In this paper Authors, firstly define the concept of prevention, in the light of the criteria recently proposed by a "science of prevention". They take into account the preventive potentialities of psychotherapy in particular the Systemic one, especially in blocking chronic evolution of psychic suffering. Under this profile the importance of mental health professional’s intervention is underlined: it become a "risk factor" or a "protective factor" with regard to the distress situations which it deals with. In order to confirm the prevention effectiveness of psychotherapy, some researches are synthetically presented: that of CNR about the Mental Illness Prevention, and those of Onnis and colleagues about the prevention of chronicity in childhood asthma and in adolescent eating disorders. Finally Authors underline the importance of mental health professionals’ psychotherapeutic formation, in order to guarantee an effective program of prevention chronic psychic distress, especially in the public services context.
Keywords: Prevention; Psychotherapy; Chronicity; Mental Health Worker’s Role; Psychotherapeutic Formation.

Luigi Onnis, Walter Galluzzo, Marco Bernardini, Cristina D'Onofrio, Marta Fojanesi, Psychotherapy as a prevention factor. A systemic perspective in "PSICOBIETTIVO" 1/2012, pp. 31-47, DOI:10.3280/PSOB2012-001003