FFT Assessment and CSS Process
FFT LLC
June 2008
Assessment & CSS 6.08
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Assessment and CSS
1. Assessment Process and Interpretation……………………………………..Page 3
2. Entering in a Session…………………………………………………………………..Page 8
3. Progress Notes
a. Engagement and Motivation…………………………………………….Page 9
b. Behavior Change………………………………………………………………Page 15
c. Generalization………………………………………………………………….Page 20
4. Progress Note Examples
a. Engagement and Motivation…………………………………………….Page 24
b. Behavior Change………………………………………………………………Page 29
c. Generalization………………………………………………………………….Page 32
5. Terminating a case……………………………………………………………………..Page 36
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FFT Assessment Process
Referral: assess risk and protective factors that are identified by referral source.
 Use this early information as the starting point to consider who should participate in
family therapy.
 Consider the multidimensional nature of what impacts the family (school issues,
neighborhood issues, etc).
Pre-Treatment Assessment: assess risk and protective factors from multiple levels (individual,
family, contextual)
 OQ: Instrument that assesses individual, family, and social functioning.
o Completed by each family member.
o Symptom Distress (SD): assesses intrapsychic disorders heavily loaded for
symptoms of depression and anxiety.
o Interpersonal Relationships (IR): assesses satisfaction and problems in
interpersonal relations with family and work colleagues.
o Social Roles (SR): assesses the client’s level of dissatisfaction, conflict, distress,
and inadequacy in tasks related to their employment, family roles, and leisure
life.
 YOQ: Instrument that assesses contextual functioning of youth (youth’s behaviors in the
world) form parents’ perspective.
o Completed by parent(s) about youth.
o Intrapersonal Distress (ID): assesses the amount of emotional distress in the
adolescent.
o Somatic (S): assesses change in physical complaints by the adolescent (low
scores either absence or unawareness).
o Interpersonal Relations (IR): assesses relationship with parents, other adults,
and peers.
o Social Problems (SP): assesses problems that are socially related including
aggression and delinquency.
o Behavioral Dysfunction (BD): assesses inattention, hyperactivity, impulsively,
concentration, ability to organize tasks, and ability to handle frustration.
o Critical Items (CI): assesses areas such as paranoia, obsessive-compulsive
behaviors, hallucination, delusions, suicide, mania, and eating disorders (serious
attention to high score on any single item). High scores on the critical items
scales indicate those who may need immediate intervention beyond standard
outpatient treatment.
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o Total Score: total score quantifies overall level of disturbance. A score of 46 or
higher is in the clinical or dysfunctional range. A score under 46 is considered to
be in the normal or non-clinical range.
YOQ-SR: Instrument that assesses contextual functioning of youth (youth’s behaviors in
the world) form youth’s perspective.
o Completed by youth about him/herself.
o Same subscales
Language availability of these instruments:
o The OQ®-45.2 is available in English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Swedish, Dutch,
French, Norwegian, Arabic, German, Italian, Russian.
o The Y-OQ® 2.01 is available in English, Spanish, French, Swedish, and Dutch.
o The Y-OQ® 2.0 SR is available in English, Spanish, French, Swedish, and Dutch.
Interpretation of Assessments:
 Review cutoff scores for subscales and total scores to determine scores may represent
risk factors for individuals and entire family. This information is available in the manuals.
 Risk Levels:
o Individual Risk:
 The Symptom Distress subscale of the OQ represents individual levels of
risk for parent(s) and youth(s).
 The Intrapersonal Distress, Somatic, Behavioral Dysfunction, and Critical
Items subscales of the YOQ-SR represent individual levels of risk for
youth.
o Family Risk:
 The Interpersonal Relations and Social Roles subscales of the OQ
represent levels of family risk of both parent(s) and youth(s).
 The Interpersonal Relations of the YOQ-SR represent levels of family risk
for youth.
 You should also consider if significant differences between parent and
youth reports on YOQ and YOQ-SR represent family risk (poor
communication, poor parental supervision of youth).
 You should also consider if significant differences between parent and
parent reports on the YOQ represent family risk (poor parental
communication, differences in parental supervision of youth)
o Contextual Risk:
 The Interpersonal Relations and Social Roles subscales of the OQ
represent levels of contextual risk for both parent(s) and youth(s).
 The Behavioral Dysfunction subscale on the YOQ-SR represents
contextual levels of risk for the youth.
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Review “critical item” scores on the OQ (suicide, violence, etc), YOQ, and YOQ-SR.
Compare YOQ and YOQ-SR scores to assess if parent and youth have similar or very
different perspectives. Large differences in parent and youth reports may be indicative
of poor family communication, poor parental monitoring. Similar scores may be
indicative of strong family communication and monitoring. Consider what relational
functions their scores might represent.
Compare YOQ and YOQ scores (if more than one parent) to assess if both parents have
similar or different perspectives. Large differences in parent reports may be indicative of
poor parent communication or that the parents have very different relationships with
youth.
Treatment Process Assessment:
 Progress Notes: Goal of completing progress note is to reflect on your goals, your
progress, your assessments, and the interventions used in your most recent session to
help you plan for your next session. This increases your focus and purpose in each
session to ensure appropriate treatment progress.
o The progress note for each session should be completed within 24-48 hours of
session and before your next session.
o See separate directions for completing each phase progress note.
