N.B.: This article dates from 1992. All information contained herein may no longer be current.
Rehabilitation Therapists
The term "rehabilitation therapists" encompasses speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, psychomotor specialists, and occupational therapists. These are distinct professional roles, differentiated by the type of work they perform.
For information: Associazione Professionale Psicomotricisti Italiani
Speech-Language Pathologist
The speech-language pathologist is a professional trained in the prevention and treatment of speech, language, and communication disorders. This specialist works with voice disorders, speech difficulties, and learning-related communication problems.
Training
Three-year programs at accredited university or private schools.
Entry requires a secondary school diploma.
Work Settings
Speech-language pathologists work in public facilities (regional health services, hospitals, etc.) or in private or contracted private centers.
Rehabilitation is typically one-on-one, but the therapist collaborates with other professionals (pediatrician, medical specialist, educational psychologist, special education teacher) who support the person in difficulty.
For more information, contact: Federazione Logoterapisti Italiani
Physical Therapist
The physical therapist is a healthcare professional who administers treatments using physical exercise, chiefly medical gymnastics conducted through active and passive movements designed to improve muscle and limb function.
Physical therapists also provide other treatments such as massage therapy, phototherapy, hydrotherapy, and similar modalities.
Training
Three-year programs at university or private schools accredited by the regional authority.
Entry requires a secondary school diploma.
Work Settings
Physical therapists work in public facilities (regional health services, hospitals, etc.) or in private or contracted private centers. Physical therapists may also practice independently in a private office.
For more information, contact: A.I.T.R. Associazione Italiana Terapisti della Riabilitazione
Psychomotor Specialist
The psychomotor specialist works in educational and rehabilitation settings to help individuals develop awareness and knowledge of their body schema for purposes of expression and learning.
Training
Formal authorization for psychomotor training does not exist at the legal level, though private schools offer three-year programs.
Occupational Therapist
The occupational therapist uses a therapeutic method that, through activities (often manual crafts) and interpersonal relationships, aims to reduce or compensate for residual pathological effects and to develop the individual's potential.
Training
Three-year programs at universities as a rehabilitation therapist with specialization in occupational therapy.
Private courses at rehabilitation centers.
Work Settings
Occupational therapists work in public facilities or in private and contracted private centers.
Their primary workspace is the manual activity workshop, though therapists also work in the homes of people with handicaps to help them use all the means necessary for daily living.
For more information, write to: A.I.T.O. Associazione Italiana Terapisti Occupazionali
2. Social Worker
The social worker is a professional who, applying the knowledge and methods specific to the profession, works with individuals, groups, and families to prevent and resolve situations of need.
Social workers primarily serve:
- mothers and children
- people with physical and mental handicaps
- young people, particularly in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse
- minors and adults in correctional institutions
- workers
- marginalized persons.
They work in regional health services, in community health centers, in schools, in hospitals, in family health clinics, in parish communities, and in industry, public and private welfare agencies, the Ministry of Justice, and similar settings.
Training for social workers takes place in university schools with specialized curricula (29 in Italy) that grant a diploma qualifying one to practice. Admission requires the qualifications specified for university degree programs. The course lasts three years and covers foundational social services, work methods, research and programming methods and tools, organization of social services, public and private law, sociology, social legislation, social medicine and hygiene, psychology and developmental psychopathology, and other elective courses. There are 18 examinations and at least 500 prescribed hours of internship. Attendance is mandatory.
3. Home Care and Guardianship Aide
Serving:
- the elderly
- people with handicaps
- minors
- patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals
Professional Profile
- provides domestic assistance, direct personal care, and guardianship;
- delivers basic hygiene and health services (of the type typically provided by family members).
Tasks must be aimed at restoring, maintaining, and developing the user's level of independence in their living environment, respecting their right to self-determination.
Training for home care aides and workers in residential guardianship facilities:
- course administration is managed by regional health services (in public or accredited training centers);
- admission requires: completion of compulsory schooling (middle school) and age 18 or older;
- courses run 600 hours over one school year;
- attendance is mandatory for both theoretical instruction and internship.
Courses must equip the worker to:
- maximize the user's independence by selecting activities that best develop the user's potential;
- compensate for gaps in independence in essential functions (hygiene, health, and social engagement);
- maintain appropriate relationships with the user and family;
- reflect on their own work and provide reports on the effectiveness of interventions;
- work collaboratively with other workers and professionals;
- understand social and health legislation and the operations of the regional health service. (Regional Council Resolution, 15 November 1992, Piedmont).
4. Psychologist
The profession of psychology encompasses the use of diagnostic and intervention tools for prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation and support activities in the psychological domain, directed toward individuals, groups, social organizations, and communities.
It also includes research, experimentation, and theoretical work in this field.
Requirements for Practice
One must obtain qualification in psychology through a state examination (for which a degree in psychology is required) and be registered in the professional registry. Psychotherapy practice requires additional specialized training acquired after a degree in psychology or medicine through four-year specialization programs.
The degree program in psychology requires five years of coursework (following secondary school) with the following specializations:
- developmental and educational psychology;
- occupational and organizational psychology;
- clinical and community psychology;
- general and experimental psychology.
What Does a Psychologist Do?
Psychologists have many roles. Among them:
- prevention: addressing distress and maintaining mental health;
- individual and group diagnosis and psychological assessment;
- design and organization of varied interventions and structures (individual, group, neighborhood, community);
- psychotherapeutic intervention and consultation, health recovery and rehabilitation, educational and vocational guidance, adoption and foster care services, and staff training.
5. Professional Educator
Unlike other European countries, the profession of educator in Italy is only now developing, with variation across regions.
It is a difficult role to define because of its many dimensions (definition, function, training, clientele) (1).
Profile of the Educator
«The educator is a professional who, based on specific theoretical and practical preparation, carries out their work through the formulation and implementation of educational projects aimed at promoting balanced personality development, recovery, and social reintegration of individuals with psychophysical disabilities and persons at risk or in situations of social marginalization» (2).
Preparation and Training
The training framework, drawing on models present in Italy, should include:
- theoretical instruction: professional disciplines (educational methods and techniques, project design, organization, evaluation);
- pedagogical, psychological, medical-health, anthropological-sociological, legal, and social policy and legislation disciplines;
- practical training (supervised professional internship);
- technical and exercise-based training (to practice and use techniques and tools for educational intervention, through workshops, placements, and practice).
Admission to Programs.
- (Generally) Secondary school diploma.
- Mandatory attendance of at least three-quarters of scheduled hours.
Given what we believe will be the growing importance of these professionals—particularly as leaders of residential communities and family group homes for people with handicaps—we list below the schools and programs for educators. (From the book cited in the note).
(1) For those wishing to explore the subject further, see «L'educatore professionale oggi», Vita e pensiero, Milan, 1990, 32,000 lire.
(2) Definition from the Official Bulletin of the Lombardy Region no. 19-10/V, 1989.