Fall 2001, Vol. 9, No. 1

AOOP Member Profile:
John Wynn

By Linda Cunning, DO, MPH
Madison, WI

This member profile should perhaps have a disclaimer. Unlike the two previous practices profiled, this AOOP member is someone I have known for some time. I hope I might be forgiven a small degree of personal bias.

John Wynn's office on Seattle's First Hill is in the shadow of two medical centers and within shouting distance of the financial center of the city, not to mention a dozen latte stands. John has practiced psychiatry and organizational consultation in Seattle since January 1991, when he and his wife moved from Los Angeles to find a community where they wanted to raise their children. He spent several months looking at opportunities with hospitals in the Puget Sound area before deciding that he would be happiest if he hung out his own shingle. He was fortunate enough to find an available office with an established group of psychiatrists in Seattle and has remained in that office ever since.

In addition to his private practice, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, actively involved in supervising residents and teaching, and is Medical Director for PsychoOncology at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle. The latter program is a new division in a large metropolitan hospital that has never before had a formal psychiatry presence. He is also a member of the Physician Advocacy Committee at Swedish Hospital. He has been listed as one of the Best Doctors in America in 1998 and as one of the Best Doctors in Seattle in 2000. He lectures on a variety of topics ranging from a recent Grand Rounds on CNS/Thyroid Interactions to lectures on adult development and adaptation to change for lay audiences including business leaders.

John is double boarded in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine, having completed his psychiatry residency at UCLA after Internal Medicine at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. One has the sense of the seriousness with which he approaches his practice when he describes having done Medicine as an intellectual project that helped prepare him for Psychiatry. Having done two residencies also gave him a basis of comparison between training programs and a curiosity about group dynamics and organizational management. (He describes his resident cohort as an "unwieldy bunch," undoubtedly referring to his medical, not his psychiatric, colleagues.) After his Psychiatry residency he remained in Los Angeles for a time, running an inpatient program at the Wadsworth VA and working as consulting faculty for the UCLA Center for the Study of Organizational and Group Dynamics. He then relocated to Seattle.

John's clinical practice style is a blend of analytically oriented psychotherapy and well-informed psychopharmacology. He reports having spent a great deal of money and opportunity costs for analytic supervision over the past 10 years. He works to remain up-to-date in his knowledge in both psychotherapy and pharmacology. He consults to a number of professionals and groups in the legal and medical professions on issues ranging from development of succession plans to dealing with obstreperous partners. A sample of his recent organizational consulting includes regular monthly Physician Development Groups, 360º evaluation of a law firm's managing partner, and consultation with the medical director of a struggling community clinic regarding reorganizational strategies. He works as a psychotherapist/coach with a number of distressed corporate executives with complicated professional and personal difficulties. In addition, he is seen as a "Doctor's Doctor," treating a number of individuals in the medical profession, including some who have come to the attention of the state physician health program because of behavioral or substance abuse issues.

While he has been asked to take on several management positions over the years, he has opted to remain in private practice. He likens his interest in management to his interest in marital conflict—while he enjoys consulting about it, he doesn't want to have any of his own.

When asked for advice on ways to establish a practice such as his, John offers practical as well as philosophic advice. He recommends pursuing advanced training in group dynamics such as that offered at Tavistock. He says to read everything you can find on how groups form, on culture, and on the relationships between leaders and followers. He says to let everyone you meet know that you are interested in the subject. Ask people in business about the details of their work, how they spend their days, and how they think and make decisions. He recommends studying one particular system and writing about it. Write to organize your knowledge, not necessarily for publication. Develop and analyze your own thoughts about organizations and group processes. Prepare a few talks about organizational issues and make your availability known, but don't devalue yourself by offering free talks for too long—people believe that they get what they pay for.

Above all, he advises remaining humble in the face of the immense complexity of human systems, admitting that we have a limited ability to take it all in and make use of the knowledge we gain. Remember why people come to us for help. They are confused and don't know what to do. Get confused with them, then help them find a way out, and do it together.

If you know anyone, including yourself, who might be a good subject for an AOOP Member Profile, don't be too humble. Contact me at lkcunning@facstaff.wisc.edu. I'm sure the Bulletin editor would be happy to have a few profiles available for future issues, and I would be interested in hearing about your practice.

 
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