Maurizio Coletti has left us…

Yet the spirit of Maurizio lives on, standing with us in the fight against all forms of social injustice. He liked to be called “BigBear”, a tender nickname well justified by both his embracing presence and his big heart.

From the very beginning he was deeply involved in the field of systemic and relational psychotherapy. He immediately grasped its potential as an approach for scientific inquiry, as a means of social resistance against the labeling of the vulnerable and as an effective treatment.

He was driven by intense passions: he loved people, the mountains of his homeland, rugby and the dissemination of systemic thinking.
He knew how to devote time, ideas, actions and heartfelt words to the things he believed in.
I hold with great affection the memories of our dinners in Rome and Anzio. Over steaming plates of food, the force of his opinions always seemed to grow stronger.

Initially drawn to the challenges faced by those who struggled with the use of substances, in more recent years he developed a refined tool for studying and supporting couples: the Mobile Genogram for Couples- a solid wooden board with hand-carved figures. A tool which speaks of a mind that never ignored material reality, but embraced it, breathing vitality into inertia.

Last summer, just before the major EFTA conference, I asked him: “What does it mean to you to be a family therapist?”
Maurizio replied: “It means constantly wondering about the context in which problematic behaviours arise: Who might they be directed toward? What messages they convey? How do they change family life? What do they block?”
A broad perspective, one that seems to multiply the questions, but in fact multiplied voices and viewpoints.
In that answer, I want to preserve the vital tone which gave it life.

And now, the time has come for our farewell. I want to call it -as in rugby- the “third half”.
BigBear would have liked that.

Maria Laura Vittori

Publications of Maurizo Coletti:
Coletti, M. C. (2013). Prevenire attraverso lo sport: disagio giovanile e uso di sostanze. Manualetto per insegnanti e allenatori sportivi.