This book explains how to provide Functional Family Therapy (FFT), a highly successful family intervention for delinquent and substance-using adolescents. FFT systematically alters important risk and protective factors associated with the problem behaviors.

"Adolescents with behavior problems go by various labels, such as difficult-to-treat adolescents, juvenile delinquents, at-risk youth, violent youth, and youthful offenders. They may have disruptive behavior disorder or substance abuse disorder, and they may be involved with the criminal justice system. These youth have problematic behaviors, emotions, and ways of thinking that often affect not only their families, but also their community. These youth, their families, and their successful treatment represent the focus of this book. Although family members are often dissatisfied with the youth's behavior and intensely focused on the need for him or her to change, the youth rarely self-refers and often seems undisturbed by his or her own behaviors and is typically unmotivated for treatment. At the same time, parents and other family members seem heavily invested in viewing problems in the family as resulting from the adolescent's bad behavior. Therefore, some family members also are unmotivated or unwilling to be involved in the youth's treatment. Given the multifaceted barriers to adaptive change, treatment is needed that addresses the entire family system in a holistic way. Over the past 40 years, numerous researchers and clinicians have developed, tested, and refined Functional Family Therapy (FFT)--a short-term, structured, intensive family intervention model for delinquent and substance-using adolescents. FFT is a strength-based model with a focus on those risk and protective factors that impact the adolescent and his or her environment. On average, 12 sessions are conducted over a 3- to 4-month period. These sessions typically occur in clinics and home settings but can also be conducted in schools, mental health agencies, child welfare agencies, probation and parole offices, and aftercare systems. We have written this book with the clinician in mind. We often maintain a quite personal tone because we want to share and talk with you rather than taking a more traditional academic tone by talking to you. Often we use examples of specific youth and families (with disguised identities, of course) so clinicians can experience the clinical reality of these youth and families. We describe not only the goals of each intervention strategy and technique but also the specific steps and variations that are involved and necessary for success. At the same time, because FFT also derives strength from our history of widespread dissemination and training, we also share information relevant to decision makers, program administrators, clinical supervisors, clinical researchers, and even legislatures who have the responsibility of how best to allocate funds to provide the most effective services. In the remainder of this Introduction, we discuss FFT's conceptualization of change as a developmental process and outline the five major treatment phases of FFT. Then we explain the organization of this book. As we describe the FFT phases and the techniques and therapist qualities involved in each, our strategy in this book is to move from a broad focus to a narrow focus, then back again to a broad focus"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

This book describes Brief Strategic Family Therapy, a strengths-based model for diagnosing and correcting interaction patterns that are linked to troublesome symptoms in children ages 6 to 18.

The latest theory, research, and practice information for family therapy The last twenty years have seen an explosion of new, innovative, and empirically supported therapeutic approaches for treating families. Mental health professionals working with families today apply a wide range of approaches to a variety of situations and clients using techniques based on their clinically and empirically proven effectiveness, their focus on specific individual and relational disorders, their applicability in various contexts, and their prominence in the field. In this accessible and comprehensive text, each chapter covers specific problems, the theoretical and practical elements of the treatment approach, recommended intervention strategies, special considerations, supporting research, and clinical examples. The contributors provide step-by-step guidelines for implementing the approaches described and discuss particular issues that arise in different couple, family, and cultural contexts. Handbook of Clinical Family Therapy covers treatment strategies for the most common problems encountered in family therapy, including: Domestic violence Adolescent defiance, anxiety, and depression Trauma-induced problems Stepfamily conflicts ADHD disruption Substance abuse in adults and adolescents Couple conflict and divorce Chronic illness A detailed reference for today's best treatment strategies, the Handbook of Clinical Family Therapy brings together the top practitioners and scholars to produce an innovative and user-friendly guide for clinicians and students alike.

Conduct problems, particularly oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD), are the most common mental health problems affecting children and adolescents. The consequences to individuals, families, and schools may be severe and long-lasting. To ameliorate negative outcomes and ensure the most effective treatment for aggressive and antisocial youth, early diagnosis and evidence-based interventions are essential. Clinical Handbook of Assessing and Treating Conduct Problems in Youth provides readers with both a solid grounding in theory and a comprehensive examination of the evidence-based assessment strategies and therapeutic practices that can be used to treat a highly diverse population with a wide range of conduct problems. It provides professional readers with an array of evidence-based interventions, both universal and targeted, that can be implemented to improve behavioral and social outcomes in children and adolescents. This expertly written resource: Lays the foundation for understanding conduct problems in youth, including epidemiology, etiology, and biological, familial, and contextual risk factors. Details the assessment process, with in-depth attention to tools, strategies, and differential diagnosis. Reviews nine major treatment protocols, including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), multisystemic therapy (MST) for adolescents, school-based group approaches, residential treatment, and pharmacotherapy. Critiques the current generation of prevention programs for at-risk youth. Explores salient issues in working effectively with minority youth. Offers methods for evaluating intervention programs, starting with cost analysis. This volume serves as a one-stop reference for all professionals who seek a solid grounding in theory as well as those who need access to evidence-based assessment and therapies for conduct problems. It is a must-have volume for anyone working with at-risk children, including clinical child, school, and developmental psychologists; forensic psychologists; social workers; school counselors and allied professionals; and medical and psychiatric practitioners.

This new Handbook of Family Therapy is the culmination of a decade of achievements within the field of family and couples therapy, emerging from and celebrating the dynamic evolution of marriage and family theory, practice, and research. The editors have unified the efforts of the profession's major players in bringing the most up-to-date and innovative information to the forefront of both educational and practice settings. They review the major theoretical approaches and break new ground by identifying and describing the current era of evidence-based models and contemporary areas of application. The Handbook of Family Therapy is a comprehensive, progressive, and skillful presentation of the science and practice of family and couples therapy, and a valuable resource for practitioners and students alike.