Strategic Therapy & Interventions of New York

The Strategic Approach: History of the model

Last update By C. Moretto Monday Mar 17 2008 14:02

The strategic approach goes back to the communication theory, which was developed by the anthropologist Gregory Bateson in the 1950s, to the constructivist developments of cybernetic epistemology carried out by Heinz von Foerster and Ernst von Glasersfeld; and to Milton Erickson' s studies on hypnotic suggestion. The theory and application of communication, in its pragmatic and therapeutic aspects, have been further developed and systematized by Paul Watzlawick and the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto (CA).

In line with these scientific contributions to the field of psychotherapy, Giorgio Nardone has been creatively and systematically developing specific protocols of intervention for each clinical problem using a rigorous empirical-experimental research procedure known as action-research intervention for more than 20 years. This evolved model of therapy has been described in details by Giorgio Nardone in numerous essays (bibliography: clinical, corporate) that have been translated into the main European languages and English.

The clinical research and practice carried out by the Strategic Therapy Center of Arezzo by Prof. Nardone has produced a significant increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. The C.T.S. has garnered international scientific awards.

In 1990 Paul Watzlawick and Giorgio Nardone edited an anthology on brief advanced therapy, with contributions of many of the most important experts from over the world: The Art of Change" (1990). In this work, the theory and most advanced models of strategic treatment for the most important types of psychological pathologies are presented. The authors clearly explain the most updated model of brief strategic therapy and present, for the first time, specific treatment protocols.

In his next work, "Brief Strategic Solution-oriented Therapy of Phobic and Obsessive Disorders" (1993), also translated into many languages, Giorgio Nardone introduces other original protocols, developed through clinical experiments, for strategic interventions on specific clinical problems (phobias, obsessions, fears, panic attack and hypochondria). These strategies have led to an innovative approach and change our understanding of these problems.

Later, the same empirical and experimental research procedures have been applied to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and vomiting. The result has been the development of effective and specific protocols for the treatment of these pathologies, as shown in “The Prisons of Food: Strategic Solution-oriented Research and Treatment of Eating Disorders”, (Karnac Publishing, London 2004).

In 2005 Giorgio Nardone and Paul Watzlawick edited a new book, only in English, “Brief Strategic Therapy: Philosophy, techniques, and research” (Rowman & Littlefield, December 2005), that shows in detailed manner the work and research carried out at C.T.S. in Arezzo, Italy, over the past 20 years. The reader can have an exhaustive look at the advanced model of Brief Strategic Therapy developed according to the Palo Alto tradition with its unique rigorous research and strong results from 3,482 treated cases (88% of cases solved; average length of treatment was 7 sessions,) on a range of psychopathology and with particular success on disorders like: panic and phobias, obsessive-compulsive and eating disorders. This empirical and experimental data show indisputably the effectiveness of these protocols set up by C.T.S. team for specific pathologies.

During the same year, Giorgio Nardone and Claudette Portelli published: “Knowing through Changing: the Evolution of Brief Strategic Therapy”. “Knowing Through Changing” covers all the phases of the advanced model of Brief Strategic Therapy, revealing the corresponding objectives, strategies and language used in the treatment of various psychological problems. Importance is given to the first treatment session and the use of the Strategic Dialogue.

Strategic Dialogue is the last innovation of the Strategic Approach. It consists of communication techniques that induce change during the very first session. In fact, the strategic dialogue is an intervening and discriminating instrument that involves the language used, the relationship established, and the logic of the intervention. It is characterized by its complete orientation toward change. This advanced type of questioning conceals an illusion of alternatives. Taking an inferior position through an apparently one-down position, the therapist asks questions to the patients that present a range of choices. The patients’ answers induce the therapist’s next questions and eventually a reframing or a summary of the patients’ answers. Through this process, patient and therapist are discovering the problem in a new light which will naturally lead to change and subsequent prescriptions.

The objective of the on-going research carried out by the Strategic Therapy Center in Arezzo, Italy is the development of ever more effective, repeatable, and transmittable models of brief psychotherapy.