Tullio Scrimali

Tullio Scrimali

Catania, Sicily, Italy (tscrima@tin.it)

Physician, Psychologist, Psychotherapist. He specialised in Psychiatry at the University of Milan, Tullio Scrimali is founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT). He was one of the pioneers in the development of Cognitive Psychotherapy in Italy, publishing his first research in 1976 and obtaining the first Chair, of Cognitive Therapy, at University of Catania, in 1980.

Tullio Scrimali teaches this subject both at the ALETEIA International, European School of Cognitive Therapy(www.aleteiainternational.it ), of which he is the Director (and which was founded by him in 1990) and at the University of Catania, where he is a Professor of Clinical Psychology.

He has been carrying out and still carries out research and didactic activities in several foreign countries, among which the United States and various European Community countries. Actually is holding and directing the first Training in Cognitive Psychotherapy organised in Poland. He is the author of 120 scientific works and several monographs.

He founded and is the Director, at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Catania, of the first Laboratory of Cognitive Psychophysiology and Biofeedback started in Italy. He describes this experience in the monograph he wrote, together with Grimaldi "On the Traces of Mind" (Angeli Editore, Milano 1991), which is currently in Italy the reference text on the subject.

He has been concerned for more than twenty years about the cognitive approach to the Therapy and Rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients. He published several works on the issue of schizophrenia, among which the first controlled study ever carried out in Italy on a cognitively inspired protocol for the treatment of schizophrenia (Scrimali, & Grimaldi, 1996 "Negative Entropy" A Cognitive and complex approach to therapy and rehabilitation of schizophrenia. Complesssita & Cambiamento, Vol. V, N.1; English version: www.issco.net/cambiamento), and an experimental research on a new model for etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia (Scrimali, T. & Grimaldi, L., 1997: Schizophrenia and Cluster A Personality Disorder. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, Vol. 10, N. 4, 291-304).

He was the Chair of the Scientific Committee and of the Organising Committee of the first International conference of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy "Cognitive Psychotherapy Towards a New Millennium" to be held in Catania in June 2000 (visit the web site: www.issco.net/iacpcongress2000).

He has the Chair of two International Conferences: Volcanic Mind and The Mind in the Clouds held every year in Catania and in Enna (Sicily).

Actually Tullio Scrimali is participating as supervisor, in Warsaw, Poland, in some official Training in Cognitive Therapy.

Tullio Scrimali is a founding fellow of the International Academy for Cognitive Therapy.

During 2001 he is an invited speaker at the World Congress of Behaviour and Cognitive Therapy in Vancouver and at the annual meeting of the European Association for Cognitive Therapy in Istanbul.

Tullio Scrimali presented in occasion of the EABCT of Prague on September 2003 an invited keynote lecture, a one day workshop and 3 symposia.

In Kobe, during the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, held in July 2004, he has been an invited lecturer ad also he held a very successful one day workshop on Schizophrenia (the workshop was overbooked and 46 participant attended).

During the 2005, 2006 and 2007, 2008 he has already been invited lecturer and workshop leader in Serbia, Sweden, Greece, Brazil, Poland, Spain, Argentina.

During 2008 presents as an invited speaker at ALAPCO of Montevideo, at the EABCT of Helsinki and in New York for the ISPS Congress. He his invited speaker and workshop leader at the EABCT 2009 in Dubrovnik.