Functional Family Therapy

• NCJ Number: 184743
• Author(s): Thomas L. Sexton; James F. Alexander
• Date Published: December 2000
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Family Strengthening Series
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This Bulletin chronicles the 30-year evolution of Functional Family Therapy (FFT), sets forth the program's core principles, goals, and techniques, and reviews its research foundations.

Abstract

The FFT is a family-based prevention and intervention program that has been applied successfully in a variety of contexts to treat a range of high-risk youth and their families. The Bulletin describes community implementation of FFT and provides an example of effective replication. The success of FFT as both a prevention and an intervention program results from its integration of a clear, comprehensive, and multisystemic clinical model with ongoing research on clinical process and outcomes. FFT can reduce recidivism and prevent the onset of delinquency. Unique to FFT is its systematic yet individualized family-focused approach to juvenile crime, violence, drug abuse, and other related problems. The therapist can adjust and adapt program goals to each family's unique characteristics, thus ensuring treatment fidelity while remaining respectful of individual families and cultures and unique community needs. Figures, resources, references