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