Insights
Psychology and
psychotherapy
Two in-depth pieces on what psychology and psychotherapy are: a private space grounded in a scientific discipline, and a healthcare service in its own right, with the rights that come with it.
Between private space and scientific discipline
The psychological session is a private moment, a space where you can be and express yourself, free from judgement, listened to, respected and accepted for who you are. It is a place to confide, share, vent, get angry, stay silent, talk about your world: a space for dialogue and reflection, as well as care.
Beyond that, Psychology is a scientific discipline, founded on the experimental method, whose object is the study of the human mind, behaviour and emotions. It sits at the intersection of fields of knowledge derived from the study of the human being as a complex individual, drawing on anthropology, sociology, neurology and biology.
Mental functioning follows constructs and processes that are broadly shared across human beings, yet develop in specific ways within our personal histories and our historical, social and cultural context, making each individual unique. Emotions are universal, but each of us experiences them differently. This is why psychotherapeutic work starts from paradigms common to all human beings that manifest themselves specifically in each of us: it makes every therapy unique and tailor-made, respecting individual needs, wishes and aspirations.
A healthcare service: rights and tax deductions
Mental health and wellbeing should be rights, not a taboo to hide from. Psychological suffering is still too often associated with the idea of mental illness, in turn linked to terms that carry a social stigma. Giving in to that stigma means ignoring our right to be well and to look after our psychological health the way we look after our physical health.
In Italy, psychotherapy is a healthcare discipline included in the LEA (Essential Levels of Care) — the services the National Health Service is required to provide to all citizens with public resources. For this reason, sessions in private practice are tax-deductible healthcare expenses, like other healthcare services.
The psychologist is a professional belonging to a professional order, and is therefore bound by a publicly available code of ethics, operating within shared rules and practices.
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