FUNCTIONAL
FAMILY THERAPY (FFT)
Wendy Moore,
Functional Family Therapist
Provides positive
family strengthening resources to youth-at-risk and in need while
emphasizing family focused direction during family meetings
Functional Family Therapy
(FFT) is an outcome-driven prevention/intervention program
for youth who have demonstrated the entire range of maladaptive,
acting out behaviors and related syndromes.
Program
Targets:
Youth, aged 11-18, at risk for and/or presenting with delinquency,
violence, substance use, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant
Disorder, or Disruptive Behavior Disorder.
Program Content:
FFT requires as few as 8-12 hours of direct service time
for commonly referred youth and their families, and generally
no
more than 26 hours of direct service time for the most severe
problem situations.
FFT effectiveness
derives from emphasizing factors which enhance protective factors
and reduce risk, including the risk of treatment termination.
In order to accomplish these changes in the most effective
manner, FFT is a phasic program with steps which build upon
each other.
These phases consist of:
Engagement, designed to emphasize
within youth and family factors that protect youth and families
from
early program dropout;
Motivation,
designed to change maladaptive emotional reactions and
beliefs, and increase alliance, trust, hope, and motivation
for lasting
change;
Assessment,
designed to clarify individual, family system, and larger
system relationships, especially the interpersonal functions
of behavior and how they related to change techniques;
Behavior
Change, which consists of communication training,
specific tasks and technical aids, basic parenting skills,
contracting and response-cost techniques; and
Generalization,
during which family case management is guided by individualized
family functional needs, their interface with environmental
constraints and resources, and the alliance with the FFT therapist/Family
Case Manager.
