The Process of Establishing the Mental Health Subgroup in Italy

In 2019 I noticed that in Italy there was no reference physiotherapy group for psychiatric pathologies. Specifically, I observed, on the WCPT website, the presence of a subgroup of Mental Health, already recognized in as many as 20 countries around the world, but not in Italy. So I started building the first foundations. I contacted, totally unaware of all the bureaucratic procedures, Michel Probst, expressing my interest in establishing this subgroup in Italy, and having it recognized by the WCPT. The President explained to me the simplicity of the procedure, however it was necessary to have the okay from my Italian Association of Physiotherapists, the AIFI. After several unanswered emails, in the summer of 2020, the National Secretary Donato Lancelotti accepted my requests. He explained to me that for the creation of this sub-group, which in Italy is called Network of Specialized Interest, it was necessary to identify 15 interested parties; then submit the project, defining the context and narrating the motivation, to the AIFI Board of Directors. Meanwhile, unfortunately, there was the Covid-19 Pandemic, which redefined the Association’s priorities. The officials (President, Vice President, etc.) of AIFI and some rules for the establishment of the Italian NIS have also changed. In the end, in the summer of 2021 I identified 16 stakeholders for the constitution of the Italian group, and we sent all the documents to the CDN (National Board of Directors). To be continued.