PSI Therapy Associates started out in 1981 as Problem Solving Interventions (hence the origin of the PSI).  It was founded by Scott Aton and Craig Spalding.  They worked for Puget Sound Hospital at the time, Craig as the Director of Social Work and Scott as the Chief Psychiatric Social Worker on the mental health unit.  They had established the family therapy component on the mental health unit at Puget Sound Hospital in 1980, in affiliation with mentor and colleague Dr. Jerry Rose.  The original idea in forming the private practice was to create a longer term follow-up option for families that had begun treatment while a family member was a patient at the hospital.  Then, as now, there were very few insurance programs that covered Family Treatment and there was a need for an inexpensive option for these families to continue the work they had started.  So in the Summer of 1981 Craig and Scott began seeing these folks in the evenings after work using spare office space provided by Dr. Jay Ehly. 

“Problem Solving Interventions” is a reference to a treatment approach/book named Problem Solving Therapy by noted therapist Jay Haley.  It was a brief Family Treatment therapy that worked well because it centered on making the whole family design and implement a “cure” for the condition the family was experiencing versus advice or cookbook formulas from the therapist (a much more difficult task than the simple wording implies!).  This kind of work with follow-up families was the entire scope envisioned for PSI, basically a part-time adventure in what we loved doing. 

But life has a way of taking over what we think we’re doing and showing us something else, doesn’t it? 

It began with friends and colleagues trying to refer couples and individuals to us as well as families from other sources.  It wasn’t exactly what we’d planned but it was flattering and fun…and within a few months we had a dilemma on our hands.  First, Dr. Ehly’s space wasn’t going to be available for any expanded caseloads.  Secondly we hadn’t even considered working with anything but families.  It wasn’t that we weren’t trained to do that, but just that “our rep” was for our innovative Family Treatment.  In short, we hadn’t really thought of going into business, per se.  But with people willing to send us cases it was time to think about doing just that! 

So it was that we took out a short term lease on a really dinky space and waited to see what would happen.  And what happened was referrals continued to trickle on in.  Enough so that in the Spring of 1982 Scott decided to drop to half-time at the hospital and spend more time with the fledgling practice.  But at the same time Craig was having second thoughts.  His career goals were in hospital Social Work and the more that the practice looked like an alternative the more he became troubled.  Finally, with Scott going to half-time he decided that it was time to choose and he decided that he didn’t need a second career.