Organic Farming, Italian Schools, and Counseling in Italy - May 23, 2016

Posted by Dr. Becky Michel 

This morning we woke up to a cloudy haze drifting across the Tuscan hills. After breakfast, we met Giordano Cellai, the wise and humble gardener at Casa Cares who took us to “his office” outside on the terraced landscape.

View of the Garden at Casa Cares

Over 40 varieties of tomato are grown here

 He began his presentation by inviting everyone to walk around the organic garden, and after five minutes asked us to share what we observed. There were several vegetable varieties of tomato, lettuce, beans, squash, zucchini and herbs, with daphodils and nettles planted throughout the garden to protect the crops from insect invasion without using pesticides. We were able to see the olive trees further up the hill. Giordano said five minutes was merely an invitation to take “more five minutes” in your life to reflect and observe what you see outward and inward, because “when we start to observe we begin to see things differently.” When he reflected on the magic of farming, he shared “the whole universe is working for us” to allow the food we need to grow and thrive.

Mindful Meditation in the Garden

A few minutes of Peace

Squash, tomatoes, lettuce in the Green House

Peppers, Squash, Zucchini

Admiring Nature

Giordano sharing his wisdom

In his broken English, Giordano reflected upon the interconnection among the soil, roots, plants, animals, and people when he shared, “every single thing we do has an impact on something else, this is true in relationships as well.” Giordano reminded us that we have many parts of ourselves and we need to show one another who we really are. He suggested that, “we are all made of the same material, so if we feel sad, that can be transmitted to another.” As counselors and counselors in training, we nod in silent agreement, having witnessed this emotional transmission in our work with clients. We left his presentation feeling enlightened and empowered to learn more about the food we eat and how it impacts how we live.

Back to the Villa

Our next presentation was from Judy Siegel, an American Expat who has lived in Italy for the past 50 years. Judy was trained as a teacher in the U.S. and after she moved to Italy she began working as an English language “native tounge” specialist and after a decade (and hiring an attorney) was finally able to move into a teaching position. Throughout the afternoon, Judy shared about her experiences working in Italian Schools.

We learned there are several similarities between the U.S. and Italian education system. Being a teacher is not an admired profession in Italy. Instead, administrators, teachers, and parents constantly question their work. Teachers are against national testing and funding based on test scores.

One of the primary differences is that there is one school system throughout all of Italy, and the curriculum and procedures are organized by central administration. While there are private schools, these are primarily reserved for students who have not been successful in public schools. A small number of other professionals come into the schools for a couple hours a year, including psychologists and dieticians. During these presentations, students learn about group dynamics, sex, identity, drugs, and blood donation. However, there are no school counselors. Instead, students can go to the “listening center” to meet with a psychologist inside and outside of school. Additionally, schools is conceptualized as somewhere students go to be instructed, rather than to discover their potential. Teachers primarily lecture the students without time reserved for reflection or dialogue. Students decide which secondary school to attend when they are 13-14 years old among the Scuola Liceo, Instituto tecnico, and istituto professionale. Their choice will likely impact their academic and career options for years to come.

Dott. Tommaso Valleri

This afternoon we were incredibly fortunate to hear from Dott. Tommaso Valleri, the Secretary General of AssoCounseling, which is the largest counseling organization in Italy (similar to the American Counseling Association). In his introduction, Dr. Remley suggested Dott. Valleri understood more about counseling than anyone else in all of Italy. They wrote a book chapter together about counseling in Italy in a recent textbook.

Tommaso been practicing counseling for the past 18 years, but the Italian government does not recognize this work because he does not practice as a psychologist. In Italy, socialized medicine coveres psychotherapy by a medical doctor, however, since counselors are not recognized, clients pay privately for counseling sessions. There are significant differences between psychologists and counselors. Psychologists are focused on pathology, and work with patients who have diagnosed mental health disorder, such as depression or anxiety.  Counselors emphasize wellness, and work with clients who are experiencing transitional life issues such as sadness and stress.

We learn that to become a psychologist, students train in a university for 5 years and learn evidence-based practices. On the other hand, counselors study for 3 years in a private counseling school that is outside of the university system. The counseling program emphasizes personal counseling, supervision, and numerous different philosophical counseling approaches.

He told us more about the ‘war’ between psychology and counseling. He explained the number of psychologists is growing exponentially, but there is not enough work for all of these people. In Italy historically psychologists have not been placed in the schools or workplace. So counselors have entered into those spaces where pathology was not necessary in order to focus on wellness. However, since there are so many more trained psychologists they need to work somewhere, so they have gone into these places and said the counselors were not acting appropriately and kicked them out of their jobs. The problem is all economic, and he said this issue between psychologists and counselors is currently stuck in the courts. He wondered aloud if counseling would even exist in Italy in the coming years. 

We ended the evening at Ristorante Archimede and enjoyed an authentic 3-hour meal together.

Emily, Mindy & Dr. Michel