What makes Dr. Warren’s Psychodynamic-Systemic Model different?
The original model for Intervention was developed by Vernon Johnson, a recovering alcoholic in the 1960s who thought there must be a way to get through denial to get alcoholics and addicts into treatment. Johnson created a breakthrough that got a lot of alcoholics and addicts into treatment, but at a high cost. The early model was very confrontational and deceptive, and relied on ultimatums. The model was based on the experience of living with alcoholism rather than on the science of human behavior.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s mental health professionals started to use their knowledge of family dynamics and human motivation to modify the technique so that deception was no longer considered necessary, and it became possible to enlist alcoholics and addicts in choosing to seek help rather than being strong-armed into treatment. In this Systemic Model, the focus also shifted more towards creating lasting change in family dynamics rather than measuring success in terms of whether or not the alcoholic or addict accepts treatment.
Dr. Warren was trained in the Systemic model, but has expanded the model to make it highly customized based on an assessment of the needs and capacities of all members of the family or business.
In Dr. Warren’s model, no two Interventions look alike. In the Psychodynamic- Systemic Intervention is designed around a careful assessment of each unique family or business. In high conflict families, often family members are worked with individually or in pairs in a “shuttle diplomacy” approach.
The Psychodynamic-Systemic model has proven highly effective for both families and businesses– with little or no collateral damage– for a wide array of conditions including:
drug abuse
alcohol abuse
gambling
bipolar disorder