Brief Strategic Family Therapy Training Proposal

The Clinic for Child Study proposes to advance its present practice by training its therapists in an evidenced-based model of family therapy, Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT), which has been established as a successful model to treat delinquent and substance abusing youth. The goal of this project is threefold: 1.) the Clinic aims to become more family-focused and to develop additional programming to address the needs of families; 2.) the Clinic wants to provide an evidenced-based model of family therapy to youth; and 3.) the Clinic plans to begin a home-based therapy program to increase intensity and success assisting youth on Intensive Probation (IPU) who are at risk of placement and drug use. BSFT focuses on improving parent-child interactions, parent training, and skill development. Therapists are taught to engage the family and form therapeutic alliances, diagnosis family strengths and problems, develop a change strategy to capitalize on strengths and correct problematic family relations, and implement change and reinforce family behaviors that sustain new levels of family competence. Findings from this project will be shared with all Jurists within the Family Division of the Third Circuit Court, and the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency. It is expected that the results of this program will demonstrate the impact that a family based model such as BSFT can provide with a challenging population. The findings will also inform Jurists of an alternative to placing youth out of their homes and help them recognize the importance of ordering services that address family issues impacting delinquent and substance abusing youth. Lastly, it is anticipated that reducing the number of youth that are placed within the juvenile justice system will reduce the cost of services for taxpayers and the county. CA/NCF