About Brief Strategic Family Therapy
Brief Strategic Family Therapy©™ (BSFT) is a structured, problem-focused, directive, and practical approach to the treatment of conduct problems, associations with antisocial peers, early drug use and the accompanying maladaptive family interactions, which are recognized risk factors for substance abuse. BSFT was developed at the Center for Family Studies in the University of Miami, and since 2003 is being disseminated by the Family Therapy Training Institute of Miami and the University of Miami. BSFT provides families with the tools to overcome individual and family risk factors through: 1) focused interventions to improve maladaptive patterns of family interaction, and 2) skills building strategies to strengthen families. BSFT does not rely on family’s abilities to come into the session: BSFT provides specialized outreach strategies for bringing families into therapy.
BSFT benefits children and adolescents, ages 6 to 17 already showing conduct problems such as delinquency and early drug use, as well as ineffective behavior management. BSFT works on the principle that parental leadership, adequate parental involvement, mutual support among parenting figures, family communication, problem solving, clear rules and consequences, nurturance, and shared responsibility for the problems the family confronts are critical for healthy child and adolescent development. BSFT seeks to remedy and bolster family functioning in all of these areas.
BSFT can be implemented in a variety of settings, including community social services agencies, mental health clinics, substance abuse prevention and treatment clinics, health agencies, and family clinics. Because BSFT works with the whole family, the program usually operates during afternoons, evenings and Saturdays.
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