Simone was born in La Spezia, Italy, located in the Cinque Terre situated in the Gulf of Poets between Liguria and Tuscany. There, he grew up in the unique fishing villages where he spent his childhood swimming through the warm waters of the Gulf of Poets in the summer and skiing down the slopes of the Dolomites in the winter.
After graduating from High School, Simone earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Genova, Italy. He then continued his academic pursuits at the University of Genova, earning his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. During his studies, he worked with youth mental health services at his University’s Neuropsychiatry Department as well as in therapeutic communities for adolescents. After completing his studies, Simone completed his clinical training working first as a clinician in the Substance Abuse and Addiction Behaviours Department (SERT) and subsequently in the Eating Disorders Department of Liguria region (ASL 5). He then moved to Germany to work as a researcher in Psychology at the Department of Performance Psychology at the German Sport University of Cologne. The purpose of his research was to investigate the relationship between the emotions induced by physical activity and their impact on the executive functions (EF) dependent on the prefrontal cortex.
Through his advanced studies and experience working with adolescents, Simone grew to adopt both practical and scientific based approaches that combine scientific knowledge research based and CBT, CBT-E and DBT, to help young adults and their parents along a path of growth and empowerment.
At the age of 23, Simone set out for adventure in the Himalayas. With nothing more than his backpack and a plane ticket to Kathmandu, Simone travelled the wilderness of the Himalayas, learning self-reliance and the inner confidence to face and solve his daily difficulties. That experience continues to shape Simone’s outlook on life and the world. He carries forward the belief that stepping out of one’s comfort zone is an empowering and cathartic experience that leads to self-discovery and overcoming fear.
Simone’s hidden talents include portrait, travel and nature photography.
He now trains in Jiu Jitsu for fun and to stay active. He has two dogs (Mela and Kea), loves traveling out of a backpack, and enjoys cooking traditional Italian cuisine!
Simone speaks Italian, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and is currently learning German!
