It's that time again!

Well, it's that time again... time to start planning.... what to take ... what to purchase while I am in Italy... the food.. the wine...

Here it is February... and May 10th will be here very soon.    The day to day routine is so busy... but thinking of Italy and Florence and Tuscany... is an exciting diversion.

Tuesday, May 24

Today is our final day of studies.  Dr. Lorenzo Barbagli from Prepos spoke today.  He has a training school that teaches people how to become counselors. 

Dr. Barbagli presented information regarding evidence based practice and how it is being implemented in Italian counseling.  He presented information as well on assessing collective personality in school settings and corporations.  Very Interesting!

Later, after lunch, I gave a presentation on Cultural Considerations for Global Teaching. This presentation included information and experiences from the October trip to Haiti with Dr. Lane.

Dr. Tyson, a professor from UAB, gave a presentation on ramifications of the Augusta State and Eastern Michigan cases regarding lawsuits and the ACA Code of Ethics.

Tonight after dinner, we will come together for a lesson on Italian gestures.

More later.... it has been a true cultural immersion.

Sunday, May 22

Today, we have a speaker, Judith Siegel, an American, who has worked here in the Italian school system for almost 40 years.  She has explained to us how teachers in the schools often deal with many issues which a school counselor would typically handle in our system.
We as participants in this Institute are encouraged to ask questions of our speakers.  The dialogue has been informative and gives us a glimpse of the culture of Italy

This is Dr. Remley and Ms. Kleine (she works at Syracuse University in Firenze)

Marie O'Sullivan Montoya, Angela Shock, Adia Fields, John Moore, Courtney Chandler, Tina Chhajwani, Dott Eugenio Bacchini, Ms. Amy Kleine, Dr. Tem Remley, Dr. Linda Foster

Later today, we will visit Vallambroso (a monastery very close to Casa Cares) and people will have an opportunity to attend mass (a Catholic church) service. 

Mercer students has been actively engaged.... and I must say have asked some of the best questions of our participants. 

Stayed tuned for more of our journey as we continue to learn about other cultures and examine our own!

Friday

Several of us are sitting patiently waiting for our workshop sessions to begin.  We have two speakers today.  Dott. Eugenio Bacchini and Ms. Amy Kleine.  Dott Bacchini is a counselor from Firenze and Ms. Kleine is a counselor who works at Syracuse University in Firenze.... wow I wish we had an extension Mercer campus in Florence !!! 

Today we will hear more about how counselors work in Italy and the issues that are present here. 

Yesterday, we visited Assisi and learned more about the role of religion and history of the Catholic church. 

Here are a couple of pictures from Assisi. 

Italia

These pictures are from the first couple of days at Casa Cares.  Casa Cares is a retreat center owned by the Waldensian Church.

For more information: 

http://casacares.typepad.com/casa_cares/home_english.html

If you are not familiar with the Waldensian Church, it is an ancient protestant church originating from the Reformation. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldensians

The retreat center is a beautiful old farmhouse and now serves as a meeting center. 

These are pictures of the surroundings which are being very conducive to our learning experiences.

The wooded trails provide a space for quite reflection.

Italian culture

Yesterday we spent the day in Firenze.  Our first meeting was a panel discussion with several psychiatrists and counselors from a local mental hospital.  Keep in mind that mental health hospitals sometimes have a very different meaning than what we are accustomed to in our world.  Dr. Remley, myself and a recent graduate talked a bit about our experiences in collaboration with mental health professionals. 

Specifically, I spoke to the training programs and how internships are dependent upon our associations and collaborations with professionals in community settings. 

The dialogue was a great exchange of ideas and reinforcement of our professional goals. 

Pisa & Lucca

Yesterday we had a travel day and enjoyed our visits to Pisa & Lucca.  Today we are here  for the entire day with guest lectures. 

Something to enjoy....