Jlenia Baldacchino is a psychologist and a qualified Gestalt therapist. She completed her training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy in Syracuse in December 2010. She is a consultant for the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Syracuse, dealing with cases of child abuse and ill-treatment, and a consultant for the Syracuse Tribunal for controversies over fostering of children with separated parents. Beside her work as a psychotherapist in Syracuse, she is a project manager for a cooperative and coordinates a centre for disabled people in Caltanissetta. In her clinical work, she has been involved in supporting patients affected by cancer and post-traumatic stress. She also contributes to the Quaderni di Gestalt journal.
Angela Basile is a psychologist and Gestalt therapist. She completed her training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy in Palermo. She has led training courses for Gestalt counsellors and has been working for years with parents, teachers and pupils in schools for the prevention of teenage distress. She provides training for schoolteachers, health care workers and non-profit organizations on the prevention of child abuse, legal psychology and interpersonal communication. She has been working as a psychotherapist in Avola (Syracuse) and Palermo since 2001.
Rosanna Biasi holds a degree in Clinical Psychology and completed her Psychotherapy training with the Istituto di Gestalt HCC in 2001. In 2005, she earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Neuropsychology of Acquired Cognitive Disorders from Padua University. She has been working in homes for the elderly since 1999, acting as a staff supervisor on end-of-life issues and management of behavioural disorders in elderly people with dementia. She is also a technical consultant for permanent working groups within the Vicenza health service unit that deal with the elderly and the disabled. In 2012, she became a member of staff for the first residential community in the Veneto region for patients with severe acquired brain injury. She has taught public courses for health care workers in Veneto.
Teresa Borino is a psychologist and qualified psychotherapist from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. She has attended several courses on the subject of corporeality, in which she has a particular interest. She has earned specialisations in Psychosomatic Medicine and Equestrian Rehabilitation. She has work experience in the fields of disability, child fostering and professional training. She has led several projects that were carried out in schools in Palermo. She currently works as a private clinical practitioner. She teaches at the Palermo centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy.
Barbara Buonomo has been a trained psychotherapist since 2002. She has attended a training course on Gestalt-oriented Interpersonal Communication. She teaches at the Syracuse centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy and works as a psychotherapist for adults, children, couples and families. She also offers counselling and psychodiagnosis. She is a counsellor in schools and collaborates with many primary and secondary schools in the Syracuse province in training programmes. She works at the “Oreb” Community for underage children in Augusta and is a counsellor at the “Amica” Rehabilitation Centre, which provides free health care. She has work experience in youth prevention, work placement for disadvantaged people and psychiatric rehabilitation, in which she has worked with both local authorities and non-profit cooperatives.
Donatella Buscemi is a psychologist and psychotherapist. She holds a specialization in psychotherapy from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC in Palermo. She is an expert in industrial and organizational psychology, with a particular spotlight on psychosocial training. She has collaborated with training centres, schools and municipalities, providing training courses aimed at school staff and health care workers. She teaches at the Palermo centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy. She works in a rehabilitation centre for patients with neurological (mostly chronic or terminal) diseases in Caltanissetta, where she also provides family counselling and staff training.
Michele Cannavò is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He holds a degree from Catania University and a Ph.D. in Neurovegetative Medicine. He completed his training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. He has authored more than thirty publications in the field of psychiatry. He is an EAGT Member and Secretary, a member of the EAGT Research Committee and President of the SIPG (Italian Society of Gestalt Therapy). He has completed training in Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy with Dr. Ruella Frank in New York. He is currently attending the International Training Course in “Gestalt Therapy Approach to Psychopathology and Contemporary Disturbances”. As a student of Prof. C. Calandra, of the systemic school, he has led groups for patients suffering from anorexia and bulimia at the Day Hospital for Eating Disorders in the Catania University Hospital. He has worked on elaborating therapeutic methods for psychotic patients living in residential communities. He currently works in the Comunità La Grazia in Caltagirone. He lives between Catania and Caltanissetta, where he works as a private practitioner providing individual, couple and group therapy.
