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Perinatal Clinical Psychology Observatory

PERINATAL CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY OBSERVATORY

Established by resolution of the Department Council on 8 March 2016.

Administrative Office: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences (DSCS), University of Brescia

Scientific Directors

  • Prof. Antonio Imbasciati, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Brescia
  • Prof. Gaetano Chirico, Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Spedali Civili Hospital, Brescia
  • Prof. Loredana Cena, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences (DSCS), University of Brescia

Scientific Committee

  • Prof. Cristina Alberini, Professor, Center for Neural Science, New York University
  • Prof. Massimo Ammaniti, Honorary Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, Sapienza University of Rome; Member of the Board of Directors of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH)
  • Prof. François Ansermet, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva; Director, University Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva
  • Prof. Franco Baldoni, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna
  • Prof. Piera Brustia, Full Professor of Dynamic Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Turin
  • Prof. Paola Di Blasio, Full Professor of Developmental Psychology and Director of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
  • Prof. Loredana Lucarelli, Full Professor of Dynamic Psychology, Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Philosophy, University of Cagliari
  • Dr. Gabriella Palumbo, Mental Health Unit, Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome
  • Prof. Cristina Riva Crugnola, Professor of Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca
  • Prof. Giulio Cesare Zavattini, Full Professor, Department of Clinical and Dynamic Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome

Planning and Coordination

  • Dr. Nella Tralli, Psychologist, DSCS Collaborator, University of Brescia
  • Dr. Luisella Nodari, Psychologist, DSCS Collaborator, University of Brescia

Presentation

Perinatal Clinical Psychology has progressively developed since 1989 as a specialized field of Clinical Psychology. Under this designation, the first of its kind in Italy, it was established within the Chair of Clinical Psychology of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Brescia as an interdisciplinary area of study integrating Clinical Psychology with the many healthcare and social disciplines concerned with the perinatal period, before, during, and after birth, and throughout the early stages of life.

Within this framework, Clinical Psychology collaborates with Midwifery Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Neonatology, Paediatrics, Child Neuropsychiatry, Nursing Sciences, Public Health, Social Work, Educational Services, and other health, educational, and social professions.

Scope and Objectives of Perinatal Clinical Psychology

Clinical and experimental research in psychological sciences, particularly within the field of Infant Research, together with advances in Neuroscience, have shown that only a limited part of the human brain matures through genetic programming during fetal life. From birth, and even during the final months of pregnancy, the brain is progressively shaped through neural networks that develop as a result of interpersonal experiences, including intrauterine experiences.

The development of these neural structures toward optimal functioning, rather than pathology, depends on the quality of non-verbal communication between the child and caregivers. This quality is influenced by the caregivers’ own neuropsychological organization, as well as by their capacity to interact with and adequately care for the infant.

The quality of the neuromental structure formed within the first two years of life represents the fundamental matrix upon which all subsequent brain development is built. This explains the crucial importance of the perinatal period.

For these reasons, Perinatal Clinical Psychology focuses on the parental couple, or prospective parents, as the generators of a child's developmental environment. Its primary objective is the prevention of deficiencies in parental neuromental resources and environmental conditions that may affect the development of the newborn’s neuropsychological structure and the future individual's overall well-being.

Such prevention is achieved through appropriate support and care provided to the couple, the child, and the family throughout the stages surrounding parenthood, including:

  • The transition to parenthood
  • Conception
  • Pregnancy
  • Childbirth
  • The postpartum period
  • Neonatal care and early infancy

Neuroscientific evidence has demonstrated that these phases are critical to every aspect of an individual's physical and psychological development.

A central objective of the Observatory is the design and implementation of multidisciplinary education and training programs for all birth-related professionals, both healthcare and psychosocial, enabling them to apply their expertise through the most effective support strategies for families.

The field therefore integrates contributions from:

  • Midwifery
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Neonatology
  • Paediatrics
  • Child Neuropsychiatry
  • Social Services
  • Health Services
  • Educational Services

Through the involvement of these professionals, projects can be developed to support current and future parents, with the aim of preventing pathology and ensuring that the intergenerational transmission of parenting capacities contributes to healthy child development rather than perpetuating vulnerabilities or risk factors.

Health and well-being cannot be effectively promoted without adequate prevention and support. To be genuinely preventive, such interventions must specifically focus on individuals and couples preparing for parenthood. Advances in research have highlighted the need, as already recognized in several countries, for dedicated services and specialized training programs for healthcare and psychosocial professionals working in this field.

Research Activities

Since 1989, research in Perinatal Clinical Psychology at the University of Brescia, initially within the Department of Maternal and Child Health and subsequently, from 2010, within the Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, has focused on the development of the mind and brain from the fetal stage through early childhood and on the relationship between children and their caregivers.

Collaboration with the Spedali Civili Hospital of Brescia, particularly with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit directed by Prof. Gaetano Chirico, has enabled the development of numerous research projects, including inter-university initiatives conducted with the University of Bologna and supported through national PRIN research funding.

Scientific Output

The scientific research and expertise developed within the University have resulted in:

  • The organization of numerous international congresses and seminars.
  • Publications in national and international scientific journals.
  • Several scholarly volumes, including:
    • The Primary Psychic Life (Imbasciati & Cena, 1991)
    • Constructing a Mind (Imbasciati, 2005)
    • The Protomental System (Imbasciati, 2006)
    • Perinatal Clinical Psychology (Imbasciati, Dabrassi & Cena, 2007)
    • The Child and His/Her Caregivers (Imbasciati & Cena, 2010)
    • The Parent-Child Relationship (Cena, Imbasciati & Baldoni, 2010)
    • Perinatal Clinical Psychology for the Development of the Future Individual (Imbasciati, Dabrassi & Cena, 2011)
    • Caring for Children and Their Parents (Cena, Imbasciati & Baldoni, 2012)
    • Neuroscience and Psychoanalytic Theory (Cena & Imbasciati, 2014)
    • Perinatal Clinical Psychology for Health and Psychosocial Professions, Vol. I: The Newborn and the Roots of Mental Health (Imbasciati & Cena, 2015)
    • Perinatal Clinical Psychology for Health and Psychosocial Professions, Vol. II: Parenting and the Origins of the Child’s Mind (Imbasciati & Cena, 2015)
    • New Theories on the Functioning of the Mind (Imbasciati, 2015)

Education and Professional Training

Since 2012, postgraduate advanced training programmes in Perinatal Clinical Psychology have been established within the framework of the HEALTH & WEALTH @ UniBS project.

The programme consists of six teaching modules per year, totalling 48 hours of instruction.

Scientific Committee:

  • Prof. Antonio Imbasciati, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Brescia
  • Prof. Gaetano Chirico, Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Spedali Civili Hospital, Brescia
  • Prof. Loredana Cena, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Programme Coordinator

Faculty members from the Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, together with researchers and scholars from Italian and international universities, contribute to the integrated curriculum of the training programme.

Mission of the Observatory

The Observatory aims to serve as an accredited centre for studies and research on perinatality, bringing together professionals and scholars engaged in perinatal clinical practice through a variety of disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches.

Its goals include:

  • Building multidisciplinary collaborative networks;
  • Developing clinical and experimental research projects;
  • Promoting synergies among researchers and practitioners;
  • Advancing prevention strategies;
  • Fostering the mental health and well-being of women, couples, children, and families during the perinatal period and beyond.

 

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