APPROACH
TREATMENT PHILOSOPHY
Here at JSA we believe in a holistically delivered family centered approach that incorporates our clients' loved ones and total support system into the therapy process.
How we deliver our family-centered approach:
- Learning about the family system and developing contextualized assessments and interventions that respect the family system and preferences (Hecimovic, Powell, & Christensen, 1999; Moes & Frea, 2000)
- Careful attention to family priorities and concerns in planning interventions (e.g., Marshall & Mirenda, 2002);
- Developing meaningful learning opportunities, providing information, teaching strategies, and offering feedback to families
- Teaching families interaction skills to support and manage behavior and the development of communication and language
- Recognizing that family and individual beliefs and values will vary based on culture, background, personal preferences, and individual variability
- Recognizing that therapeutic resource strategies can be more effectively utilized in a collaborative environment
- Placing a high value on seeking and respecting family views
- Individualizing services to the needs and desires of the family and involving families in decision-making
- Recognizing the transactional nature of the disorder when evaluating family interactions and relationships
- Recognizing that family systems are dynamic rather than static, with family interactions and needs changing over time
- Engaging the family and using familiar items in various aspects of the evaluation and therapy sessions
- Suspending judgment and building rapport with the family about their needs and interests.
Benefits of Family Centered Therapy
- Allows meaningful input when establishing the goals and directing therapy plans for clients in order to better generalize skills at home, school and in the community.
- Family learns proven techniques that can be applied in a variety of life learning opportunities
- Clients will experience faster growth and greater retention as life learning opportunities will provide more relevant connections