Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Facility Question and Answers

FFT

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Troll Control:
Here's a really good, easy to understand "nuts and bolts" explanation of the three phases of an FFT intervention.

http://www.fftinc.com/model.php

Any questions, just ask.

Anonymous:
Layman's terms, DJ. That site is damn confusing and just TELLS what they're supposed to do, it doesn't show how they actually go about it.

What are some of the therapeutics used in it? What does an average session consist of?

Just what makes FTT more special than ordinary therapy?

Troll Control:
Individual therapists and individual clients obviously respond in different ways to different methods, so I think the importance of this model lies in its philosophy.  Here's a breakdown of the phases and the goals of each phase.  Again, each therapist would approach the achievement of these goals differently depending on individual preferences and the relative ability of each client to participate meaningfully.

Phase 1: Engagement and Motivation. During these initial phases, FFT applies reattribution (e.g., reframing) and related techniques to impact maladaptive perceptions, beliefs, and emotions. This produces increasing hope and expectation of change, decreasing resistance, increasing alliance and trust, reducing the oppressive negativity within family and between family and community, and increasing respect for individual differences and values.


Phase 2: Behavior Change. This phase applies individualized and developmentally appropriate techniques such as communication training, specific tasks and technical aids, basic parenting skills, and contracting and response-cost techniques.

Phase 3: Generalization. In this phase, Family Case Management is guided by individualized family functional needs, their interaction with environmental constraints and resources, and the alliance with the therapist.

Each of these phases involves both assessment and intervention components. Family assessment focuses on characteristics of the individual family members, family relational dynamics, and the multisystemic context in which the family operates. The family relational system is described in regard to interpersonal functions and their impact on promoting and maintaining problem behavior. Intervention is directed at accomplishing the goals of the relevant treatment phase. For example, in the engagement and motivation phase, assessment is focused on determining the degree to which the family or its members are negative and blaming. The corresponding intervention would target the reduction of negativity and blaming. In behavior change, assessment would focus on targeting the skills necessary for more adaptive family functioning. Intervention would be aimed at helping the family develop those skills in a way that matched their relational patterns. In generalization, the assessment focuses on the degree to which the family can apply the new behavior in broader contexts. Interventions would focus on helping generalize the family behavior change into such contexts.

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

To date, thirteen studies in referenced journals (plus one in preparation) demonstrate dramatic and significant positive treatment effects, including follow-up periods of up to five years. Rates of offending and foster care or institutional placement have been reduced at least 25 percent and as much as 60 percent in comparison to the randomly assigned or matched alternative treatments, or base rates. One study also demonstrated a positive three year follow-up effect on siblings. Additional formal program reports (e.g., county and federal funded projects) from completed and ongoing replications reflect similar positive outcomes, and five currently funded trials (National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Government of Sweden) promise additional data regarding generalization of effects for FFT across more contexts and populations. Studies have also identified specific FFT based interventions and direct changes in family functioning which relate to the outcome findings.

Troll Control:
It's a really practical approach.  I've seen it work and works a hell of a lot better than some BM program and LGAT's.  You can actually see and measure the progress, which should be true of any therapy model - research proven effective and measurable.

Anonymous:
Just got on this website and saw the discussion about FFT.  I worked for the Maryland Health Dept. practicing FFT. The training is fairly intensive. I had to fly out to Indiana University and studied under James Alexander for 2 weeks.  When I came back , there must be a team of FFT practitioners to function correctly.  This to provide accountability in the organizing theme, relational functioning, and hierarchy.  We also had a website where you had to log on and document the clients prespective in addition to yours.  These were called YOQ-P, YOQ-A and such.  If there are any questions, please post and I will return to answer.

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