Héctor Fernández-Álvarez (1944-2023)

• Published in: The American psychologist Vol. 79; no. 5; p. 782
• Main Authors: Consoli, Andrés J., Gómez, Beatriz, Grazioso, María del Pilar, Corbella, Sergi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Psychological Association 01-07-2024
• Subjects: Clinical Practice; Clinical Psychologists; Cognition; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Human; Humans; Male; NGOs; Psychology - history; Psychotherapy; Psychotherapy - history; Psychotherapy Training
• ISSN: 0003-066X; 1935-990X; 1935-990X
• DOI: 10.1037/amp0001336

This article memorializes Héctor Fernández-Álvarez (1944-2023). Héctor was an exceptional mentor, therapist, supervisor, professor, researcher, author, and leader, as well as a beloved brother, partner, father, and grandfather. The consummate renaissance person who embraced all manners of cultural expressions through an intentional wanderlust, he sought to understand all forms of human suffering and to alleviate senseless ones. Héctor's career spanned well over 5 decades. He received a licenciatura degree in 1967 from the University of Buenos Aires and a PhD in 1995 from the National University of San Luis, Argentina. Héctor held multiple academic appointments throughout Latin America and Spain. He authored over 100 journal articles or book chapters, and 16 books, including a novel,
(The Distance), and
, one of the most respected psychotherapy books in Latin America and Spain. In 1977, Héctor challenged the constraints of a military dictatorship by founding Aiglé (the everlasting flame). Aiglé remains a nongovernmental organization that delivers clinical and community services and prepares mental health practitioners informed by an active research program that evaluates training and psychotherapeutic processes and outcomes. Over the years, Héctor advanced Aiglé as a practice-oriented research clinical setting to investigate psychotherapy as it unfolds in clinical practice. He developed an integrative model of care that resulted in Aiglé's cognitive-integrative model. Aiglé has grown to be a hallmark for research-based, leading-edge psychotherapy training in Latin America. Highlights of Héctor's career and professional contributions are noted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).