this case or not, that is, refer to another professional.

Although the fact of going to a psychologist is more and more accepted, there are still those who think that going to psychotherapy is a sign of weakness. Have you perceived this?

I see this less and less. People are normalizing this whole process more and more, and they are already trying not to suffer so much and catch the problems on time. A psychologist gives you the guidelines and makes you see the good side of things, and many times we suffer and lengthen the suffering unnecessarily.

What problems or disorders do you attend to most frequently?

Anxiety and depression are the most recurring cases in my office, but there are also many cases of OCD, low self-esteem, eating disorders, chronic pain...

What do you think is the obstacle for a person to go to a psychologist for help?

Some people tend to see the need for consistency in therapy as a problem, believe that they will not be able to follow guidelines, and want very fast results. Once in therapy I always tell them that I don't leave them alone, and the wellness process is the next thing that comes.

In your experience, have you gone to another specialist to support the recovery process of a patient?

Many times I have to refer patients, but the problem is that I am left with weeks of waiting to catch more people and due to lack of space in my schedule if I usually refer other professionals. Also, when the patient needs it, we work as a team with Psychiatry.

When do you think it is time to seek the help of a psychologist?

When you see that your life is not what you expected, when everything turns dark and especially when you see that for a long time something is not going well with you, that is the moment. We were born to live life, not to always be in continuous survival