Prepos School of Counseling & Arezzo - May 29, 2015

We had an early morning today! We travelled to the Arezzo area to visit Prepos School of Counseling, and watched a presentation given by Dr. Lorzeno Barbagli. Of all the information provided and stories told, I would say people were most taken back by the differences in ethics and confidentiality between counselors in Italy and counselors in the United States. Dr. Barbagli shared a case in which he was told by his client to refrain from sharing what they talked about with the client’s son. However, Dr. Barbagli used his discretion and believed there would be a greater benefit if the client’s son knew, so he chose to disclose the information anyway. In the United States, this would (or rather, should) not occur unless the information told by the client fits into one of the limits of confidentiality. The main difference here is that counselors in the United States are bound by confidentiality, apart from select limitations such as risk of harm to self or others, whereas in Italy it seems the counselors are free to use their discretion. 

After the presentation we all had a traditional Tuscan lunch at a nearby restaurant. Italians like their courses. The meal started with a variety of meats and some sort of a bread salad (I think there was celery in it). Next was the pasta course, which was a thick noodle with wild boar sauce. I opted out of that one and went for the vegetarian option (thick noodle in pomodoro sauce). Meat and potatoes were next. We’ve all had conversations about what kind of meat it was, but nobody seems to have a clear idea. We’re thinking either rabbit or some sort of pork. 

After our meal we actually went into Arezzo, had a quick tour, and ventured out. Some of us still desperately needed to shop and get souvenirs, so we did that and had lots of luck! After the shopping was complete we were ready to sit, relax, and drink bellinis. Ciao!

Arezzo