On 30 July 2021 Routledge published the book Open Dialogue for Psychosis - Organising Mental Health Services to Prioritise Dialogue, Relationship and Meaning, as part of their ISPS book series. This is the first international book on the Open Dialogue approach, with 47 chapters written by people engaged in/developing the approach in 11 different countries.
This highly readable book provides a comprehensive examination of the use of Open Dialogue in working with people having psychotic experiences. It presents the basic principles and practice of Open Dialogue, explains the training needed to practice and explores how it is being developed internationally.
Open Dialogue for Psychosis will be a key text for clinicians and administrators interested in this unique approach, particularly those who recognise that services need to change for the better and are seeking guidance on how this can be achieved. It will also be suitable for people who have experienced psychosis and members of their families and networks.
See below for information about an online event related to the launch of the book - a two half-day conference on 28 and 29 September 2021.
ORDER BOOK
You can order the book on the Routledge website here. If you enter the Promo Code FLR40 in the Shopping Cart, you will receive a 20% discount. Please note that the publisher intermittently adds site-wide discounts to their website and the code won’t work if there is already a discount of 20% or more in place across the website.
OTHER TITLES IN THE ISPS BOOK SERIES
Experiencing Psychosis: Personal and Professional Perspectives
Edited by Jim Geekie, Patte Randal, Debra Lampshire, John Read. View
Models of Madness: Psychological, Social and Biological Approaches to Psychosis (2nd Edition)
Edited by John Read & Jacqui Dillon. View
Personal Experiences of Psychological Therapy for Psychosis and Related Experiences
Edited by Peter Taylor, Olympia Gianfrancesco, Naomi Fisher. View
Beyond Medication: Therapeutic Engagement and the Recovery from Psychosis
Edited by David Garfield, Daniel Mackler. View
See every title in the ISPS book series here.
EDITORS
NICK PUTMAN

Nick is a psychotherapist and an Open Dialogue practitioner, supervisor and trainer. He trained as a psychotherapist at the Philadelphia Association (PA) in London, living and working in therapeutic communities run by the PA and Arbours during his training. He now works in private practice and, due to a desire to see changes in the approach taken in public mental health services, established Open Dialogue UK in 2013 in order to develop trainings for staff working in such services, as well as services for families and networks.
BRIAN MARTINDALE

Brian is a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst. He is past chair of ISPS (International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis) and founding editor of the ISPS book series. He co-founded the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (EFPP) and has represented the Western European Zone to the World Psychiatric Association. He has considerable clinical experience in early intervention in psychosis and has published and lectured widely.
CONTACT THE EDITORS
Please use the contact form below to send any queries relating to the book or the events associated with it.
BOOK SECTIONS Click section titles for more detail
ONLINE CONFERENCE - 28 & 29 SEPT 2021 @ 16.00-20.00 BST
PROGRAMME - 28 SEPT 2021
An online conference, jointly organised by ISPS and Open Dialogue UK and featuring keynote presentations and workshops led by authors of chapters in the book, will be taking place on 28 and 29 September 2021. Further details can be found below and you can book places using the form on the right/below. Biographies of authors giving presentations and leading workshops can be found here.
16.00 - 16.10
Welcome by the co-editors and a brief introduction to the book/conference.
16.10 - 17.15
Keynote presentation: Nick Putman - What is Open Dialogue? To include reflections from panel and a Q&A session.
BREAK
17.30-18.45
You will be able to choose one of the following workshops. Each workshop will consist of brief presentations, followed by some discussion and a Q&A session with those participating.
Workshop 1
Open Dialogue service development in hospitals
- Bengt Karlsson (Family therapist), Ritva Jacobsen & Jorunn Sorgard - Norway
- Werner Schütze (Psychiatrist and Open Dialogue trainer) - Germany
- Sebastian von Peter (Psychiatrist) - Germany
- CHAIR: Darren Baker (Clinical Psychologist) - UK
This workshop will focus on the experience of developing the Open Dialogue approach in hospital settings. You will hear about the work that has been undertaken in three different settings - two in Germany and one in Norway. The possibilities for development will be outlined as well as the lessons learned along the way.
Workshop 2
Research from Finland
- Brian Martindale (Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst) - UK
- Jaakko Seikkula (Psychologist and Open Dialogue trainer) - Finland
In this workshop Brian Martindale will summarise some of the key findings from the Western Lapland outcome research for people having psychotic experiences. He will raise some points for discussion and Jaakko Seikkula, who led much of this research, will be responding and enlarging on points of particular interest to participants.
Workshop 3
Key aspects of the full three year training and foundation trainings
- Nick Putman (Psychotherapist and Open Dialogue practitioner/trainer) - UK
- Jorma Ahonen (Family Therapist and Open Dialogue trainer) - Finland
- Petra Hohn (Network therapist and Open Dialogue trainer) - Sweden
- Raffaella Pocobello (Researcher) - Italy
- Olga Runciman (Psychologist and Open Dialogue practitioner) - Denmark
- Mike Roth (Psychiatrist) - UK
- Ana María Corredor (Trainer at Recovery College) - UK
- Alan Hendry (Trainer/Coach) - UK
This workshop will focus on different Open Dialogue training programmes (one year and three year). Nick Putman will give an overview of these different programmes with Jorma Ahonen and Petra Hohn and then participants from the programmes will reflect on their experiences of participation.
