3 May 2022

Tuesday 3 May 2022, Hearing of REICO, Professional Association for Counselling.

Summary of the hearing

Maria Cristina Falaschi, President of REICO, Emanuele Carbonara, member of the Board of Directors, Alessandro Boccia, associate counsellor, and Micaela Di Natale, institutional relations manager, took the floor.

In opening the meeting, President Falaschi explained that counselling operates in the field of health, meant as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease”, according to the broader definition provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In this sense, counselling is a process of support and guidance for persons, helping them understand themselves and better perceive their own abilities.

President Falaschi is confident that the European Union can play a fundamental role in promoting a broader concept of health and cooperation between the several professions operating in this field.

She pointed out the counselling sector in Europe is not sufficiently represented and is subject to uneven regulations that may hinder the free movement of professionals. In some EU countries, counselling is a regulated profession, while in others, including Italy, is a private practice profession.

Hence the two proposals to set up an observatory to provide an up-to-date picture at European level (in terms of numbers and characteristics) of the professional reality of counsellors, and to establish a coordinating and representative body at the European Union to attain shared proposals by professional associations.

“The pandemic has shown that health is not just a healthcare issue. REICO believes in interdisciplinarity and cooperation between healthcare and counselling professions in order to contribute to building better social health and boosting prevention.”