1 Il filo d’Arianna Alba Rosa Cervellati My name is Alba Rosa Cervellati and I live in Crespellano, a small town 25 Km away from Bologna. I’m married and.

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Il filo d’Arianna

Alba Rosa Cervellati

My name is Alba Rosa Cervellati and I live in Crespellano, a small

town 25 Km away from Bologna.

I’m married and have three sons born over three and a half years.

I worked for forty years as job consultant.

Il filo d’Arianna

My life has always been very busy, either at home or at work,

because it’s really hard to take care of children and

to run the office at the same time.

Il filo d’Arianna

So I used to have many responsibilities and very little time for me … but a lot of satisfaction as well!

Il filo d’Arianna

By that time my sons were grown up and at last I could do all the things I had put aside for a long time.

I began to discover new interests and pursue new goals.

I just could go wherever my curiosity would take me!

That’s why the day I decided to retire and give up my profession was a great day!

Il filo d’Arianna

Having a piano at home I started to study music and …

As for my passion for arts I attended courses of painting and sculpture.

Il filo d’Arianna

However my greatest love has always been

psychology and the free time after my retirement

gave me the possibility to attend a few year training

course of COUNSELLING GESTALT THERAPY

and I obtained the qualification of

Counsellor.

Il filo d’Arianna

What is a Counsellor?

Technically speaking a counsellor helps in issues concerning human, professional and interpersonal relationships, as well as the relation to oneself.

Il filo d’Arianna

At that point I felt the desire to put myself at the service of the others and offer my assistance.

The training course of Counsellor turned to be very useful when I began the voluntary service in the “Victims Centre” of Casalecchio di Reno in Bologna.

A terrible event with unexplainable details, as the plain spun off its direction and crashed into the buildings breaking into a window. It was the window of a classroom.

The accident caused the death of twelve students aged 15 and eighty people were badly injured. The whole school was devastated and thousands of families were somehow touched by the agony of such a tragedy.

On December 6 1990, during

a military drill a small aircraft crashed into the “Gaetano

Salvemini” High School Institute of Casalecchio di

Reno.

“Victims of Salvemini” was the association founded afterwards in order to face the numerous aspects of emergency such as medical, judicial, social and educational.

From the very beginning the whole community showed a deep sense of commitment to the cause.

Il filo d’Arianna

Subsequently the destroyed building was rebuilt and named “House of Solidarity”.Apart from Victims Centre, “House of Solidarity” currently accomodates other local voluntary organisations such as: Environmental Services and Public Assistance.

The Centre supports them giving free legal advice and psychological counselling. Besides it orients them toward more appropriate services of the territory to solve the problems.

The heart of the Centre is a listenning counter for people damaged by natural disasters and also for the victims of crime, violence and abuse at work

That’s how I could be helpful with my voluntary work in the Centre: as job

consultant in cases of abuse victims at work as well as counsellor for more

psychological support.

I think the best way to spend spare time is voluntary work even for the young and before retirement age because it enhances not only those who recieve but first and foremost those who give.

In my opinion TRANSAGE “active ageing” is a concept of great challenge which gives us the possibility to continue growing on our way toward self-fulfilment.

We can take this pathway together with other people through solidarity and helpfulness, maitaining the contact with the world willingly and curiously.