- "Matching in FFT means attempting to create an interpersonal relationship in which family members are in sync with the therapist and are consequently able to move through subsequent steps in the process with the fewest impediments. Matching is related to but not the same as the construct of mirroring.
- Examples
- If a parent reaches out warmly to the therapist, a matching therapist response would be reflected in the same warm manner. If a family member comes across as cold and distant, the therapist would respond with more interpersonally distant behaviors: less smiling, more formal speech, fewer emotionally charged words.
- "To use more colloquial language, good FFT therapists are not simply ubiquitous "warm fuzzes." Instead, they know when and how to behave with emotional distance, embracing warmth, overt control, and unassertive acceptance, depending, of course, on what the circumstances and family member presentations call for."
- "We start therapy very actively, rather than simply by asking lots of questions or allowing blame and sullenness to linger. We also work very hard, at the outset, to give families the idea that we are looking for understand and solutions rather than adopting the stance of telling them what is wrong with them or proposing solutions without first getting to know them and developing trust and mutual respect."
Structured Parameters
- "By parameters, we mean how FFT is linked to other systems, who participates in treatment, where sessions are located, what the average number of sessions is in the typical course of treatment, anyhow booster sessions are used." These are not rigid parameters!!!
- Who attends sessions?
- The decisions on who participates in FFT sessions is based on the understanding of which family members will be important in the therapy process to begin change or hinder the process of change from occurring with the referred youth. It's a functional decision rather than simply grabbing everyone that lives in the home.
- Location
- Be flexible. Go to their home, come to your office, a community center, wherever
- Number of Sessions by Phase
- Average length of treatment is 12 - 14 sessions over 3 - 4 months
- 5-9 sessions have the primary focus of behavior change. 3-4 sessions in which the primary focus is generalization
- Timing of sessions
- With high-risk families you probably need to have more than 1 session per week for the first 2 weeks. The spacing of those sessions depends on the severity of the case.
- Booster Sessions
- These can happen over the phone or in person
- Flow of Treatment
- Just look at pages 74 - 76 to see their outline. I just don't want to retype the entire thing. It's a very quick read.
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