Portrait · Maurizio Andolfi
Maurizio Andolfi: a life devoted to family therapy
Maurizio Andolfi, an emblematic figure of family therapy, is a pioneer whose multigenerational approach continues to inspire and transform the field of therapy. In a recent interview, he shared deep reflections on his journey, his influences and the philosophy that guides his work with families. This article highlights the most striking moments of that encounter and offers a dive into the career and unique contributions of this master of family therapy.
A formative childhood: creativity and resilience
Born in post-war Italy, Maurizio Andolfi grew up in a period of great poverty. Without toys, he developed an overflowing imagination, creating worlds out of nothing. This ability to invent and adapt laid the foundations of his later work as a therapist. “My childhood shaped the way I interact with children in therapy,” he explains, stressing that this creativity remains at the heart of his therapeutic approach. Later, his involvement in a Catholic youth organisation, where he supervised young children during camps in the Dolomites, strengthened his desire to work with young people and families.
Defining influences: Nathan Ackerman and Franco Basaglia
Two encounters profoundly shaped his trajectory.
1
Nathan Ackerman
It was the encounter with this pioneer of family therapy that truly transformed Maurizio Andolfi’s career. Ackerman was a central figure in the development of his multigenerational approach, which explores family dynamics across several generations to identify unresolved traumas and repetitive behaviours. By also working alongside legendary figures such as Salvador Minuchin and Jay Haley, Andolfi enriched his therapeutic model, emphasising the role of families in healing and in the prevention of pathologies.
2
Franco Basaglia
Another major influence, Franco Basaglia is famous for having reformed psychiatric care in Italy by encouraging the deinstitutionalisation of the mentally ill. His approach taught Andolfi that families and communities play a role as important as — if not more important than — medication in the healing process: a fundamental principle he still applies in his practice today.
The heart of therapy: authenticity and humanity
In the interview, Maurizio Andolfi insists on a crucial point: the therapist’s authenticity. According to him, therapy can only be truly effective if the therapist removes their professional mask to connect at a deeply human level with their patients. This approach, which he calls the “encounter with oneself”, allows families to feel heard and understood, thereby facilitating the healing process. He criticises the excessive medicalisation of mental health care and encourages the use of creativity, curiosity and empathy in therapeutic practice.
Personal failures: a source of humility
Maurizio Andolfi also addresses difficult moments of his personal life, such as his brother’s suicide and the failure of his first marriage. These events not only marked him, but also taught him the importance of humility as a therapist.
“These failures taught me that I could not save the world.”
Maurizio Andolfi
This realisation helped him accept the limits of therapy, while remaining committed to the most difficult cases, where change seems almost impossible.
A worldwide legacy: from Italy to Australia and beyond
After leading the Accademia di Psicoterapia Familiare in Rome for several decades, Maurizio Andolfi continued to share his expertise internationally. Since moving to Australia in 2012, he has been teaching and supervising therapists around the world, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. In Malaysia, he contributed to the creation of training programmes for family therapists, proof of the worldwide influence of his ideas and of his therapeutic model.
With a career spanning more than fifty years, Maurizio Andolfi continues to demonstrate that family therapy, when conducted with authenticity and humanity, can transform lives. His ability to connect deeply with his patients and to address family dynamics across several generations remains a model for therapists worldwide. His testimony reminds us that the heart of the therapeutic process lies in the human relationship and in a sincere commitment to families and their stories.
The Assisi Manifesto
The Assisi Manifesto is a founding document in systemic family therapy, co-signed by Maurizio Andolfi and other practitioners, which aims to promote a humanistic and community-based approach to therapy. This manifesto underlines the importance of considering individuals within their family and social context, and advocates a therapy founded on mutual respect, creativity and the therapist’s authenticity. Its spirit is reflected in Andolfi’s work, notably in his insistence on involving families and communities in the therapeutic process, for lasting transformation.
The academy’s website can be found here: familytherapyacademy.com.
The interview with Maurizio Andolfi can be watched below.
How to cite this article
Besse, J. (2024, September 29). Maurizio Andolfi: a life devoted to family therapy. Complexe Systémique. https://app.complexe-systemique.com/en_GB/articles/maurizio-andolfi-a-life-devoted-to-family-therapy
To go further
- The Rome school of family therapyA dive into the history and spirit of the Roman school of family therapy, which Maurizio Andolfi helped make influential.
- The Rome school of family therapy: understanding the symptom differentlyThe singular way in which the Rome School proposes to think about the symptom — differently.
- The therapy that destabilizes: Carl Whitaker's symbolic-experiential approachCarl Whitaker, another great experiential figure, whose symbolic approach shakes families up to get them moving.
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