NCJ Number
127849
Date Published
1989
Length
203 pages
Annotation
This book recognizes the central role that families play in the lives of drug-abusing and problem youth and seeks to help family therapists understand the dynamics of family functioning.
Abstract
The effectiveness of family-oriented treatment approaches is widely recognized in the research literature and by therapists who work with drug abusers. The most effective approaches view drug abuse as part of a larger syndrome of behavior problems, view the family as a system, define a system in terms of repetitive interaction patterns, and employ strategic methods for engaging clients in therapy and strategic and time-limited techniques that have maximum direct effect on family structure. The Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) method is proposed to engage families and resistant drug abusers in treatment, to diagnose maladaptive family interactions, and to implement treatment strategies. The book outlines basic BSFT concepts and examines breakthroughs in understanding family relationships, treatment issues, therapy for resistant families, and one-person family therapy. A structural family systems rating form is appended. 27 references, 8 tables, and 7 figures