Ilaria

Dr Ilaria Bellavia

Psychotherapist (Registered)

“I am a psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist based in Florence, Italy, with twenty years of clinical experience working with adults, adolescents, and couples. My clinical practice is grounded in contemporary psychoanalytic thinking — drawing on the work of Fonagy, Ammaniti, Kernberg, Mitchell, Ferro, and Lingiardi — with particular attention to mentalization, relational trauma, identity development, and the interplay between mind and body in psychological distress. Alongside my private practice, my work spans several complementary domains. I hold a role in school psychology, supporting the developmental and emotional needs of children and adolescents within educational settings, and I contribute to the Ministry of Education's *AscoltaMI* project, offering listening spaces for young people. I collaborate with Empowerely HuB on organizational wellness initiatives, bringing a psychodynamic lens to workplace mental health. I also serve as a forensic psychology consultant, acting as an auxiliary to the judicial police (art. 348 c.p.p.), including conducting protected hearings with minors. I teach at Università Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples, and I am the author of *Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo* (Aracne Editore), alongside publications in international scientific journals. I am registered with the Ordine degli Psicologi della Toscana (No. 3036). ”

About Me

I'm Ilaria Bellavia, a psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist practicing in Florence, Italy. For the past twenty years I've worked with adults, adolescents, and couples, drawing on psychoanalytic thinking to help people make sense of what feels unclear, stuck, or overwhelming in their inner lives and relationships. My work extends beyond the therapy room. I support young people through school psychology and the Ministry of Education's *AscoltaMI* project, bring a psychodynamic perspective to organizational wellbeing with Empowerely HuB, and serve as a forensic psychology consultant, including conducting protected hearings with minors as an auxiliary to the judicial police. I also teach at Università Suor Orsola Benincasa in Naples, and I'm the author of *Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo*, alongside articles in international scientific journals. What ties all of this together is a belief that real change happens through being truly listened to — whether that's in a therapy session, a classroom, a courtroom, or a workplace.

Approach

My work is rooted in contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy — not as a fixed technique, but as a way of listening closely to what lies beneath symptoms, patterns, and the stories we tell about ourselves. I draw on the thinking of Fonagy, Ammaniti, Kernberg, Mitchell, Ferro, and Lingiardi, with particular attention to mentalization: the capacity to understand our own and others' minds, especially under stress. I pay close attention to the relationship between mind and body, to how early experiences and attachment shape the way we relate to others in the present, and to the parts of ourselves that feel fragmented, disconnected, or hard to name. Therapy, in this view, isn't primarily about advice or quick fixes — it's about building a relationship safe and steady enough that difficult material can surface, be thought about, and gradually change shape. I work this way with individuals, adolescents, and couples, adapting the pace and focus to what each person or relationship needs — while always staying anchored in the belief that being truly understood is itself transformative.
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Basic Information

In-person & Online

Services

I offer psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults, adolescents, and couples, tailored to each person's needs and pace. **Individual Therapy** For adults navigating anxiety, depressive states, identity difficulties, relational patterns, trauma, or a general sense of feeling stuck. Sessions offer a consistent, confidential space to explore what's beneath the surface and to work toward lasting change rather than symptom management alone. **Adolescent Therapy** Working with teenagers requires a particular sensitivity to development in progress — identity formation, separation, and the pressures of adolescence today. I create a space where young people can be heard without judgment, often alongside guidance for parents on how to support the process. **Couples Therapy** For partners working through recurring conflict, disconnection, trust ruptures, or life transitions. The focus is on understanding the unconscious dynamics that shape the relationship, not just resolving surface disagreements. **Consultation & Assessment** Initial consultations help clarify what's needed before beginning ongoing work — whether that's individual therapy, couples work, or a referral elsewhere. Sessions are held in my private practice in Florence, with a psychoanalytic orientation grounded in mentalization-based and relational approaches.

Services Offered:

  • Adolescent Therapy

    Therapy designed for teenagers, using age-appropriate methods to address issues like anxiety, identity, peer pressure, and family conflict.

    Learn more about Adolescent Therapy
  • Consultation

    An initial meeting with a therapist to discuss concerns, ask questions, and determine whether they are the right fit.

  • Health Psychology

    A branch of psychology that studies how psychological, behavioural, and social factors affect physical health, illness, and health-related behaviours.

  • Psychoanalysis

    An in-depth therapy that explores unconscious patterns, early experiences, and inner conflicts to produce lasting psychological change, typically involving frequent sessions.

    Learn more about Psychoanalysis
  • Somatic Therapy

    A body-centred approach to healing that uses physical awareness, breath, and movement to release stored tension and trauma, based on the recognition that the body holds and expresses emotional experience.

  • Somatic Psychotherapy

    A form of therapy focused on the connection between mind and body, using body awareness and movement to release held tension, trauma, and emotion.

Works With:

  • Adolescents
  • Adults
  • Couples
  • Parents

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Relationship Issues

    Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.

    Learn more about Relationship Issues
  • Identity Issues

    A person's sense of who they are, including their values, beliefs, roles, and self-perception, and the distress that arises when this sense is unclear, fragmented, or negative.

Professional Title:

  • Psychotherapist (Registered)

    A psychotherapist who is formally registered with a regulatory or professional body in their jurisdiction.

Credentials

Registrations

Psychology of Self

Psychotherapist

Qualifications

Degree in Developmental Psychology

University of Florence

Year: 2000

Service Areas

Dr.sa Bellavia

In-person & Online

Zona statuto

Florence, Tuscany

Italy

Zona statuto, Florence, Italy