Dr. Ken Blatt trained at a time psychiatry was steeped in a humanistic, philosophic and social/relational tradition. Ken believes that over the course of the last three decades psychiatry has shifted its focus to a reductionistic bio-medical disease orientation diminishing the relevance of a persons experiences, beliefs and meanings.
Since 1979 Ken has had an office-based psychotherapy practice. After 16 years on the full time staff of the Institute of Living in Hartford, CT, in 1996 Ken joined the Capitol Region Mental Health Center as a part-time psychiatrist. For the last 12 years he has worked with Young Adult Services.
Ken has developed a reputation as a “disruptive innovator.” Well before the recent research on the harmful effects of long-term use of neuroleptics became popular, Ken believed medications–especially for his young adults –were overemphasized. As a result, this tended to depreciate their personal stories of childhood trauma and emotional neglect.
At CRMHC Ken developed the first state mental health agency mentor program, which is now in its 11th year.
Ken’s main interest and passion in his work centers around developing a peer-run integrated dialogical network of services for young adults in the throes of an initial experience of an extreme state.
