The grammar of Montelupo: brief group interventions with offender psychiatric patient confined to a mental institute

Journal title PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE
Author/s Alessandro Ridolfi, Antonietta Lettieri, Franco Scarpa, Edi Marini, Daiana Tredici
Publishing Year 2014 Issue 2014/1
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 99-112 File size 787 KB
DOI 10.3280/PDS2014-001005
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This paper presents the experience with a brief group work involving patients confined to a mental institute for offenders. The authors discuss the theoretic clinical aspects relative to two cycles of eight group encounters analyzing the transcripts with the Social Cognition and Object Relational Scale (SCORS). The principal goal of the intervention is aimed at overcoming the condition of interpersonal solitude perceived and recognizing the analogies-differences in the experiences with others. The intervention was conducted with an "in the group" method, an Evolutivity-Affectivity- Intersubjectivity-Experience model (EAIE) in which the conductor of the group actively stimulates the participants to freely express thoughts and associations as well "solutions" for hypothetical situations related to the story read. The focus is on the single person and on the opportunities that the group provides because of the relational activating context in which it is possible to share and confront with others. The complete narrative of each encounter was written "in direct" on a screen visible to all participants. The text was analyzed using SCORS as a means to identify the quality of patients’ answers. Even with patients with severe psychopathology the group seemed to represent an occasion for exchange, knowledge, respect and growth which promotes the capacity to reflect, elaborate and construct a growing interpersonal awareness.

Keywords: Brief group interventions, group psychotherapy, Evolutivity - Affectivity - Intersubjectivity - Experience Model, Social Cognition and Object Relational Scale, mental institute for offenders

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Alessandro Ridolfi, Antonietta Lettieri, Franco Scarpa, Edi Marini, Daiana Tredici, La grammatica di Montelupo: interventi brevi con gruppi di pazienti in Ospedale Psichiatrico Giudiziario in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 1/2014, pp 99-112, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2014-001005