S52: Embracing Change – Open Dialogue: The Finnish approach of treating psychosis.

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By September 26, 2017 No Comments

Authors: Satu Beverley

Year: 2017

Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference

Subject: Change, Innovation, Reform,Lived Experience, Recovery,Reducing Stigma and Discrimination

Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers

Abstract: Open Dialogue is widely recognised as the model that produces unique results for recovery from mental illness. I will give a brief overview of:

• How Open Dialogue works, the principles of Open Dialogue
• How the western world has started to embrace Open Dialogue,
• The research of Open Dialogue in Finland, Denmark and Australia.

The 7 main principles of Open Dialogue are covered. They give a glimpse on how and why a client and his/her social support network is harnessed as equal partners to the treatment team by clinicians on a continuous basis from the first meeting within 24 hours from the referral.

Instead of isolating the consumer from his/her social support network, Open Dialogue embraces the consumer as an integral part of his/her social network and the engagement of relevant members of this network believes it to be vital to recovery. Furthermore, it focuses primarily on psychosocial treatment based on the consumer’s needs, instead of diagnosis and medication.

Open Dialogue has strengthened its place as the leading recovery orientated mental health treatment model in the Western world. Staff training in Open Dialogue and new research is conducted outside Finland including Australia.

Learning Objectives
Learning Objetive 1: Participants practice key principles of Open Dialogue in one to one listening exercises and in the role play of ‘the first social network treatment meeting'. They will learn about the role of psychosocial support and medication in the treatment of mental illness, eg why working out the meaning of psychosis improves recovery.

Learning Objetive 2. Participants learn through personal experience how dialogism used in treatment meetings differs from every day communication and changes the outcome of the meetings to more effective and humane. They can use these skills personally in their own life situations as health professionals, carers or consumers.

References
1. Adoting and Implimenting Open Dialogue in the Scandinavian Countries: A Scoping Review by Niels Buus RN, MNSc, PhD, Aida Bikic MSc, PhD, Elise Kragh Jacobsen OT, MHSC, Klaus Muller-Nielsen MPH, Jorgen Aagaard Dr. Med. Sci. & Camilla Blach Rossen RN, MNSc, PhD, Issues in Mental Health Nursing. Published online 6.2.2017
2. Five-year experience of first-episode non-affective psychosis in open-dialogue approach: Treatment principles, follow-up outcomes, and two case studies by Jaakko Seikkula, Jukka Aaltonen, Birgitta Alakare …Psychotherapy Research, March 2006: 16(2): 214-228.

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