I have been carrying out my psychotherapeutic activity in Milan for over thirty-five years. Always following the systemic- approach, in couple, family, and individual psychotherapies.

Giovanissima, sono stata introdotta da Mara Selvini Palazzoli, mia prima mentore, nel campo delle terapie sistemiche. Ho così partecipato subito a quello che sarebbe diventato il Milan Approach. Ho insegnato per più di dieci anni al Centro Milanese di Terapia Familiare diretto da Luigi Boscolo and Gianfranco Cecchin. Nel 1999 ho fondato l’European Institute of Systemic-relational Therapies, (www.eist.it) e da allora lo dirigo. La EIST è un istituto di psicoterapia, formazione e ricerca. Nelle sue sedi di Miano e di Bergamo formo, assieme a molti colleghi – la maggioranza dei quali sono stati miei ex -allievi – psicologi e medici che intendono diventare psicoterapeuti sistemici. Ho inoltre insegnato – come professore ordinario di Psicologia Clinica e precedentemente come professore associato e come ricercatrice – in varie università italiane tra cui l’Università degli Studi di Torino, di Bergamo, Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, Bicocca e Cattolica di Milano.

I have developed the theory of family semantic polarities which presents a new perspective on phobic, obsessive-compulsive, eating, and depressive disorders. I am currently developing specific therapeutic intervention strategies for each of these disorders. Also, I am focussing on disenchantment in couples and how to deal with this constructively.

Throughout the UK, Europe, the US, and Latin America, I have delivered various lectures and carried out numerous workshops on the theory of family semantic polarities, eating, phobic, obsessive-compulsive, and depressive disorders, and also on couple therapy and the therapeutic relationship.

I participate on the boards of several journals, including the Journal of Family Therapy, the Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Contemporary Family Therapy, and TPM: esting, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology and Terapia Familiare

On this site, you will find all my main publications. The work in which my theory of family semantic polarities is most fully exposed is Semantic Polarities and Psychopathologies in the Family. Permitted and forbidden Stories (Routledge, New York, 2013).  This is the translation of the second expanded and completely revised edition (2012) of this book. The first edition was published in 1998. It has also been translated into Spanish ( first edition: Barcelona: Paidos Iberica, 2002; third edition: Amazon 2022).