Giuseppe Cannella. A psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and a student of Prof. Calandra, he has led groups for patients suffering from anorexia and bulimia at the Day Hospital for Eating Disorders in the Catania University Hospital. He has also elaborated therapeutic methods for psychotic patients living in residential communities. He trained with some of the most outstanding experts of Gestalt therapy: M. Spagnuolo Lobb, G. Salonia, J. Zinker, C.V. Bandin, C. Hodges, J.-M. Robine. He teaches at the AMAT, a music therapy school directed by Rolando Benenzon from Argentina, in Modica. He is a trainer and a counsellor for many third-sector associations, and has taken part in the making of the project-film “Volontariamente”, directed by E. Rizzo. He also collaborated with Rizzo on the making of the film “15,000 Goal, la Squadra del Sole” (2006), about football and rehabilitation. He is a counsellor for the NUTRICARE nutrition centre in Ragusa, and a psychiatrist at the CAFEO community in Modica and Ragusa. He works as a private practitioner in Vittoria, Ragusa and Catania.
Pietro (Piero) Andrea Cavaleri holds degrees in Philosophy and Psychology. He recently retired after serving many years as lead clinical psychologist at the Caltanissetta health service unit. He is a member of the Sicilian Order of Psychologists and has worked as lay judge at the Caltanissetta juvenile court. From 2014 to 2016, he served as Municipal Councillor for Social Policies in Caltanissetta. He has authored several books, among which are La profondità della superficie (Franco Angeli, 2003) and Vivere con l’altro (Città Nuova, 2007). He is the curator of the book Psicoterapia della Gestalt e Neuroscienze (Franco Angeli, 2013) and co-author of the book Il dono nel tempo della crisi (Raffaello Cortina, 2015). He has also extensively written for the “Quaderni di Gestalt” journal and the “Studies in Gestalt Therapy” international journal.
Elisabetta Conte is a psychologist and a Gestalt therapist. She has attended training seminars with some of the major theorists of Gestalt Therapy – I. From, E. and M. Polster, J. Zinker, S. Nevis, J.-M. Robine and others. She has been working as a psychotherapist in private practice since 1982, and she also acts as a trainer and supervisor for local authorities and associations. She has been a speaker at several congresses, and has published numerous articles in the field of psychotherapy. She is on the editorial board of the “Quaderni di Gestalt” journal.
Barbara Crescimanno holds a degree in Clinical and Community Psychology and has been a qualified psychologist since 1995. She has extensive work experience in socially engaged private associations. She currently works as a psychologist and coordinator at the welcoming centre of the “La casa dei giovani” therapeutic community for drug addicts in Bagheria (Palermo). She is also a founding member, vice-president and president of a social cooperative, “Il Canto di Los”. The cooperative specializes in the promotion of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation from psychosocial distress. It also provides training for specialized workers. Within this framework, Barbara also manages the cooperative’s Home for deviant adolescents. As a psychologist, she participates in projects promoting health and prevention in Palermo’s secondary schools. She also works at an educational centre for adolescents, managed by the association called “Il villaggio delle Idee”. Furthermore, she works for the Day care centre for adolescents with personality disorders, jointly managed by the Palermo health service unit and her cooperative. She has also taught at a music therapy school. In 2006, she specialized as a psychotherapist. She currently works as a psychologist, psychotherapist and supervisor at the “Cana” family counselling clinic in Palermo. She started working as a trainer at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy in 2009. She collaborates with the Institute’s publications and organizes its theoretical-experiential seminars. In her Palermo practice, she offers counselling and psychological support for individuals and couples, as well as individual and couple psychotherapy.
Fabrizio Demaria is a psychologist and qualified psychotherapist. He completed his training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. From 2000 to 2013, he served as a Psychologist Officer in the Medical Department of the Italian Army, in Foligno and Sassari. Since 2014, he has been head of the Department of Hospital and Emergency Psychology in the Sassari University Hospital.
Angela Di Martino is a supervising trainer at the Palermo centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy. She works both as a private practitioner and as an employee of the Palermo health service unit. She holds a Master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Milan University. An expert in professional and school career orientation, she collaborates with many schools in Sicily, acting as a trainer and project manager on issues such as career orientation, school-induced stress, addictions and communicative processes. She also collaborates with training and counselling centres for private businesses, as well as with socially engaged associations in Sicily and other regions. She has been a counsellor for the Palermo tribunal since 2010.
