"... Follow your heart...". From the cardiologist to the psychotherapist: the emergence of a new professional role, the creation of a psychotherapy group for heart patients and consequent institutional feedback

A psychotherapy group supporting heart patients has been active since 2004 in the Department of Cardiology, where the author is currently working as a cardiologist specializing in psychotherapy. The present abstract aims at analyzing the creation of the group, describing the personal path of the author, and illustrating the institutional challenges that this event has triggered. Her personal experience - from being a heart specialist to becoming a specialist in group therapy - started out with her daily contact with the patients and their fears, and later developed through personal psychoanalysis and specialization at the COIRAG School. This personal path has allowed the author to have a completely different perspective on the disease and to have a holistic approach toward the human being. All this has helped the author become aware of her abilities, her institutional duties, and to accept her limitations, as well. The creation of the group has opened up a completely new area in the Department. A totally new view of the heart patient has ensued, as the emotional aspects of the heart patients are considered, as well. As for all new experiences, at first the Institution showed mistrust and opposition toward this new project. Despite this, however, the psychotherapy group is ongoing and growing in the Department of Cardiology.

Keywords: Ischemic heart disease, group psychotherapy, specified term group, homogeneous group, myocardial infarction, cardiac rehabilitation

Raffaella Caneparo, "Va’ dove ti porta il cuore...". Da cardiologo a psicoterapeuta: la nascita di un nuovo ruolo professionale, la nascita di un gruppo di psicoterapia per pazienti cardiopatici e le risonanze istituzionali ad esse conseguenti in "GRUPPI" 2/2010, pp 47-60, DOI: 10.3280/GRU2010-002004