DMM at the University of Bologna, Italy

The interest of the University of Bologna in the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) began in 2000, when Patricia Crittenden was contacted regarding a longitudinal research, founded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MUIR) on “The development of attachment and the onset of psychological suffering in pregnancy and post-partum”. In 2001, the Attachment Assessment Lab (AAL) was founded at the Department of Psychology, and Patricia Crittenden and Andrea Landini became official partners and advisers. AAL activities includes many DMM based research, in particular on the transmission of attachment, on the attachment in families of preterm born children, and on attachment in psychotherapy. Annual conferences, seminars and training courses on the DMM are organized by the AAL, including a course from 2001 to 2005 on the administration and coding of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) following DMM criteria. This led to the training of the first Italian reliable coders, very active in Italian and international research. Franco Baldoni, Head of the Attachment Assessment Lab, is the International Editor and the editor of the Italian Edition of DMM News, the official journal of IASA. In 2008, at the University Centre of Bertinoro, University of Bologna, the 1st Biennial Conference of IASA was held, attended by about 200 researchers from 10 different countries. The teaching of the DMM in academic programs at the University of Bologna includes the fundamentals of the DMM, taught by Franco Baldoni in the “Clinical Methodology” course and short workshops on the CARE-Index and on DMM based AAI conducted by AAL collaborators, at the “Magistrale” degree in Clinical Psychology (a two years degree after the bachelor in Psychology). These classes are taught in Italian, but the degree course provides also some English lessons. Finally, AAL activities include internships and stages for students and mentorships for thesis and research.