Roberta La Rosa is a psychologist and psychotherapist. She completed her training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. From 1996 to 1999, she worked for the Futura social cooperative in Syracuse on projects aimed at the prevention of drug addiction and teenage distress in the town’s crisis districts. From 2002 to 2005, she worked as a trainer in the framework of vocational training projects for SMEs in Milan, dealing with communication techniques, interpersonal communication and competence awareness. She has been working in the field of traffic psychology since 2004. She has taken part in a road safety education project for secondary school students in the Milan province, as well as in other projects for students. She collaborates with the Autoscuole Villoresi di Monza driving school consortium, acting as a trainer psychologist in a course for driving instructors. She also works with the Genitori Soli association, offering online counselling (www.genitorisoli.it) and leading listening groups on the issue of single parenthood. She has been a counsellor since 2004 and a psychotherapist since 2007, working with both individuals and couples in her Monza practice. In 2009 she started collaborating with the Istituto di Gestalt HCC in coordinating the Milan center. She also teaches in the Institute’s first year courses.
Sergio La Rosa is an Argentinian trainer. He is influenced by the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy. He is the curator of the Spanish edition of the book Psicoterapia della Gestalt ed ermeneutica clinica and works betwee
n Argentina and Italy.
Salvatore Libranti holds a degree in Psychology from Padua University and a qualification in Gestalt therapy from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. He completed his training at the Institute’s Syracuse centre in 2011. He worked for many years in the Ragusa social-pedagogical care service for 11-14 year-olds, and as an expert for the Ragusa, Siracusa and Modica prisons. In 2003, he started working in the child neuropsychiatry service of the Siracusa health service unit. He is currently employed at the Sert (drug addiction service) in Augusta.
Michele Lipani trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy (1985-86) and in family therapy with Dr. S. Soccorsi (1988-91), and subsequently specialized in Gestalt therapy. He underwent four years of Gestalt therapy training (1990-94), attended the advanced course for psychotherapists (1996-98), the four-year course for trainers (1996-2000) and participated in numerous training sessions with the major theorists of Gestalt therapy worldwide. He worked for several years with groups of families experiencing alcohol-related problems. In 1985, he started working in the field of developmental psychology. He has collaborated with local associations as a trainer for teachers, nurses, social workers and educators. He has been a council member of the Sicilian Order of Psychologists. He has taken part in the publication of articles and volumes on alcohol-related issues and on the issue of psychological distress in childhood, and is currently working on a book about the Gestalt approach to teenage distress. He is a trainer in the Psychotherapy Training School of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy. He also works in the child neuropsychiatry service of the Caltanissetta health service unit. In the past few years, he has taken interest in the issue of pre-adolescence, with a particular focus on the anxiety-depressive disorder. He is currently elaborating a support model for parents and a group intervention model for teenagers in relation to this subject.
Albino Mercurio Macaluso is a psychologist and psychotherapist. He works at the Palermo health service unit. He qualified as a psychotherapist with the Istituto di Gestalt HCC, and subsequently took part in a two-year advanced course for psychotherapists (1996-97) and in a four-year programme for trainers (1997-2001). He has taught a training course for family counsellors, jointly organized by LUMSA University in Palermo and the “La Casa” family counselling clinic (1998-01). He is a member of the training staff of the Psychotherapy Training School at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy.
Teresa Maggio holds a degree in Clinical and Community Psychology from Palermo University and a qualification in psychotherapy from the Palermo centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. She has collaborated with the Institute in organizing postgraduate training courses and theoretical-experiential seminars held in Palermo. She is an expert in project management. She has been working as a volunteer psychologist at the CIF family counselling clinic in Marsala since 2004. Her duties include developing projects and carrying out interventions for the prevention of teenage and youth distress. In this role, she has managed counselling service points for adolescents in secondary schools and carried out initiatives for the promotion of well-being in the area. As a psychologist and psychotherapist, she works on individualized rehabilitation methods and support to patients with severe disabilities. She offers individual, couple and family therapy in her private practices in Marsala and Palermo.
Susanna Marotta is a psychologist and a trained psychotherapist, holding a qualification from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. An expert in Law Psychology, she serves as a counsellor for the juvenile section of the Palermo Court of Appeal. She has been a registered member of the Palermo committee of the Institut Européen pour le développement des potentialités de tous les enfants since 1996. In this framework, she carries out research work on affective education for young people. She has been an adjunct professor at Palermo University, and currently works as a private practitioner. She is also a trainer at the Psychotherapy Training School of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy.
