Cosmo Education English

An in-depth analysis of the COSMO system applied to the Picture Frustration Study, a performance-based instrument for exploring responses to interpersonal frustration. The episode examines narrative coding of responses, the integration of agency and communion, and the assessment of personality functioning severity. It highlights the role of emotional regulation, implicit relational patterns, and c...

A clinical exploration of the relationship between the individual and the family system in the psychotherapy of psychosis. Drawing on de Bernàrt’s model, the episode examines the relational function of symptoms, processes of differentiation, and the integration of individual and family treatment, with a focus on developmental dynamics in adolescence. It further discusses the technical implications...

An in depth exploration of Gianni Consolaro’s integrated clinical intervention model in developmental age. The episode examines the relationship between diagnosis, development, family dynamics and social context, drawing on developmental psychopathology, systemic thinking and collaborative therapeutic assessment. A clinical and theoretical contribution to understanding the complexity of childhood...

n this episode of Cosmo Education, we address the theme of diagnosis in clinical psychology and psychodynamic psychotherapy, questioning its theoretical meaning and clinical usefulness. Drawing on the work of Vittorio Lingiardi, we explore the contribution of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual and the Shedler Westen Assessment Procedure as tools capable of restoring complexity, depth, and meaning...

A clinical and theoretical exploration of mentalization as a core function of personality functioning and borderline personality disorder. The episode examines the development of mentalizing capacity, its implicit and explicit, cognitive and affective dimensions, and patterns of collapse under high emotional arousal. Clinical implications for affect regulation, identity, relational dynamics, and t...

In this episode of Cosmo Education, Alberto Eiguer’s conception of family therapy as a transferential process is examined in depth. Transference is explored as a field phenomenon emerging from the family as a group subject, while countertransference is treated as a central clinical tool for understanding unconscious bond organization. Particular attention is given to the therapeutic frame as a nec...

In this Cosmo Education episode, drawing on the work of Gaetano De Leo and Dino Mazzei, violence is approached not as an isolated event or a structureless outburst, but as an action organized in systemic form. The analysis focuses on redundancies in action, on the construction of action boundaries, and on the way aims, cognitions, and social meanings intertwine within the scene and across broader...

In this episode, we revisit Alex Caldwell’s influential contribution on the clinical meaning of the MMPI-2 scales. Rather than treating scale elevations as mere indicators of pathology, Caldwell offers an interpretive framework that understands them as adaptive responses to fundamental psychological threats. Each scale is explored as a strategy of emotional survival, shaped by experiences of bodil...

In this episode of Cosmo Education, the treatment utility of clinical assessment is explored as an active component of the psychotherapeutic process rather than a mere preliminary step. Drawing on contemporary clinical research, the episode examines when and how clinical evaluation, including approaches based on predictive models, can meaningfully inform clinical decision making, strengthen the th...

This Cosmo Education episode explores Katia Giacometti’s contribution on the therapeutic relationship and the intersubjective space in family clinical work. The focus is on the implicit processes that emerge in the present moment of the therapeutic encounter, the mechanisms through which mutual recognition is supported or hindered, and the therapist’s role within family systems characterized by bo...

This Cosmo Education episode delves into Constance T. Fischer’s exploration of Rorschach scoring dilemmas as direct access points to underlying personality dynamics. Rather than treating uncertainty in coding as technical noise, Fischer shows how hesitations, shifts, and corrections reveal micro-patterns of perception, affect, motivation, and relational stance. Through vivid clinical examples, the...

A deep exploration of "useful care" and the thread of the Self, weaving together insights from developmental psychology, neuroscience, and clinical practice to understand how early relationships shape our capacity to heal, connect, and grow.

In this episode of Cosmo Education we explore “Body to Body. From Suffering to the Healing Encounter. The Body in Therapy” by Roberto Losso and Ana Packciarz Losso. Before words, the body speaks in therapy—through breath, tension, silence, and resonance within the clinical relationship. The essay examines the body as a site of memory and transformation, where symptom, contact, and symbolization in...

