RISULTATI RICERCA

Research on organisational culture has mostly been based on two main types of interpretative models: a normative-typological paradigm that identified universalistic cultural types (Cameron & Quinn, 2006; Schein, 1985), and a symbolic-interpretative paradigm based on the analysis of discursive processes and sensemaking (Weick, 1995). However, both perspectives have limitations when it comes to capturing the dynamic, affective and situated nature of culture in organisational contexts. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a theoretical processual model inspired by Semiotic Cultural Psychology Theory (SCPT; Salvatore et al., 2019a; 2019b) and the local culture perspective (Carli & Paniccia, 1999). This model conceives of organisations as symbolic fields that shape relationships between actors, institutional roles, and discursive devices. At the heart of this discussion lies the paradigm of Models of Value Construction (MVCs), understood as latent configurations of meaning based on affective polarities and social representations that guide action in organisational contexts. This paper also proposes empirical developments of the model to offer tools for analysing organisational culture as a situated, non-standardisable artefact that generates well-being or maladjustment depending on the congruence between the representations of organisational actors and institutional goals, offering a useful framework for intervention in complex organisational contexts.

Clinical psychology within the Italian National Health Service (NHS) is undergoing a structural transition, increasingly required to align with governance principles such as appropriateness and accountability. Yet, these constructs - central to international health policy - have not been systematically articulated within psychological practice. This paper develops a conceptual framework that redefines appropriateness and accountability as intrinsic disciplinary dimensions rather than external administrative requirements. Appropriateness is framed as the alignment of psychological intervention with clinical need, psychosocial context, care pathway positioning, and proportional use of public resources. Accountability is defined as the ability of psychologists to justify decisions, demonstrate outcomes, and contribute to the governance and sustainability of public health services across individual, organisational, and participatory levels.

The framework is situated within current developments in the Italian NHS, including the experimental introduction of the primary care psychologist (psicologo di base), the formal integration of psychologists within multidisciplinary care pathways (PDTA), and the increasing relevance of digital data systems and outcome monitoring. A conceptual matrix of appropriateness and a three-phase model of strategic integration are proposed to guide policy, training, and professional practice.

By positioning clinical psychology as a system-based public health discipline, the paper offers a theoretical foundation for enhancing its institutional role, improving coordination across care levels, and supporting value-based and equitable healthcare delivery.

This article investigates the benefits of expressive writing within an integrated model of group psychological counseling for patients undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments. The research questions focus on the effectiveness of the integrated model, which combines group counseling with expressive writing, in improving emotional regulation, psychological well-being, and quality of life in individuals facing infertility.

A quasi-experimental pre-post design was adopted with 11 participants undergoing ART treatment. Participants completed questionnaires assessing quality of life, emotion regulation, and depression levels before and after a group psychological counseling program integrating expressive writing exercises. Statistical analysis revealed significant improvements in emotional management and quality of life dimensions. No significant changes were found in perception of medical treatment or interpersonal relationships, suggesting the intervention may have greater impact on individual rather than relational dimensions.

Overall, the integrated model of group psychological counseling with expressive writing appears to be a valuable approach in psychological support for ART patients. Further research is necessary to explore its long-term effects and to develop more targeted interventions focusing on couple relationships and perception of medical treatment.

The article comments on the Italian “National Action Plan for Mental Health”, suggesting a truly transdisciplinary approach that enhances all the disciplines and professionals involved, ensuring the methodological, organizational, and financial aspects needed for its concrete implementation.

Applying the transdisciplinary approach, “Project communities” are needed to build and implement a shared project, in which various social actors participate in planning and in integrated operational strategies.

The mental health services should have as their objective “health” in the broadest sense, i.e., a state of psychophysical and social well-being and a good quality of life, to be improved within social contexts.

Overcoming the ancient dualism between the biological and psychosocial approaches, the principle of “One Health” requires adequate support by the psychological profession to promote welfare and well-being, placing “the mind at the centre of life”, both at individual and social levels.

The profession of psychology in Italy is undergoing a period of rapid expansion that simultaneously threatens its very nature as we have known it until quite recently. The main critical issues are: (1) the limited level of professional practice-oriented education provided by university programs; (2) the trivialization of the profession’s public image due to a consumerist use of social media; (3) the proliferation of pseudo-psychological support services offered by unqualified practitioners, such as counselors and coaches; (4) the challenge posed by online psychological counseling, which has opened the market to platforms with largely uncontrollable effects on new and unprecedented modes of service delivery; (5) the challenge of artificial intelligence (AI) applied to psychological services. These critical issues are examined from a historical, legal, and deontological perspective.

The National Action Plan for Mental Health (PANSM) 2025–2030 marks an ambitious effort to reshape Italy’s mental health system in response to new social and clinical challenges. Drawing on a psychological and professional policy perspective, this article critically examines the Plan’s conceptual and operational structure. While the document affirms progressive principles such as a life-course approach, community-based integration, and the biopsychosocial model, its implementation proposals often revert to a traditional, medically dominated logic. This tension between innovation and continuity risks undermining the transformative potential of the Plan and perpetuating long-standing structural imbalances in the mental health system. A stronger recognition of psychology as a key discipline in prevention, early intervention, and community health is essential for achieving the Plan’s stated goals.