Gina Merlo holds a degree in Psychology from La Sapienza University in Rome. She is a trained psychotherapist, holding a qualification from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC, where she now works as a trainer. She has attended a two-year advanced course for psychotherapists and a four-year programme for trainers. She has taken part in seminars with American Gestalt therapists E. and M. Polster, S. Nevis, D. Davidove, R. Kitzler, J. Lay, J. and S. Zinker. She works as a psychotherapist in her Palermo private practice. From 1999 to 2009, she was a council member, member of the Deontology Committee and coordinator of the Working Group on Psychotherapy of the Sicilian Order of Psychologists. Furthermore, she has been an adjunct professor of Personality Investigation Techniques at the School of Education Sciences of Palermo University. She has work experience in the areas of school orientation and vocational training, primary and secondary prevention, counselling in legal matters, neuro-motion rehabilitation and drug addiction.
Sebastiano Messina is a psychologist, psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer in Gestalt therapy. He completed his training at the School of Clinical Psychology SSPC-IFREP in Rome (under the direction of Pio Scilligo). He is a Certified Transactional Analyst of the EATA (European Association for Transactional Analysis). He holds an advanced Master’s degree in Phenomenological-Relational Psychopathology from the Università Cattolica. He works as a private practitioner, applying Gestalt therapy to children, couples and families. He collaborates with schools, with the AIAS rehabilitation center in Syracuse, and with the “Karma” home for children. He worked for years with associations helping psychiatric patients and former drug addicts find employment.
Rosanna Militello is a psychologist and psychotherapist. She completed her training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. She has work experience in the fields of social research and training for professional educators and social workers. Her work has focused on social-affective education and prevention of sexual abuse and drug addiction in school. She currently works in a community for children and teenagers involved in judicial decisions. She is a technical consultant for the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Palermo Tribunal for cases of sexual abuse. She works as a private clinical practitioner and as a trainer at the Psychotherapy Training School of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy (Palermo centre).
Maria Mione was born in Taranto in 1954 and lives in Venice. She holds a degree in Psychology from Padua University and a qualification as a Gestalt therapist from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC, where she also attended a two-year Supervision course. She has taken part in many seminars by world-renowned psychotherapists, like the Polsters, I. From, G. Downing, B. Simmons and C. Naranjo. She is a trainer at the Psychotherapy School of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy and other institutes in Venice.
Giuseppe Mirone is a Medical Doctor and a Gestalt therapist, having completed his training at the Syracuse centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy in 2010. He underwent personal therapy with Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb. He is chief physician at the Catania health service unit, where he works in the fields of communication, prevention and health promotion, with a particular focus on sex education. He is a qualified counsellor in clinical sexology from the Istituto Internazionale di Sessuologia in Florence. He is currently employed in the Hospital Psychology department of the Acireale Hospital, where he leads psychotherapeutic treatment groups for stress management and hospital patients.
Giancarlo Pintus is a psychologist and psychotherapist. He is a qualified trainer in Gestalt therapy, having attended a four-year advanced course. He has worked as a researcher at the Psychiatric Clinic of Pisa University for the CEFPAS (Caltanissetta) and the University of Edinburgh. As a trainer, he has led several training projects for students, teachers and health service workers in the provinces of Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento and Syracuse. He currently works as a psychologist in the Drug Addiction Service of the Enna health service unit and at the AIAS neuro-motion rehabilitation centre in Enna. He is also a tutor for university students in Enna and Catania. He has been a technical consultant for the Enna tribunal, and is currently a lay judge at the Caltanissetta juvenile court. He is a member of the National Coordination Board of Professional Counsellors, of the Italian Society for Gestalt Therapy (SIPG – for which he is also an editorial assistant), of the National Association of Judges for Children and Families (ANMMF), and of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy (EAGT). He has obtained the Europsy certificate as a qualified psychologist in the European Union territory, the European Certificate of Psychotherapy from the European Association for Psychotherapy, and the Registered EuroPsy Psychologist certificate from the EFPA. He works as a private clinical practitioner in Enna, teaches courses in counselling and is a trainer for Psychologists and M.D.s in the four-year course of the Psychotherapy Training School at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. His classes focus on pathological addictions.
