[SPS Conference on traineeship - 9 July 2010] - The function of psychotherapy in Italian Mental Health Services: Experiences of traineeship.

Abstract

This study is a remark about the cultural change psychotherapy has brought in the running and in the social image of Italian Mental Health Services. Here, two kind of mental health services will be examined, Centers for Mental Health (CMH) and Hospital Psychology Units. Originally, both services were not arranged to provide for psychotherapy practice. The following work aims at contributing to the ongoing critical reflection on the running of mental health services by focusing on a particular issue: what are the goals of psychotherapy in a Center for Mental Health or in a Hospital Psychology Units? What kind of competences does it require? The thesis that will be formulated through the undergoing of clinical experiences will confirm that the construction of the function of psychotherapy within these two contexts cannot be mere imitation of private practice, but it requires a specific organizational competence.