If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, get help now. Visit a nearby emergency service, hospital, or mental health clinic. If you are in crisis, these helplines answer now:
Crisis numbers in Italy
- Telefono Azzurro, Linea di Ascolto 1.96.96, free and answered at any hour: Tel: 19696
- 112, Italy's single emergency number: Tel: 112
- Telefono Amico Italia, and its WhatsApp line: Tel: 02 2327 2327 | WhatsApp: 324 011 72 52
- Samaritans OdV, Rome: Tel: 06 77208977
- 1522, for women experiencing violence or stalking: Tel: 1522
- All crisis lines in Italy
A practitioner appears here either because they consult in Reggio Emilia or because they name it as an area they cover. That can include someone working from another town.
Where the list here is short, a practitioner in a nearby town may be within reach. The online filter widens the search further. Across Italy, 56 listed therapists offer sessions online.
The nearest place we also cover is Parma, 26 km away. The Italy page lists every city we cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find a therapist in Reggio Emilia?
The profiles listed above are practitioners who consult in Reggio Emilia, or who name Reggio Emilia as an area they work in. You can narrow the list by profession, by the difficulties someone works with, by language, by client group and by identity.
If nobody here suits you, try widening the area to Parma. You can also filter for practitioners who work online. Open a profile to send an enquiry, ask for a number, or book, where those buttons are shown.
Is this a list of registered and licensed therapists in Reggio Emilia?
For extra reassurance, you can check anyone listed here on the register for their profession. In Italy a psicologo must pass the state examination and be enrolled on the Albo. The Albo is the professional register, and enrolment comes before practice.
Psychotherapy is a further step, and the title psicoterapeuta rests on a recognised specialisation taken after a degree in psychology or medicine. Counselling is not a regulated profession there, so a counsellor is not on this register.
A psichiatra is a medical doctor, and prescribing is a medical act. You can search the national Albo held by the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi. Some practitioners in Italy also belong to a professional association, such as the Federazione Italiana delle Associazioni di Psicoterapia or the Società Psicoanalitica Italiana.
Belonging to an association is not the same as entry on the Albo held by the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi. Everyone listed must be qualified for the work they offer. Whether that qualification is also a licence depends on the profession.
A tick beside a registration, qualification or membership means we have seen evidence for that entry, not that we endorse the practitioner.
Should I see a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a therapist or a counsellor?
Therapist covers anyone who offers talk-based help with emotional and relationship difficulties. The word says nothing about training. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental health.
Psychiatrists can prescribe medicine, which is the main practical difference between them and the other three. A psychologist is trained in the study of the mind and behaviour, and works by assessment and talk therapy.
Where the title is protected, it usually takes a postgraduate qualification in psychology and registration with the body that governs the profession. Counsellors and psychotherapists work by talk therapy as well, and what their training requires depends on the title and on where you are.
As a rule of thumb: if medicine may be part of the answer, start with a psychiatrist. For an assessment or a formal report, start with a psychologist. If you want regular talking work, psicoterapeuta is the protected title for it.
The profession filter above shows which of these are listed here. In Italy, psicologo and psicoterapeuta are protected titles, and using either takes the qualification and entry on the register. Counselling is not a regulated profession there, so counsellor carries no register. A psichiatra is a medical doctor.
The titles that carry legal weight are the registered ones. Where a title is not registered, anyone may use it, so the register is what tells you what training sits behind the word.
How much does therapy cost in Reggio Emilia?
Italy funds therapy in two ways. The contributo psicologo, or bonus psicologo, pays a capped contribution directly to your psychologist or psychotherapist for each session, up to a yearly ceiling that rises as household ISEE income falls.
You apply to INPS in an annual window using a digital identity, and an accepted code lapses if you do not start in time. The public route runs through your GP to the local centro di salute mentale, where you pay a regional co-payment, called a ticket, with exemptions by income, age and condition.
The ticket is small, but waiting lists at public services can be long. Otherwise you pay the therapist's own fee, and no Italian body publishes a fee schedule. Each practitioner sets their own fee, not any figure on this page. Their profile shows their fee structure where they have given one; ask them for the fee.
