School of Clinical Community Psychology and Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapy
FOUR YEAR TRAINING PROGRAM
Accredited by the Ministry of Education, University and Research for the licencing of psychotherapeutic activity in compliance with art.3 Law 56/89 Ministerial Decree 9/05/1994 Gazzetta Ufficiale 21/05/1994 (Official Journal).
The Training Center is located in Via Vittore Carpaccio 32 - 00147 - Rome (Italy)
How to contact us: +39 06.5413513 - Email: aspicsegreteriadidattica@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
ASPIC Postgraduate Training Institute for Psychotherapists was founded by Edoardo Giusti and Claudia Montanari, starting from Association for the Psychological Development of the Individual and the Community 'for the purpose of directing the four-year training program in Community Clinical Psychology and Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapy- ASPIC accredited by MIUR Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (today MUR, Ministry of University and Research).
The training program was developed starting from the clinical, study, and research experience in which the founders of the School have been engaged since 1981.
A TRAINING MODEL BASED ON INTEGRATION
A dynamically evolving society such as ours on the threshold of the third millenium necessitates an equally dynamic and constantly growing knowledge that is not divided into isolated compartments in competition one with the other, but integrated and capable of dealing with the complexities of today's problems. This is particularly true in the field of psychotherapeutic interventions. The psychotherapist of the future must be capable of mastering a wide variety of tools and techniques to function effectively when working with individuals, in small groups, in organizations and in the community. In addition to private practice he/she will have to be familiar with the realities of the school, the firm, the hospital, so as to be in a position to promote health, prevent problems of distress and cure and rehabilitate both in the private and public sector. In short, this means contextualise the complexity of emotional events, clarify the expectations of the potential client and decide on methodologically correct strategies that meet these requests most adequately. Up until now it has been a difficult task to acquire these integrated skills in Italy. In fact, graduates in Medicine and Psychology, aiming at becoming psychotherapists and, at the same time, interested in learning preventive approaches and intervention techniques to be applied in organizations and the community, could only choose between one or the other, or undergo the hardship and expense of following separate training programs at different schools.
The proposed model, on the contrary, intentionally innovative in Italy, but thoroughly experimented and widely accepted in foreign countries, provides a meta-modellistic programme that integrates the theoretical contributions developed by humanistic psychotherapy and clinical psychology applied in community settings.
Both these approaches aim at strengthening the positive aspects of individuals and of social contexts so as to reach an over-all improvement in the quality of life. The existential phenomenological current of humanistic psychology has shown its effectiveness in the promotion of wholeness and of the creative development of the potential present in every human being, in the models and techniques developed by Carl Rogers and Fritz Perls (person-centered psychotherapy, gestalt therapy) enriched by contributions from body-oriented approaches.
The perspective of Community psychology is that individual problems can be analysed and dealt with by contextualising people within their social systems (schools, neighborhoods, places of work). Community psychologists therefore aim at increasing individual and collettive empowerment through intervention stategies such as community analysis and development, multi-dimentional organisation analysis, promotion of self-help groups and group work. Integrating the two approaches our model aims at the formation of a professional practitioner capable of exercising with competence and creativity both in public and private practice, in situations that range from the cure of the individual to the promotion of well-being in the community.
METHODOLOGY
The teaching methodology provides for multiple approaches in the student's development of competency in various strategic areas, emphasizing concrete and multi-disciplinary action. The individual and group psychotherapy aim at promoting personal growth, self- awareness and a better understanding of the subjective elements that influence the psychotherapeutic relationship. Theoretical lessons, specific seminars, critical readings of texts and lecture notes, films, and recordings are all utilized in deepening cultural understanding and consolidating theoretical knowledge. Through individual and group exercises, role-playing, diagnostic and clinical interviews, simulations, and experiential stages with Italian and foreign trainers, students have the opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt and gradually grow to master the variety of approaches, methods and techniques. During practice work and clinical supervision students can follow the progressive development of their competence, refine their theoretical and methodological tools for synergic inter-modal interventions in both the fields of patho-genesis and health-genesis. Lastly, students will be taught to deal with the legal and ethical problems of their profession (analysis of client expectancies, case acceptance, treatment plan, relevant legislation, etc.).
