Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is a short-term, evidence-based treatment for youth ages 11-18 and their families, addressing behavioral difficulties, substance use, and related emotional concerns (including co-occurring presentations) by strengthening family relationships and skills. Treatment typically involves 12-20 family sessions, adjusted to family needs. FFT progresses through three phases: Engagement and Motivation to build alliance and reduce blame; Behavior Change to develop communication, parenting, and problem-solving skills; and Generalization to sustain improvements and apply them across everyday settings.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive, evidence-based treatment for youth typically ages 12-17 and their families, addressing serious behavioral difficulties, including aggression, substance use, and behaviors that increase the risk of justice involvement or out-of-home placement. Therapists partner with caregivers to strengthen family relationships, parenting skills, and support while addressing influences across the youth’s home, school, peer group, and community. Treatment typically lasts 3-5 months, with multiple weekly contacts in everyday settings and access to support 24/7, helping families sustain changes and keep youth safely at home.

Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is an evidence-based treatment for children from birth through age 5 and their caregivers, addressing trauma-related difficulties and emotional, behavioral, and attachment concerns. Through play and caregiver-child interactions, therapists help families understand difficult experiences, restore safety and trust, and strengthen the caregiver-child relationship as a foundation for healing. Treatment involves weekly sessions, often lasting several months to a year or longer depending on family needs, across three phases: Foundational, Core Intervention, and Closing.

Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT), co-developed by José Szapocznik and colleagues, is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents ages 6-18 and their families, with a strong focus on adolescent substance use and related behavioral difficulties. Typically delivered in 12-16 weekly family sessions over approximately 3-4 months, BSFT helps families change interaction patterns that contribute to problems and strengthen communication, caregiver leadership, and support. Therapists actively engage family members, reframe conflict, and coach more effective interactions during sessions, tailoring treatment to each family’s needs.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based, goal-oriented approach used with children, adolescents, adults, and families, with conversations adapted to participants’ developmental needs. Although the free SFBTA manual focuses on individual treatment, its principles apply to helping families strengthen relationships and address emotional, behavioral, and everyday challenges through shared goals, a preferred future, recognition of existing strengths and exceptions to difficulties, and scaling questions that identify small next steps. Treatment is brief and flexible, often 5-8 sessions, depending on needs and progress, with family-specific guidance available in APA’s (2025) Solution-Focused Brief Therapy With Families: A Training Manual.