Educational project
Lo stage presso la comunità psicoeducativa ARCHETTO
SUPSI Image Focus
The placement at the ARCHETTO psycho-educational community has been established as a collaborative project with SUPSI, offering an opportunity for mutual development and collaborative learning. Through this placement, students can gain experience with psycho-educational methodologies and collaborative working practices.
The training programme aims to give students the opportunity to observe and learn how to interact with adolescents experiencing developmental delays. At ARCHETTO, we recognise the value of communication and interprofessional collaboration. Students are therefore part of a broad support network that works actively with external professionals and the adolescents’ families.
All students at ARCHETTO are asked to tread lightly and to focus primarily on listening, observing and shared action throughout the placement period (12 weeks).
Students are given the opportunity to take part in various activities to understand the complexity of the ARCHETTO project. These range from basic daily living activities such as washing, dressing, eating and personal care, to instrumental activities such as cooking, shopping and looking after the home.
The programme also includes support with managing free time through sport, visits to the library, walks and developing independence in getting around, as well as managing transitions and boredom. Particular attention is paid to play, both structured and free, during leisure or transition times, with mediation in group dynamics. Finally, the placement provides support with sleep and rest routines, the organisation of breaks, and study support.
My experience at ARCHETTO has been of paramount importance to my development.
Alessandra Mancassola
Alessandra Mancassola, who graduated in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, completed her final placement at the ARCHETTO community and recounts her experience:
My experience at Archetto was of paramount importance to my training. First and foremost, it taught me how to build a therapeutic relationship with the young people in the community – that professional bond which enables me to support them effectively, striking the right balance between human connection and my therapeutic role.
To do this, I had to draw on everything I’ve learnt: the technical skills of occupational therapy, but also my interpersonal and human skills. These things may seem obvious, but it is only thanks to this placement that I have truly understood how fundamental they are in practice.
What makes this community special is its approach. Through creative activities and workshops, such as cooking, gardening and painting, authentic relationships of trust are formed, rooted in everyday life. The core of it all is doing: a simple yet powerful action, which in occupational therapy becomes the primary tool for healing.
I then had the opportunity to support the young people in their daily activities, such as self-care, whilst also developing a workshop project on the theme of crochet and relationships, which the educational team subsequently put into practice.
Truly a unique experience!