George Nardone

GIORGIO NARDONE, PSYCHOLOGIST-PSYCHOTHERAPIST: TRAINING

Giorgio Nardone graduated from the University of Siena, faculty of teaching, with a thesis in philosophy of science, after which, as assistant to the chair of Prof. Mariano Bianca, he conducts a research project on the epistemology of clinical psychology and of the various models of Psychotherapy by examining the epistemological criteria of the different models of Psychotherapy.

Right from the start it became clear to him that the only one among them that held up to such an examination was that of the so-called School of Palo Alto, or the works produced by the group of Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto (California), in fact the researchers of that institute, headed by Don. D. Jackson, had formulated an "interactional" therapy model based on the study of the effects of communication on the behavior and mental health of human beings, Paul Watzlawick then, he had developed a real theory of the pragmatics of communication and change (Watzlawick et al., 1967, Watzlawick et al., 1974) together with a corresponding model of therapeutic intervention applicable to a whole variety of mental disorders.

Giorgio Nardone obtained, for which he will be eternally grateful, a scholarship from the University of Siena to go and directly study the work of these eminent scholars so in the early 80s he arrived in Palo Alto and together with the rigorous study of the scientific material produced by researchers, such as resident researcher, was admitted to directly observe all the clinical work that was carried out in Mental Research Institute (MRI) finding in this the explanation of a well-known statement by Gregory Beatson: «There is nothing more practical than a good theory».

This sort of "shock" on the road to Damascus meant that he decided to change the course of his studies and his professional career, so, back in Italy, while he was completing the research project he managed to enter the exclusive School of Specialization in Psychology from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Siena, becoming after three years the youngest Italian to have obtained the title of Specialist in Psychology. Parallel to this and at his expense he had returned every year, for a few months, to the Mental Research Institute di Palo alto to form as interactional-strategic therapist.

After completing the training course, he started the research project (1985/86) for the development of a treatment in a short time of phobic and obsessive disorders under the supervision of Paul Watzlawick and John Weakland, thus starting to develop innovative techniques for the intervention on an area of ​​pathology little explored by the traditional model of MRI.

FIRST RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

It was the work carried out for the realization of this project that made the collaboration between Giorgio Nardone and Paul Watzlawick ever closer until the joint foundation in 1987 of the Strategic Therapy Center of Arezzo as an institute of research, training and psychotherapy, which gave rise to what will later be the modern evolution of Brief Strategic Psychotherapy. The partnership between Paul Watzlawick and Giorgio Nardone, expressed in research, publications, seminars and conferences all over the world, continued until the master's death.

In 1988 the results of the research-intervention on phobic-obsessive disorders were published and the truly encouraging results started the tradition of studies of the Strategic Therapy Center of Arezzo (40 cases out of 42 treated cases had completely overcome their agoraphobic disorder with a therapy lasting 11 sessions followed by follow-up meetings three months, six months and one year after the end of the treatment). The same research-intervention methodology was thus applied to the study of all the variants of panic disorder and obsessive compulsive ones, leading in the following years to the elaboration of real strategic treatment protocols for these disabling pathologies that stood out for their effectiveness and efficiency compared to to other forms of therapy for such disorders.

This meant that many colleagues had come since then to train themselves in this new model of Psychotherapy, this was obviously also facilitated by the presence of the eminent figure of Paul Watzlawick.
In parallel to all this, from 1985 to 1990 Giorgio Nardone, as a research collaborator, participated in numerous research and intervention projects in the areas of social, clinical and educational psychology, under the direction of Saulo Sirigatti, Director of the Institute of General and Clinical Psychology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Siena.

PROFESSIONAL SUCCESSES AND ACADEMIC AWARDS

In 1990 the manifesto text of the evolved Brief Strategic Therapy was published The art of change. Handbook of strategic therapy and hypnosis without trance, written by Giorgio Nardone and Paul Watzlawick, in which the treatment protocols developed and the innovative therapeutic communication strategies and techniques defined are exposed in detail: hypnosis without trance. The book is immediately translated into many languages ​​and Giorgio Nardone finds himself catapulted into the world limelight of Psychotherapy.

In 1991 Giorgio Nardone was entrusted with the first university teaching in Italy of "Brief Psychotherapy Technique" at the School of Specialization in Clinical Psychology of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Siena. Office that he will hold for over 10 years and then pass it on to his student Dr. Emanuela Muriana.
From  1994 to 1995 he was Adjunct Professor of Social Psychology at the Faculty of Sociology of the Federico II University of Naples.

