Emerging Family Therapy Models Utilized in Residential Settings

Abstract

There are many methods for engaging families in adolescents' residential treatment that are discussed in recent literature, including but not limited to parent training and support groups, family therapy, therapeutic letter writing, and family workshops. Family involvement in residential treatment, including family therapy specifically, has consistently been associated with positive outcomes with adolescents. Four emerging approaches currently being used with adolescents in residential treatment and their families include multiple-family group intervention, family-directed structural therapy, narrative family therapy, and experiential therapy. There are a number of limitations to family therapy research in residential treatment, which will be discussed in more detail in the chapter. The literature pertaining to the use of family therapy in the residential milieu is underdeveloped and there is a need for increased research and integration of family therapy into treatment, including elucidating the specific family therapy approaches that are effective in treating adolescents in this setting and their families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)