An interview with Carola Maragnoli, Transcultural Psychologist and Psychotherapist at the GRT Clinical Centre.
What are the main activities of the Centre, and who is it for?
The GRT Transcultural Clinical Centre primarily deals with integrated assessments, psychotherapeutic care, team supervision, and training. Access can be spontaneous or through second-level referrals; in fact, as a clinical centre, we collaborate with various organizations. We strongly believe in building relationships of trust and collaboration with the entities that rely on us, and we are committed to creating a shared culture between services, to work synergistically in the best interest of the individual. Networking and a multiplicity of perspectives are central to our work. We offer specific expertise in person-centered care, perceiving the individual as a whole of mind, body, and culture, while valuing their resources and personal and cultural skills.
What are the distinguishing features of the GRT Centre’s approach?
I have always thought that the seed of the integrated transcultural clinical centre was planted in rich soil—the GRT headquarters—a living place full of shared meanings and cultural heritage. In good soil, the seed has sprouted and grows more lush every day. The Clinical Centre team has set itself the mission of responding in an integrated and welcoming way to the various types of requests, maintaining its own approach while remaining flexible, so that people find a place where they feel truly welcomed. We are a group of female psychologists and psychotherapists with different backgrounds, yet we share transcultural training as a common model. Within this approach, each of us brings our own specificity, being aware that the value of the transcultural approach also lies in the freedom to tailor it to each therapist-patient or therapist-patient-mediator relationship. The clinical centre reserves spaces for peer supervision (intervision)—”nourishing” moments of care where we share best practices, refine procedures, circulate ideas, and grow as a working group.
How can the transcultural approach truly make a difference in the therapeutic process?
The great value of the transcultural approach for therapists is “Never feeling like you have all the answers” Every therapeutic relationship trains our gaze toward the other in a continuous process of decentralization. Our approach as a clinical centre immediately validates the person’s worth, their cultural competence, and their resources. As Professor Terranova used to say: “the patient is my teacher,” because their cultural competence must be recognized right away within the relationship. This is the starting point for supporting the person in reconnecting mind and body within their own time, space, and culture, and finding themselves back on a path that may have been lost.
Is there a particular encounter or experience that struck you and that you would like to share?
Many encounters and experiences come to mind, each with its own uniqueness. If I had to choose, I remember piloting an integrated psychoeducational support path for a patient on the autism spectrum, in close collaboration between the clinical centre and Compagnia Itinerante. It was an interesting experience that provided concrete evidence of the value of combining the perspectives of different professionals in an attitude of openness and integration, which enriches the practitioners and provides the individual with multiple tools. Furthermore, I am convinced that opposing forces coexist in everyone—a constant tension between staying and moving/exploring. Working at GRT feels like it combines and responds to both of these drives. It has something familiar about it, a “safe place,” and at the same time, GRT’s clients come from many parts of the world, bringing different stories and life experiences. Every encounter is a journey. Working at the GRT clinical centre therefore makes me feel, at the same time, a little bit at home and a little bit on a journey.
