Jean-Charles: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Camilo: My name is Camilo, I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. I started to study psychology with the idea of helping people. I studied general psychology during my time as an undergraduate student. One of my professors, who was my first mentor, sparked my interest in clinical psychology. Later in my studies, I also started to learn about sport psychology. But after my undergrad, I decided to do a master’s in clinical psychology. I remember that my mentor said that clinical was the base. So, if you know and you’re good at clinical, you can do anything else in the field of psychology. So, I did my master’s degree in clinical psychology and worked a little bit as a clinical and health psychologist in Bogotá. But I still found a passion for sport psychology and decided to give it a try. I started looking for programs, but there were very few in South America. I eventually found a program in Europe that was interesting because it was a joint program between two universities which included some traveling. I got accepted into the program and also received a scholarship from the European Education Committee. I was based in Lund University in Sweden and was a part of their international program. Later into the program, I realized I wanted to continue sport psychology for the rest of my life and wanted to pursue a PhD in the field. I chose the US for the athletic departments, because they are pretty much professionals or semi-professionals as compared to departments in many other countries. Sport is big there and the education is really good as well. I was very interested in cognition and sport expertise. Florida State University seemed to be the right place for me. After Florida State, I went back to Colombia for a while and worked with the Colombian Sports Institute. And two years ago, I moved to Sweden to live with my girlfriend, and I work with different types of performers, not just athletes. I also teach sport psychology classes at Lund University where I graduated., and try to work in different areas to promote peak performance and well-being in people.

Jean-Charles: Great to hear about your background and how you travelled around and got different experiences. How do you think those experiences shaped who you are as a professional now?

Camilo: As I said before, the clinical side is something I would recommend to people, although it’s a longer track. But I think having that background in clinical psychology provides you a different way to see things, you know, to understand problems or issues you may have to work on and how to find solutions. So, I definitely think that provided me a lot of the foundation of who I am and how I work right now. My experience in Europe was quite interesting since it was very multicultural. We were around 20 students from 15 countries, so it’s like the whole world in one classroom. I think that, from that point on, I learned how people from different backgrounds approach problems in different ways and have different perspectives, which really opened my mind. I think it was wonderful to have people from different places in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, and that they all had different perspectives. And then in the USA, especially with the kind of education that we got, it was great. Even though the group was international, it was good to have the perspective from the Americans, who were a big part of our group. I also really enjoyed the quality of research and education in the US, and also the applied opportunities working with athletes. We worked with athletes during my PhD, some of them were one of the best at the international level. So, a combination of all these factors was great for me and made me who I am right now.

Jean-Charles: Now that you’re working in Sweden, probably mostly with Swedish athletes and performers, and had those experiences, do you think you are able to better relate with different people? How do you think this whole experience you had makes you a better consultant with a variety of athletes?

Camilo: That’s a good question. I would say that my experiences were helpful because I never have to think about different multicultural issues. For me it’s natural, and I don’t really pay much attention to it. Because of the experiences I have had with so many different people, I see consulting with international clients as an opportunity to learn from different cultures and trying to understand them, where they’re coming from. Moving back to your previous question, I think traveling in general really opens up your mind. Having the opportunity to talk to someone from another culture gives you new perspectives and helps you become a better consultant because you can understand situations from different perspectives and not just do things your way.

Jean-Charles: Do you have any suggestions or tips for students who are considering studying abroad?

Camillo: One thing that I always encourage my students is to travel. I understand that sometimes it’s hard and can be expensive, but I think the idea of just seeing different cultures is really helpful. Something else that I learned in my experience is that there are many opportunities out there, such as scholarships and grants. It’s just a matter of looking for those opportunities. For example, when I did my master’s degree in Europe, I had a full scholarship and didn’t pay a cent for it. In the US there are many assistantship opportunities. They’re not so easy to find, but there are definitely many opportunities you can take advantage of. Contacting professors saying that you’re interested in their program can also help. Because supporting students is part of their work at the university. Bringing people from other countries is part of what they do.

Jean-Charles: I was thinking as you were talking about the different experiences: were you able to notice any differences in how people work, teach, or do research in Colombia, in Europe, or in the US?

Camilo: That’s a good question. I think in terms of research in general, there are two things I’ve seen that are very important. One is the support that you have, and the second is the infrastructure available. For example, in the US, especially in the PhD programs, there’s this kind of support system behind you that allows you to get funding, but also get participants with the subject pool with undergraduate students. Those are things that many people take for granted but that’s a luxury that you only have in the US. So, I think the US has the infrastructure that supports research. In Europe research infrastructure is not as strong and definitely not in Colombia, at least in some areas, it’s basically whatever you can do and try to do it. But I would say there is also a difference between mindsets in our fields. For example, in psychology, some cultures are more open to talking about their issues than others. They work with psychologists or sport psychologists, while in other countries they don’t do that, because they think you’re crazy or something. So, I think that also has a big impact on how you do research or applied work.

Jean-Charles: Do you feel that people in the US are more open about sport psychology?

Camilo: I would say that it’s a matter of being embedded in the culture. For example, in the US and in some sports, sport psychology is part of the team structure. You could go to a team, and it’s a part of their landscape. Whereas, in other countries, since it is just starting, people don’t have the same attitude toward psychologists. So, I think as it becomes more accepted it will get easier.

Jean-Charles: Any memories you want to share about AASP?

Camilo: Yeah, I’ll say that it ties with this theme of multiculturalism and traveling. I don’t have a specific memory, but in general, I liked the opportunities to go to conferences, and to see old friends and people from other countries. I’ve had the same experience at conferences in Europe. And I think the other part of it is that AASP is very internationally recognized so there is a lot of people from different countries attending. I also like that you can see what universities people are from on their badge, and you can start talking to them which, otherwise, is almost impossible or very hard. So, it’s very nice that you have that opportunity every year.

Jean-Charles: Any last information you would like to share with international professionals or students who are considering doing things abroad?

Camilo: Yes, I would say just reach out to people on LinkedIn, Facebook, or any other platforms is helpful. So, just go ahead and email them. I have done it several times, and usually people reply, which can help you create collaborations with someone who is doing something interesting in some other place in the world. Many of us got a lot of opportunities just by emailing people. So, take advantage of that. The worst thing that happens is that they don’t reply and that’s okay.

Interview performed in January 2021 by Jean-Charles Lebeau, transcribed by Karan Bhatia, and edited by Karan Bhatia and Jean-Charles Lebeau