OPEN DIALOGUE emerged out of a decade-long, organic process, while clinicians (including Jaakko Seikkula and Markku Sutela) searched for the best treatment for acute mental illness and, in particular, psychosis. Many of the changes they made along the way were reactions to encountering ambiguity and uncertainty. They decided to free themselves from searching for a non-existent truth, concentrating instead on curiosity and improvisation. Linked to this, they incorporated the recognition that language shapes our reality, and that one’s language, and thought, is dependent on seeing the world through a personal "lens." The main aim of clinician involvement became the creation of a shared understanding of the problem, through a shared language. Every crisis is different and deserves a treatment adapted to a person's changing needs. Open Dialogue involves a consistent family and social network approach to care, in which the primary treatment is carried out through meetings involving the patient together with his or her family members and extended social network.
Scholarship Grant
A form of organization, a vision, and practice in psychiatry.
An Introduction to OD is a brief presentation of the history and principles of Open Dialogue. Originally from Western Lapland, it has been successfully adapted to various contexts in different countries.
The words that form our thoughts are not static symbols. For Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin, words carry only fragments of meaning, with a more complete meaning arising only through an exchange of words (dialogue) with others. This could mean that our language, our thoughts, and our world are constructed largely through our interpersonal relationships, rather than on empirical truths.
Open Dialogue focuses on social care rather than medication and hospitalization. It optimally meets the needs of patients and their families. Research for the past 30 years points towards an 80% of sustainable recoveries for first crisis interventions, proving this approach to be the best in the Western world—a fundamentally human form of approaching and working with people in psychic difficulty.
Scholarships & Grants
Open Dialogue Foundation Training Scholarship
The JAEC Foundation offers one Foundation Training Scholarship per year. You can subscribe to the grant below.