The Rome Winnicott Group is a newly founded group. All its members – currently four – are psychoanalytical psychotherapists trained at the Istituto Winnicott in Rome (Italy), and full members of the S.I.Ps.I.A., the Italian Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Children, Adolescents and Couples, as well as members of the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (E.F.P.P.) 

Both the training institute and the scientific society they belong to, have a clinical and theoretical approach which is specifically Winnicottian

The Istituto Winnicott and the S.I.Ps.I.A. have both been founded in the eighties by prof. Andreas Giannakoulas – direct pupil (and later friend) of Winnicott at the times of his training in London – and Prof. Adriano Giannotti, psychoanalyst and head of the department of Infantile Neuropsychiatry at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome.

In the context of the hospital department of Child Neuropsychiatry, all the members of the Rome Winnicott Group were given over the years the chance to gather vast experience regarding the clinical treatment of many different psychic disorders in children and adolescents, even as severe as autism, benefitting from supervisions by teachers with a Winnicottian approach. Over the years they have had the precious opportunity to participate in seminaries and clinical supervisions conducted – besides prof. Giannakoulas and prof. Giannotti – also by international guests such as Frances Tustin, Christopher Bollas, Kenneth Wright, Lore Schacht e Max Hernandez, just to mention the most Winnicottians among them. The cooperation of all members of the Rome Winnicott Group with the Istituto di Neuropsichiatria Infantile of the University of Rome has continued over several years, also after the completion of the training.

Over the last 15 years, in addition to their ongoing private therapeutic activity, the members of the Rome Winnicott Group have continued their social commitment by engaging in the project of the Clinical Center “Tana Libera Tutti” – a clinical center, which has been offering psychoanalytical psychotherapy at affordable prices to needy children, adolescents and their families (accepting around 3000 patients in 15 years). The Clinical Center has been co-directed for 13 years by Susanna Guida, who was also the supervisor responsible for the clinical cases.

The four members of the group, besides being bound to each other by many years of common clinical and theoretical experience, are also tied together by a deep friendship and by the wish to continue renovating and expanding, through a mutual exchange with others who share the same passion, the deeply innovative and creative spirit of Winnicott’s thinking.

Members and Email-addresses of the Rome Winnicott Group

Veronika GARMS, coordinator – verogarms@gmail.com

Susanna GUIDA – susannaguida@tiscali.it

Silvia RONCONI – silvia.ronconi1@gmail.com

Sara SASSANELLI – sarasassanelli@hotmail.com