Viviana Polizzi is a psychologist and a psychotherapist. She holds degrees from Università Pontificia Salesiana and La Sapienza University in Rome. She qualified as a psychotherapist at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC in Ragusa, and has attended seminars with I. From, E. and M. Polster, S. Nevis, B. Muller, and G. Downing. She worked for several years in the fields of handicap and drug addiction. She has given training courses and was a scientific consultant for her municipality during one year. She currently works as a private clinical practitioner and as a trainer at the Psychotherapy Training School of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy (Palermo centre).
Valeria Rubino is a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist, having obtained a qualification from the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. She holds an advanced Master’s degree in Post-rationalist Cognitive Psychotherapy. She has worked as a researcher with the Neuroscience group of the Bari University Hospital, focusing on functional brain imaging. She worked for several years in the field of rehabilitation of psychiatric patients in residential homes. She currently works at the Mental Health Department of the Syracuse health service unit and is a trainer at the Syracuse centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy.
Giuseppe Sampognaro is a qualified psychotherapist. He completed his training at the Istituto di Gestalt HCC. He currently works as a psychologist in the Child Neuropsychiatry branch of the Syracuse health service unit. He is interested in applying creative techniques to clinical psychology, particularly in the use of pictures, music and writing in the therapeutic setting. He is also a freelance journalist, writing for Italian and foreign newspapers. From 1995 to 2003, he was the curator of a psychology series for Rai Televideo. He founded a journal of educational psychology, “Esperienze Psicopedagogiche”. He published the novel “Mille mondi” in 2000, the collection of short stories “Trentadue Improvvisi” in 2007, and the book “Scrivere l’indicibile. La scrittura creativa in psicoterap
ia della Gestalt”, published by Franco Angeli, in 2008. He is Editor-in-Chief of the “Quaderni di Gestalt” scientific journal.
Veruska Schillaci is a psychologist and Gestalt therapist, and currently a student-trainer in the second year of the Psychotherapy School of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy in Palermo. She has collaborated with the Institute in the organization of advanced courses and theoretical-experiential seminars. She has been working for years in the field of child and teenage distress prevention and diagnosis. She has worked in schools with parents, teachers and pupils on the prevention of teenage distress, and has managed counselling service points for pupils and their parents in secondary schools. She is a volunteer psychologist and psychotherapist at the Cana family counselling clinic in Palermo. She previously worked as the coordinator of a day care centre for the elderly and a trainer for volunteers enrolled in the National Voluntary Service programme. She now works as a clinical practitioner, offering therapy to individuals, couples and families in Palermo and Campofranco (Caltanissetta).
Marisa Smiraglia is a developmental and educational psychologist and Gestalt therapist. She is currently enrolled in her four-year programme as a student-trainer at the Palermo centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy. She has been an adjunct professor of Dynamic and Group Psychology at the School of Medicine of Palermo University and at the School of Education Sciences of LUMSA University in Caltanissetta. She has been working for some years on a project against school dispersion funded by the Ministry of Education, acting as a trainer and a researcher and carrying out psycho-educational interventions in Palermo’s schools. She is also active in the field of preventing and combating child abuse.
Silvia Tinaglia is a developmental and educational psychologist and Gestalt therapist. She is also a trainer at the Palermo centre of the Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy. An expert in the field of equal opportunities, she has worked on projects and interventions in favour of socially disadvantaged people, particularly women and children. She is a specialist in Vocational Psychology, and currently works as a trainer in schools and as a career counselling psychologist for Palermo University. She is also a clinical practitioner in Palermo, mostly working with children, teens and youths.
Silvia Tosi, Psychologist (1989), Gestalt psychotherapist (1998), Trainer at Istituto di Gestalt HCC Italy, Supervisor (accredited by EAGT). She is specialized in “Gestalt Psychotherapy with couples, families and adolescents”, with M. Spagnuolo Lobb, in “Psychopathology and New Disorders”, with M. Spagnuolo Lobb and G. Francesetti and in “Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy” with R.Frank. Since 1998 she has been working as clinical psychologist and Gestalt psychotherapist in private practice and in Public Health Service, with children, adolescents and families. She coordinate the Clinical and Research Centre HCC Italy in Milan. She has been a presenter at several congresses, and has published articles in the field of psychotherapy with children. She is on the editorial board of the “Quaderni di Gestalt” journal. She co-chair the Italian CORE-OM research in Gestalt therapy (SIPG). She is a member of the Training Standard Committee of the EAGT and member of the SIPG (Italian NOGT).