Professional opportunities
Psychology Technician (Graduate in Psychological Techniques)
Functions.
The Bachelor’s Degree Program in Psychological Sciences and Techniques is primarily aimed at continuing studies at the second level of education offered by the Master’s Degree in class LM-51. Indeed, progression to a Master’s Degree in class LM-51 is to be considered mandatory in order to practice as a psychologist pursuant to Law 56/1989.
However, graduates of class L-24 in any case acquire competencies that enable them to undertake limited professional roles as operators in the psychological field, working as technical practitioners exclusively under the supervision of a professional psychologist registered in Section A of the Professional Register. They may work in public and private services aimed at the full enhancement of human resources; in public and private organizations where psychosocial communication processes play a central role; in social cooperatives and in schools, carrying out functions such as information, training, tutoring, supportive relationships, and networking activities.
The Degree Program in Psychological Sciences and Techniques enables graduates to perform the above-mentioned activities (under the direct supervision of a psychologist registered in Section A of the Professional Register), while also offering a specific focus on certain contexts—particularly educational and productive settings—where specific expertise in communication (including technology-mediated communication) and in educational and training processes is especially valuable. These contexts include schools and broader educational environments, productive settings such as large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as local community services.
Skills.
Graduates of class L-24 acquire competencies that enable them to undertake limited professional roles as operators in the psychological field.
Under the supervision of a Master’s graduate and professional psychologist registered in Section A of the Order of Psychologists, they may be part of teams in which the required competencies include assisting specialists in research and data collection activities. This may involve conducting structured and semi-structured interviews using questionnaires and complex instruments in both full-population and sample-based surveys.
They may assist specialists in supporting individuals and families facing social or employment-related problems, as well as those with physical or mental disabilities, helping them identify solutions to achieve relevant goals and access appropriate services or treatment. They may also support experts in activities aimed at preventing distress among adults experiencing difficulties in social or occupational integration; reducing the social marginalization of children and adolescents; rehabilitating adults and minors in prison, on probation, or outside correctional facilities; and helping discouraged or withdrawn adults reintegrate into active working life.
Within this framework, graduates may also participate in projects and/or working groups aimed at informing job seekers about available employment opportunities. This may include gathering information on individuals’ skills, education, interests, and work experience; assisting them in drafting curricula vitae; helping them use available job search tools; and presenting their applications to potential employers.
As a result, graduates of class L-24 will be able to:
Administer questionnaires;
Conduct structured and semi-structured interviews;
Collect and organize data;
Interact effectively with service users;
Communicate appropriately through oral expression;
Prepare written reports and/or professional documentation.
Professional prospects
Students who complete their academic training with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychological Sciences and Techniques can carry out professional activities as a technician/operator, under the supervision of a licensed psychologist registered with Albo A.
In this context, the tasks that a bachelor’s graduate can perform are regulated by Legislative Decree No. 105 of May 9, 2003, which identifies two specific areas:
a) the sector of psychological techniques for social, organizational, and workplace contexts;
b) the sector of psychological techniques for services to individuals and communities.
The professional opportunities for this role are primarily in areas involving preventive, diagnostic, and rehabilitative interventions and include collaborations with schools, companies, and other settings where individual or group training projects can be implemented to promote personal growth and social integration.
Key professional opportunities for this role include collaboration with educational and rehabilitative-therapeutic communities and hospitals, where, by participating in a multidisciplinary team, the graduate can contribute to preparing reports on the patient’s/user’s resources, disabilities, needs, and expectations, together with the resources and demands of their environment. Always in collaboration with the psychologist, the graduate may also participate in the implementation of rehabilitation, functional re-education, and social integration interventions for individuals with disabilities, neuropsychological deficits, psychiatric disorders, or substance dependencies.
Examples of professional tasks compatible with the general profiles defined by Legislative Decree No. 105 of May 9, 2003, and included in the ISTAT occupational categories of Social Reintegration and Integration Technicians and Employment Services Technicians are:
Early childhood worker with educational functions
Assistant in creative workshops for children
Assistant for childcare communities
Specialist in active elderly care
Specialist in reintegration of former prisoners
Intercultural mediator
Technician for assistance to young people with disabilities
Social mediation technician
Career guidance interviewer in employment offices
Job placement technician