In the same years he taught “Hypnotherapy without trance” at the School of Specialization in General Hypnosis of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the La Sapienza University of Rome directed by Prof. Franco Granone.
He is currently a member of the journal's scientific committee Contemporary Psychology.

From 2004 to 2008 he taught “The interview in the psychological clinic” at the degree course in Psychology at the University of Florence. Over the years he held Lectio Magistralis in numerous prestigious international universities such as the Academy of Sciences of Moscow, Oxford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
He receives lifetime achievement awards and other honorary titles from prestigious institutions. His theories and applied techniques in the field of psychotherapy, problem solving and communication are internationally recognized as a true school of thought and applied practice.

THE MODEL BECOMES CERTIFIED AND CERTIFYING

In 2000 the training school of the short strategic psychotherapy model of Arezzo was recognized by the  Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) as Four-year School of Postgraduate Specialization in Brief Strategic Psychotherapy (with Ministerial Decree 20/11/200) which issues the title of Psychotherapist and Giorgio Nardone becomes the youngest Italian school leader and director of an Official School of Psychotherapy recognized on the basis of a model he himself formulated.

The specialised farming model Brief Strategic Therapy, Giorgio Nardone model has obtained international recognition, decreeing its originality with respect to traditional models of brief strategic therapy.
Subsequently, from 2006 to 2011, he was professor of the course "The interview in the psychological clinic" of the specialist degree course in Clinical and Health Psychology, University  of the Studies of Florence.

THE MODEL SHOWS ITS SUPERIOR EFFECTIVENESS (88% OF THE CASES CONDUCTED TO EXTINCTION OF THE DISORDER) AND EFFICIENCY (AVERAGE DURATION OF THE THERAPY 7 SESSIONS)

In 2000 a longitudinal research was carried out on the outcomes of the therapies carried out in the previous decade at the Strategic Therapy Center in Arezzo, all completely video-recorded and with follow-up performed up to one year from the end of the therapy with results that show the clear superiority of the efficacy and efficiency of Brief Strategic Psychotherapy compared to other models of therapeutic intervention.

In recent years, comparative research on the efficacy and efficiency of psychotherapies shows even more how the Brief Strategic Psychotherapy model stands out over all other forms of clinical intervention, even in direct comparison with Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT, considered the international gold standard). Such a comparison, performed using evidence-based criteria (Evidence-based medicine) and randomized controlled trials (Randomized Controlled Trials, RCTs), as well as through longitudinal studies with external observers, demonstrates its greater effectiveness and efficiency
(Elkaim, 2007; Castelnuovo et al., 2011; Nardone and Salvini, 2013; Gibson, 2015; Pietrabissa et al., 2017; Jackson et al., 2018; Proietti et al., 2022).

More than 40 years have passed since the first studies in Palo Alto and in this long period Giorgio Nardone has personally treated more than 30.000 cases and has contributed to theevolution of a Model applied by thousands of professionals all over the world who came to train directly at the Strategic Therapy Center in Arezzo, which has become the world reference point for the strategic approach not only as a therapy but as a real School of thought.

Today, over 50 research-intervention projects have been carried out for the development of specific treatments for the most important forms of psychopathology and over 60 are published texts signed by Giorgio Nardone and his collaborators who report the results of the research carried out at the Institute  of Arezzo; works translated into over 15 languages some of which like The art of change. Handbook of strategic therapy and hypnosis without trance e Fear panic phobias. The therapy in a short time  for over 35 years they have become true classics best / long seller in bookstores around the world and others like Strategic Therapy Brief. Philosophy, techniques, and research , Strategic Dialogue, Youth Anorexia, International Dictionary of Psychotherapy,they are used as a textbook by the most important international universities.

Since 2019 he has directed the Master in Psychology of Change at the Link Campus University in Rome.

Currently Giorgio Nardone continues to deal with research, training and Psychotherapy at the Strategic Therapy Center in Arezzo, he is the director of the School of Specialization in Brief Strategic Psychotherapy, and directs for Get all Grazie the series of short therapy essays and holds lectures, specialist seminars and workshops, conferences for the general public, around the world.
Find out more about www.giorgionardone.com