In this episode of Cosmo Education we explore Family Myths and Social Myths by Roberto Losso and Ana Packciarz Losso. The myth as the symbolic matrix of family life, between generational heritage, contemporary cultural myths, and therapeutic transformation. A reflection on identificatory functions, mythic countertransference, and the restoration of a living psychic skin to the family bond.

In this episode of Cosmo Education, we explore The Intrapsychic, the Interpsychic and the Transpsychic in Couple Psychoanalysis by Roberto Losso and Ana Packciarz Losso. This work examines the couple as a dynamic field of psychic transmission, interweaving intrapsychic, interpsychic, and transpsychic levels. The authors describe the role of the negative pact, unconscious collusions, and transgener...

The second part deepens Roberto Losso’s reflection on the suffering of contemporary families and the crisis of social and symbolic bonds. Through the psychoanalysis of ties, Losso illustrates how therapy can restore containment, reflection, and generational continuity, helping families recover their creative and relational potential.

In the first part of this Cosmo Education episode on Roberto Losso’s What Resources Do Families Have in the Contemporary World, we explore the theoretical foundations of psychoanalysis of bonds: the concept of the psychic tie, identifications, unconscious alliances, and the therapeutic field as a space of relational and psychic transformation.

In this episode of Cosmo Education, we explore Ancilla Dal Medico’s The Family Therapist and the Family Between Two Geological Eras: The Real and the Symbolic. A profound reflection on the relationship between the real and symbolic structures of the family, on social transformation, and on the therapist’s task of building safety within uncertainty. A clinical and anthropological analysis of the ev...

In this episode, we explore Donald S. Williamson’s powerful theory on how personal authority emerges through the end of intergenerational hierarchy. Discover how redefining the parent-child dynamic—moving from obedience to mutual respect—unlocks emotional freedom, adult intimacy, and true autonomy. A deep dive into psychotherapy, family systems, and the path toward mature, fearless love.

In this episode of Cosmo Education, we delve into “The Importance of Being Siblings” by Rodolfo de Bernart, Maurizio Ferrara, and Stefania Pecchioli. We explore how, in systemic therapy, the sibling subsystem can become a powerful engine of transformation when the parental axis is fragile or blocked. Through clinical cases and theoretical insights, we examine the transformative potential of siblin...

In this episode of Cosmo Education, we explore “The Adolescent’s Suicide” by Cristina Dobrowolski and Lilia Gagnarli — a powerful and insightful work that frames suicidal behavior not as an individual act, but as a dramatic communication within a dense emotional and relational system. Drawing from clinical experience, the episode highlights the role of family dynamics, seductive bonds, and unproce...

In this episode of Cosmo Education, we explore The Useful Couple by Paolo Menghi — a text that examines the couple not as a measure of normality or pathology, but as an evolutionary space where infatuation, love, crisis, and conflict become transformative opportunities. This clinical analysis highlights the role of the personality mask, responsibility, shame, and power, revealing how the couple’s...

In this Cosmo Education episode, we explore Rodolfo de Bernart’s article Inside the Relationship, Outside the Family. The focus is on the therapist’s ability to balance closeness and distance, belonging and individuation, while navigating the therapeutic relationship with the family. Drawing on clinical examples and theoretical insights, the episode illustrates how integrating different perspectiv...

This Cosmo Education episode explores De Bernart and Dobrowolski’s work on adolescence as a key developmental transition for both individuals and families. Drawing on an integrated systemic–relational and psychoanalytic framework, the discussion addresses the role of the couple, generational boundaries, the adolescent body, peer relationships, and the clinical use of images in assessment and thera...

In this episode, we explore Thomas Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. We examine in detail the three key constructs: thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability. This integrative, empirically grounded model helps clinicians understand when suicidal ideation turns into action. A must-listen for professionals in personality assessment, clinical psychology, and su...