Workshop 4
The value of including peer workers in Open Dialogue processes
- Leslie Nelson (Peer Worker) - USA
- Ed Altwies (Psychologist) - USA
Leslie Nelson and Ed Altwies both worked in the Parachute Project, where peer workers worked alongside clinicians in the development of the Open Dialogue approach in four boroughs of NYC, alongside other services. They will give an overview of this work and in particular the value of peer work in this project and important considerations in developing this role within Open Dialogue services.
Workshop 5
Comparing Open Dialogue to other approaches
- Frank Burbach (Clinical Psychologist) - UK
- Claudio Fuenzalida (Psychologist) & Javier Sempere (Psychiatrist) - Spain
- Mario Eugster (Music Therapist) - UK
- CHAIR: Kermit Cole & Louisa Putnam (Family Therapists) - USA
In this workshop the Open Dialogue approach will be compared to other therapeutic approaches, namely systemic family therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, multi-family therapy and music therapy.
BREAK
19.00 - 19.30
Feedback from workshop sessions
19.30 - 19.45
Reflections from panelists on feedback from workshops
19.45 - 19.55
Additional comments or questions from participants
19.55 - 20.00
Closing comments from co-editors
PROGRAMME - 29 SEPT 2021
16.00 - 16.10
Welcome by the co-editors and a brief review of yesterday.
16.10 - 17.15
Keynote presentation: Jaakko Seikkula - Psychosis is not an illness but a response to extreme stress - dialogue is a cure for it. To include reflections from panel and a Q & A session.
BREAK
17.30 - 18.45
You will be able to choose one of the following workshops. Each workshop will consist of brief presentations, followed by some discussion and a Q&A session with those participating.
Workshop 1
Open Dialogue service development in the community - EUROPE
- Nils Greve (Psychiatrist) - Germany
- Marcello Macario (Psychiatrist) - Italy
- Darren Baker (Clinical Psychologist) & Simona Calzavara (Social Worker) - UK
- CHAIR: Kermit Cole & Louisa Putnam (Family Therapists) - USA
One of the primary aims of the Open Dialogue approach is to develop community services such that the need for hospitalisation is reduced. In this workshop four people who have been involved in developing community services will outline the developments that have been possible and the experiences learned along the way, in three different countries: Germany, Italy, the UK and the USA.
Workshop 2
OPEN DIALOGUE SERVICE DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMMUNITY - USA
- Chris Gordon (Psychiatrist) & Amy Morgan (Social worker and Open Dialogue practitioner) - USA
- Alexander Smith (Programme director) - USA
The Open Dialogue approach is being developed in several different locations/services across the USA. In this workshop, the significant work that has been undertaken to develop the Open Dialogue approach in two agencies, Advocates in Massachusetts and the counselling services of Addison Country in Vermont, will be described, including the learning that taken place as a result of these developments.
Workshop 3
The experience of being in Open Dialogue network meetings
- Yasmin Ishaq (Social worker/psychotherapist) & Kirsty Lee (Family member) - UK
- Reiulf Rudd (Psychiatrist and family therapist) & Pia Birgitte Jessen (family/network therapist) - Norway
- Giuseppe Tibaldi (Psychiatrist) - Italy
- CHAIR: Nick Putman (Psychotherapist and Open Dialogue practitioner) - UK
Section 2 of the book includes 7 accounts of the experience of participating in Open Dialogue network meetings, 5 of which are co-written by Open Dialogue practitioners and family members. In this workshop authors from three of these chapters will talk about the work that they have described in the book and what has been important about this work for them and those involved.
Workshop 4
Open Dialogue and the biomedical model
- Sandra Steingard (Psychiatrist) - USA
- Leslie Nelson - USA
Sandra Steingard will chair a workshop in which her chapter in the book, “Working with Open Dialogue within the Neurobiological Model – Challenges and Opportunities” is discussed. In the chapter, the application of the neurobiological model to both conceptualizing and treating psychosis is reviewed. This is contrasted with Open Dialogue. Discussants will reflect on the chapter and there will be time for discussion with other participants.
Workshop 5
Research from the UK and the HOPEnDialogue project
- Russell Razzaque (Psychiatrist) - UK
- Raffaella Pocobello (Researcher) - Italy
- CHAIR: Brian Martindale (Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst) - UK
Russell Razzaque will give an overview of the UK ODDESSI trial and an update on its latest progress. This will include its key elements, the outcomes being measured and the timelines for the reporting of results. He will describe links with the HOPEnDialogue survey and how an increasing database of evidence could have global impact. Raffaella Pocobello will then present the results of the HOPEnDialogue survey involving 137 OD teams worldwide - investigating organisational characteristics and adherence to Open Dialogue principles. It is the first study that describes how OD services are developing internationally. Results indicate that training, supervision, research, peer support have an impact on the degree to which teams adhere to OD principles.
BREAK
19.00 - 19.30
Feedback from workshop sessions
19.30 - 19.45
Reflections from panelists on feedback from workshops
19.45 - 19.55
Additional comments or questions from participants
19.55 - 20.00
Closing comments from co-editors
BOOK FOR CONFERENCE HERE
Please use the form below to book places on the conference. You can book for either day, or for both days at a reduced cost overall.
The standard fee is for professionals and people working for organisations.
The reduced fee is for service users/people with lived experience of mental health challenges, family members and students.