Josep Batista Trobalon: ʼWe are working on the future Psychology Clinic of the University of Barcelonaʻ

When did you decide that you would like to run the Faculty?

I have been closed to the Faculty of Psychology since 1986, when I got a scholarship to collaborate in the Department of Basic Psychology for the last two years I spent studying the degree. Then, I graduated, I wrote the dissertation and I defended my PhD thesis in a short period of time. After having been the director of the Department of Basic Psychology and set up several successful projects, I decided to run as dean. We are facing a historical moment and I have always liked to take an active part: governance at universities is being discussed and the University is working on the reform of its Statutes and structures.

It is particularly closed to people. And at the same time, I take into account the scientific method —a habit pick up in my job. Iʼve got a premise: “The work developed is work developed and we must take profit of it”. All that has been done and has given some results must be profited. If results are positive, it is even better. If they are not positive, they show us where the mistake is. Therefore, the work developed must be always profited.

There is another question I consider crucial: cooperative work. When people work together, they generate dynamics not individual actions. Logically, at the Faculty there are academics who are like a soloist in an orchestra. They play their own instrument in an incredible way and they must be provided with opportunities to outstand. But celestial music is not the result of the work developed by the soloist, but by the whole orchestra. The orchestra makes the difference.

After one year running the Faculty, how do you assess the work carried out?

To be true, some actions were planned, but others were unexpected. For instance, we knew that the degree in Psychology needs to undergo a quality accreditation process in 2016. The fulfilment of the commitments set on the verification document must be proved. The Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) demands us a great amount of information and we have to collect it; this is a heavy workload.

It was also crucial to link the degree with masterʼs and UB-specific degrees. These were prior actions, but we had to prioritize the implementation of the masterʼs degree in General Health Psychology.

It is crucial because it defines a new occupation. Around three years ago, the Official State Gazette (BOE) that regulates health occupations was published; it established one new occupation related to Psychology:  the general health psychologist. This question has been analysed during more than ten years. Once the job was regulated, it was also necessary to regulate the studies that enable a person to carry out that job. I thought that if it took ten years to regulate the occupation, other ten years will be needed to regulate the studies, but it was not like that. In June 2013, a BOE that establishes the characteristics of the new masterʼs degree was published.

When I took office as dean, in April 2013, I created a working group on the future masterʼs. At the same time, we visited different hospitals in order to negotiate placements for our future students. When the characteristics were established, we had already done a great amount of work. It was much easier to introduce some changes than to start from scratch again. For this reason, the University was able to hand the verification documentation to AQU in July. The University of Barcelona and the University of Santiago were the only two Spanish universities that were able to begin masterʼs lessons last November.

One of the most important characteristics of the masterʼs degree is that students must do a 600 hour placement at an officially recognised health centre. We were lucky because we had previously signed some agreements with hospitals and health centres. We handled the documentation before the summer, so in autumn it had already been passed.

Yes, that is right. The masterʼs is going to be a requirement to work as a general health psychologist. All universities are working on it. The deadline set by BOE is 4 October 2014. Professionals must officially recognised their experience in the field of clinical psychology before that date because afterwards the masterʼs will be a requirement to work as a general health psychologist.

What are the objectives of the research carried out on psychology?

The Faculty of Psychology of UB holds a good position in international rankings. For many years we have been developing research strategies and the Faculty gets successful results in indicators at an international level. We went for supporting our teaching and research staff, by joining programmes of talent retention, but also including foreign talent. Thanks to the programme ICREA of the Government of Catalonia, staff of the Faculty includes four ICREA researchers, another one that works also at IDIBAPS, and three lecturers who have been awarded the ICREA Academia. The Faculty also has some Ramón y Cajal and Juan de la Cierva researchers.

Therefore, we have talented professionals who develop intensive research in diverse fields such as neuroscience, perception, attention, virtual reality, behaviour, etc.

And what about the third mission of the University? What are the Facultyʼs knowledge transfer actions?

I remember a conversation I had with the vice-rector for Research, Dr Jordi Alberch, some years ago when I headed the Department of Basic Psychology. He told me: “Now you are developing a good research, you are publishing in the best journals and you have excellent researchers, but you still have a matter pending: the transfer of knowledge”. On that moment, I thought he referred to technical transfer so we work on it. The Department developed some patents regarding procedures and tools.

However, I think that at the Faculty of Psychology —when I headed the Department I did not think that— there is a type of transfer that is fundamental: the transfer by means of social welfare action, in all its areas: social, educational and clinical. Thus, we are in a new project, we are working on the future Psychology Clinic of the University of Barcelona.

Are you affirming that the Faculty of Psychology will have its own psychology clinic?

Yes, the University of Barcelona is going to have a clinic. It will be located at the Palau de les Heures and it will gather the care units we already have and include other units based on new procedures that emerge from the leading research we developed. It will have unique diagnose and treatment strategies. The clinic will offer a completely innovative and new catalogue of practices.

Yes, we are processing it. Once the clinic will be officially recognised as a health centre, it will host the placements made by students of the masterʼs degree. The Clinic must be a model in Catalonia.