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
University Degree in Medicine or Psychology or (post-graduate membership Albo degli Psicologi/Psychologists Association ex articoli 32 - 33 Legge 56/89.) ENROLMENT Application stating motivation for choice of course,curriculum, two passport-size photographs, photocopy of accademic titles, an ID, payment of annual enrolment fee.
ENROLMENT PROCEDURE (FIRST YEAR OF TRAINING)
Examination of the application and documentation presented, interview, evaluation of aptitude, expectations and motivation. A maximum of 20 students will be admitted to the course.
Preference will be given to applicants holding:
- degree in psychology with a clinical and community specialisation;
- degree in medicine with specialisation in social sector;
- working experience in psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychology and social psychology;
- training in other schools of the Italian Federation of Gestalt Schools and Institutes: Federazione Italiana Scuole e Istituti Gestalt - F.I.S.I.G.;
- personal psychotherapy with therapists accredited by the School;
In case of equal qualifications the date of application will be decisive.
Enrolment in the following years of the course requires passing annual exams, and the decision of the examining board with regards to personal training and administrative standing.
THE PROGRAMME
The duration of the course is four years for a total of 2000 hours. During the first three years curriculum is followed by all students and the fourth yearUs is followed on the basis of the specialisation option chosen.
500 hours per year of teaching and training activities divided as follows:
Theoretical teaching and specific experiential training in Clinical Community Psychology and Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapy with practical exercizes (one weekend per month for 10 months) *
One serie of University hosted seminars (Rome): General psychology, Life Cycle Developmental Psychology, Psycho-pathology and clinical diagnostics
Annual theoretical-experiential marathon, workshops with international visiting trainers/professors.
Personal psychotherapy training:
1 individual session per week - 2 group sessions per month
One Supervision session per month with a trainer/professor of the School *
Practice work in affiliated organisations (When possible students can do practice work near their place of residence).
Attendance and Exams Students are admitted to the final examination if they have attended at least 80% of the program total hours. There are mid-terms and final exams in each area of study. The examining board evaluates the progressive and global maturity of each individual also considering evolution of personal psychotherapy training.
CERTIFICATION
The course grants a diploma of Psychotherapist in the chosen specialisation. This degree, legally accredited by the State and by the professional organizations, licences to practice the profession. An additional year of attendance allows diploma in both specialisation options. Location and Schedule Theoretical teaching and experiential training (point a of program) take place in Rome at A.S.P.I.C. - Via Vittore Carpaccio, 32 Sc. D, Apt.1, once a month, Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday (13 hours) for 10 months per year.
DIRECTOR
Claudia Montanari
FOUNDERS
Edoardo Giusti and Claudia Montanari
SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR
Donata Francescato
AFFILIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS
Schools and Institutes ( F.I.S.I.G.). International Affiliations International Network of European Community Psychology, Ecole Parisienne de Gestalt (E.P.G.), Association for Humanistic Psychology ( A.H.P.), Association for the Development of the Person-Centered Approach, European Association for Psychotherapy (E.A.P.), Federation International des Organismes de la Formation la Gestalt (FORGE), Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (S.E.P.I.). Affiliations with local institutions Schools, Education Offices, Universities, Health Services, Public and Private Corporations, Associations, Co-Operatives.
LIBRARY AND AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT
Three thousand volumes on psychotherapy and all the major italian and foreign magazines of the sector are available.
The School has a large collection of videotapes offering the possibility of observing, on a maxi-screen, world famous teachers of several psychotherapy schools and approaches; a room with one-way mirror, videotape, tape recorder and and over-head projector.
The most important tests and questionnaires for psychological research with computerized elaboration of results are available. Scholarship A partial scholarship will be granted should the estimated registration number not be reached.
Foto di Marcel Strauß su Unsplash