An online session is usually not much cheaper than one in a consulting room. Practitioners commonly charge the same rate either way, so you save the travelling and the time around it. In Italy the bonus psicologo contributes towards sessions with a registered psychotherapist who has joined the scheme, and applications open in an annual window ranked by household means.
What are more affordable or low-cost therapy options in Reggio Emilia?
Many practitioners keep a few reduced-fee places. They set the reduction themselves after asking about your income, so ask rather than assume. Group therapy costs less per session, and for a number of difficulties it works as well as individual work.
Publicly funded clinics and non-profit services will often see you without a referral.
Is online therapy a good option?
For most common difficulties the research puts video sessions close to in-person work. It holds on the same condition as any therapy: the relationship between the two of you has to be a good one. It suits you if you live far from a practitioner, have little room in a week, or want a choice your own town cannot offer. It suits some situations less well, and a practitioner should say so.
A practitioner usually suggests meeting in person where there is immediate risk to safety, or nowhere private to talk. Text-based and on-demand app services do cost less, and they are a different product, not a cheaper version of the same one.
The evidence behind them is thinner than for regular psychotherapy. They often sell messaging rather than a scheduled hour with one practitioner who knows your history. Filter the list above for online availability to see who offers it here.
Are therapy sessions confidential?
Yes. An ethical code requires a registered practitioner to keep what you say private. A professional body's code binds its members too. In Italy a registered psychologist answers to their regional Order, which handles conduct and discipline for its members.
You can search the national Albo held by the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi. The limits are narrow and commonly include a serious and immediate danger to you or to another person, and abuse of a child or of a vulnerable adult.
A court can also order it disclosed in some circumstances. A claim to an insurer usually carries some information with it. A practitioner should set those limits out in the first session. You are entitled to ask where the line sits before you say anything you would rather keep private.
What should I expect in the first session?
The first session is an orientation and a brief assessment, and usually lasts about an hour. The therapist will ask what brings you, say how they work, and go through confidentiality, fees and practical arrangements. You can ask about their approach and experience. You do not need to prepare anything; come as you are.
Whether it is a good fit matters more than any technique. Therapy works better when the working relationship is strong,3 and that relationship usually takes a few sessions to settle, so give it time before deciding.
Read our guide on What is Therapy?
Which type of therapy should I look for in Reggio Emilia?
The person matters as much as the method. The names you will come across include cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic therapy, EMDR, family therapy and couples therapy. The nature of the difficulty shapes the choice, and so does whether you want something short and focused or something open-ended. It also depends on how much of the past you want to work with, and what you can sustain in time and money.
A trained practitioner will say what they think would suit, and say so when they are not the right person.
Is therapy for me?
You do not need a diagnosis to benefit from therapy.1 Therapy helps when something is not working and you want to think it through with someone. If you want change, support, or clarity, therapy is a reasonable place to start.
Therapy can help with:
- Personal growth to build confidence, self-understanding, and emotional maturity2
- Low mood, worry, emptiness, or irritability
- Relationship strain and conflict
- Support for your child or teenager
- Big changes like job loss, bereavement, relocation, or divorce
About one person in eight lives with a mental health condition, and many more face stress or want more from life.1 You do not need to wait for a crisis.
Read our guide on Who Needs Therapy?
Why choose an independent therapist?
Choosing an independent therapist in Reggio Emilia gives you more control. You approach them directly. Nobody is assigned to you. The two of you agree the goals and the way of working together. Independent practitioners can adjust the approach, the pace and the session length to what you need. Fewer parties are involved in your care, and you can see the same clinician over time, which supports deeper work.
Nearby places and related listings
References
[1] World Health Organization (2022). Mental Health Fact Sheet.
[2] World Health Organization (2022). World Mental Health Report.
[3] Ardito, R. B., & Rabellino, D. (2011). Therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy.
Real choice. Authentic, independent, clinician-led care.
TherapyRoute is a clinician-led directory that champions independent practitioners who answer to you and their professional ethics. We don't take commissions, sell your data, or assign therapists by algorithm. You browse, compare, and choose.
Vincenzo (Enzo) Sinisi, Clinical Psychologist (HPCSA), Psychoanalyst (IPA/SAPA), Group Analyst (IGA)


