CA Symposium FFT Site Supervisors AndClinicians

Working With Mental Health and Individual Symptoms  How?  Need to begin with understanding how the individual symptoms function in the family relation system  Need to trust that by reducing and eliminating family risk factors you CAN reduce and eliminate individual risk factors and symptoms  Need to get them ENGAGED AND MOTIVATED FIRST!!!

What characterizes many (if not most) of the youth & families we help in FFT? Often There Are Powerful Risk Factors that “Overwhelm” Protective Factors What characterizes many (if not most) of the youth & families we help in FFT? Often There Are Powerful Risk Factors that “Overwhelm” Protective Factors Comorbidity, Depression, Hopeless; Un (anti)- motivated, Hx of betrayal, abuse, failure; Physical and Emotional Challenges Criminal / drug involvement, High Conflict environments Limited Resources, System Negativity Resentful, Disrespectful and Angry All leading to a high probability of re- occurrence

“In your heart” how do you find yourself reacting to each family member? Who are they? “Victims” “Hurt,” “Emotionally Damaged” People “Organic” e.g. Fetal Alcohol “Bad / Evil People”“Unfixable” Primary Focus: Engage & Motivate around..... Pain Pain & mis- perception “Damage”  dis- perceptionTheir“Logic” Behavior Change Goals “Rescue” Teach / Provide Corrective Experience & Beh’l Options Structure / Reduce Behavioral Options Sanctions / Remove Behavioral Options We are not “rescuers” or “controllers” – We Empower Not an FFT Focus

Referral & Ongoing Problem Behaviors Problem Family Relational Patterns  Repetitive behavioral, emotional, & cognitive patterns that maintain, support, and/or prompt clinically significant problems Core Motivations inferred motivational factors (“Relational Functions”) that serve to motivate and maintain stability in family (and other) relational and behavioral patterns Extended Family Community Ecosystem Influences Peer Groups S chool Intra- Individual Biological (Diathesis) Factors To Deal With These Challenges, FFT breaks the multisystemic nature of problems into component domains

ProblemBehavior Extended Family Community Ecosystem Influences Peer Groups School Intra Individual Factors & Processes Family First We begin with “Family First” in order to address and intervene successfully with the Individual and Ecosystemic nature of clinical problems Family Relational Patterns Motivations

Referral & Ongoing Problem Behaviors Family Relational Patterns  Patterns that are changed to modify problem behaviors - decrease risk and increase protective factors Motivations inferred motivational substrates inferred motivational substrates that serve to motivate and maintain stability in family (and other) relational patterns FFT then reconstructs the elements in planned & systematic ways FFT Behavior Change & GeneralizationFocus Intra Individual (Diathesis) Factors & Processes Extended Family Community Ecosystem Influences Peer Groups S chool Engagement & Motivation,AssessmentFocus

 Case Example