Mercedes Rodrigo Bellido

(1891-1982)

She trained as a teacher in Madrid, before World War had traveled to various institutions outside the country. She returned to Spain in 1923 as an expert in special education and a degree in psychology.

She worked as a professional counselor, pioneered the field of psicotecnia and psychological tests measure so worked at the National Institute of Psicotecnia founded in 1928. From 1931 working as a psychologist at the Child Protection Juvenile Court.

During the Civil War he held various positions as the organization of child assessment in Madrid and address various rehabilitation institutions for young offenders.

After the war was exiled to Bogota though she had not played in any political party, where she spent eleven years in which launched the first programs of selection of students. In 1947 the Institute of Applied Psychology at the National University, which she directed and in which conducted the training of psychologists was created, so today is considered the pioneer of scientific psychology in Colombia and pioneer psychotechnics in different countries From South America.

In 1948 her 59 years she faced a second exile and moved to Puerto Rico where she worked as a professor of education at the university, as there were no studies conducted psychology and psychological therapies American veterans. In 1958 she was named president of the Association of Psychology Puerto Rico and in 1971 received the first National Prize for Psychology of the Colombian Federation of Psychology.