The Storti Model

Established in 1973

About The Storti Model

Ed Storti, C.A.D.C. II, Intervention Specialist, has been practicing motivational intervention techniques for decades, winning the loyalty of clinics and the gratitude of clients in over 3500 interventions. He is the author of Crisis Intervention: Acting Against Addiction (Crown Publishing Company, 1988) and Heart to Heart: The Honorable Approach to Motivational Intervention (Carlton Press, 1995, republished in 2001). Ed is also a contributing author of the book, Addiction Recovery Tools, Robert Holman Coombs, Editor, (published by Sage Publications, 2001).

The Model

A three-year study completed on 397 Storti Model cases (roughly 12 percent of all Storti interventions) showed that 95% of patients go into treatment immediately after the intervention. Even among the 5% who do not immediately accept treatment, 80% accepted treatment within a few months to a few years of the intervention, often soon after the intervention. So many patients choose to accept help because Mr. Storti’s method is inspirational, motivational and honorable. * Letter

Mr. Storti has worked with disorders and addictions of all types. These include alcohol and other drugs, prescription medication as well as anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, nicotine addiction, gambling, sexual addiction, and depression. He has also intervened on heart disease, diabetes, and cancer patients as well as on the elderly. These classes of patients often need to be motivated and inspired to accept recommended health care or other treatments.

These outcomes demonstrate the success of The Storti Model, developed over 32 years in thousands of interventions. What is even more remarkable is that these outcomes result from an induced crisis, not from a patient’s Bottoming out –a condition thought by some people as necessary before intervention would be possible. Mr. Storti says, “The myth is that you have to wait until your loved one or friend bottoms out-----the ‘bottom’ can mean death, insanity or a (damaged) life style.”

Mr. Storti’s method is based on the concept of creating a positive crisis. This experience results from family and friends delivering a carefully crafted message and offering a solution. “Since the patient is headed for a catastrophe due to their addictive disease, why not go in and give them a positive presentation?” Mr. Storti’s philosophy is to present the treatment as a gift to the addicted individual—a gift offered within an atmosphere of dignity, trust and compassion. The method works. According to client Connie Jacobson, “Within three minutes after we started talking, dad was in tears, and so was everyone else. Within 10 minutes Ed had him admitting he was an alcoholic and within 45 he agreed to treatment.” (Daily Breeze, How To Tell An Addict You’re Killing Yourself, Verne Palmer, January 7, 1996, page H1).

Beyond clinical and psychological aspects of the Storti Model, Mr. Storti believes in a careful, considerate process for the family, friends and the patient. Mr. Storti chooses a treatment model best suited to the requirements of the case and streamlines the entire process to make it as simple and respectful as possible. “Each patient arrives on our doorstep like a very carefully wrapped package,” says Nancy Waite-O’Brien, Ph.D, Clinical Director of the Betty Ford Center. “(All) we need to do is take the ribbon off and let the work begin."

Not only does Mr. Storti believe in easing the patient’s entry into care he remains concerned about the patient’s outcome. “(Mr. Storti is) the consummate professional who not only provides extraordinary pre-admission consultation but offers exceptional follow-up to both patients and family members----“, says Jeffrey E. Donnelly, Program Director for the Chemical Dependency Center, Hoag Memorial Hospital.

Seminars

Training

Our Book

"Heart To Heart" presents stories from Mr. Storti's experiences that inform and inspire people who want to know what to expect from addiction and Mr. Storti's motivational intervention.