Core Element Overview
The Team engages youth and their family members in culturally informed therapeutic interventions (strategies, activities, and actions) that build autonomy and self-efficacy as well as strengthen permanency of relationships with caregiver(s)/parent(s), siblings, and other family members and important people in the youth’s life (including “chosen family”). Therapeutic interventions also build connection and relationships with peers and natural supports. Therapeutic interventions assist families in resolving conflicts, building, and strengthening relationships, promoting healing, supporting lasting changes and enhancing and sustaining functioning in the community and home. In-session actions and strategies and in-between session activities (interventions and follow-up via phone, etc.) have a specific plan and purpose related to the goals in the established individualized action plan/ treatment plan.
Intensity, frequency, and duration of interventions are flexible, individualized, and build on youth/ family strengths in real and tangible ways that help them address their needs toward the goal of remaining at home, transitioning home, and improving youth’s functioning in home, school, and their community. Youth’s and family’s reports of both improvements and challenges inform next steps as do Family Team member/collateral perspectives (including, but not limited to, occupational therapy (OT) and psychiatry consultation as clinically indicated and agreed upon by the consultants) and direct observation by the Team.
Therapeutic intervention is an active and ongoing process of discovering what works with a youth and family in this context and builds on their strengths. The Team effectively uses elements of evidencebased practice as well as practice-based evidence in developing interventions. Youth’s peer mentor, parent/caregiver’s family partner, and natural supports are included in interventions with the youth and parent/caregiver as agreed upon with the youth and parent/caregiver. The Team engages in ongoing coordination with OT and others around interventions they are providing. Nontraditional and innovative interventions may be used.