 CPQ: Goal is to understand family’s perspectives on treatment progress.
o CPQs should be completed at the end of each “even numbered” session (2, 4, 6,
8, etc).
o The CPQ has questions specifically targeting each phase of FFT as well as
questions assessing family hopelessness and family experience of treatment
progress.
o The CPQ should be presented as an instrument that is vital to the therapy
process because it allows the therapist to get the family’s perspective. It is not a
critique of the therapist and it is OK to respond with “disagree” if that is their
experience. This is an important respect-based message to the family—that we
are not the only experts here but that your experience and input is equally as
valuable.
o Interpretation of CPQs: after the session and completing your progress note,
review the family’s responses.
 Consider how similar or different your assessment of treatment progress
is to the family’s assessment.
 Consider questions that help you understand alliance development (is it
equal across family members), their shift from individual to family
perspective, their trust of you, etc.
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Consider the last questions about their rating of how the family was
functioning pre-treatment and current—do their responses indicate that
therapy is helping?
The last question helps you understand the family member’s sense of
hope that therapy can help their family.
Be self-reflective—if you assessed that you have a balance alliance with
the family members, but their responses indicate that you do not…this is
a case to discuss in supervision for feedback.
Use CPQ data (in addition to session clinical assessment) to determine
how soon/frequently you should see the family. High levels of hopeless,
poor indicators of alliance, individual focus, etc are data that would
indicate the need to see the family again very quickly.
Relational Assessment:
 Goal: Elicit and analyze information pertaining to relational processes, develop plans for
Behavior Change & Generalization.
 The process of starting to generate hypotheses about family relational functions starts
with the referral data and pre-session phone calls.
 The assessment process includes:
o Considering the relational functions that individual referral symptoms may serve
in the youth-family relationships.
o What are the outcomes of the family’s description of “what happens” (family
behavioral patterns).
o You can also glean relational assessment data from observing how the family
member’s interact with one another while completing the pre-treatment
assessments. For example, do they consult with one another, complete them in
separate rooms, argue during the process?
 During sessions, assessment includes observing how the family interacts with one
another during the session as well as their descriptions of what occurs outside of
session.
 Relatedness: Contact / Interdependency or the degree of autonomy vs.
connection/closeness
o Relational functions are determined on the basis of inference from sequential
behavioral patterns…not intensity of feelings or what people consciously or
unconsciously “want”.
o The overall pattern of direct interdependent behavior represents the degree of
autonomy, midpointing, or connection.
 Hierarchy: Hierarchy refers to the pattern, over time, of relative influence based on
power, position, and resources.
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o Day in and Day out…who organizes their lives around the other…not just a
specific instance.
o Hierarchy is a relational configuration between two people that is expressed
through behavior, the broad range of communication channels, and the pattern
of mutual influence they have on one another.
This assessment data is documented in your session progress notes.
Post-Treatment Assessment:
 Parents: OQ, YOQ, COM-P
 Youth(s): OQ, YOQ-SR, COM-A
 Therapist: case termination, TOM
 OQ, YOQ, YOQ-SR:
o For families that complete FFT and we have the pre and post-treatment OQ,
YOQ, and YOQ-SR data, you can assess changes in functioning and risk by
calculating the difference in scores from pre to post. The manuals for each
measure provide the amount change that indicates “clinically significant”
change. For example, the reliable change index for the YOQ®-2.0 is 13 points.
This means that a person’s total score must change by at least 13 points for that
change to be considered clinically significant.
 COM: Client Outcome Measure
o Both parents and youth(s) complete.
o Answer questions about how much change has occurred in specific treatment
dimensions.
o For parents, additional questions about youth risk factors (probation, school)
 TOM: Therapist Outcome Measure
o Therapist perspective of how much change has occurred in same specific
treatment dimensions.
 Interpretation: compare youth, parent and therapist perspectives of change to see how
comparable everyone’s experience in treatment was.
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Entering a Session
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There should be documentation of sessions that occurred as well as sessions that were
rescheduled/cancelled or no-showed. This allows you to look at patterns of family
attendance and link that to phase goal progress.
Under “Sessions” enter a “New Session”
o Enter the date of the scheduled session
o Enter the length of time for the scheduled session (1.0 = 60 minutes)
o Enter the location of the session (home, office, etc)
o Enter the outcome of the scheduled session
 “Session” means the session did occur and there will be a progress note
associated with this transaction
 “Cancelled/Rescheduled” means that session did not occur because
either the family or the therapist had to reschedule or cancel the session.
 There will not be a progress note associated with this transaction.
 You can document the context of the cancelled/rescheduled
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Completing Engagement and Motivation Progress Notes
Initial Family Presentations: describe each family member’s definition of what is occurring
within the family or why they are in therapy. This is their verbatim description (not how you
change it with interventions). You do not have to include every statement they have made, but
enough to allow for the assessment of family attributions/blame and family
emotionality/negativity.
SESSION INTERVENTIONS
NOTE: The following text boxes are opportunities for you to write about what you did in THIS
SESSION which means that you may not have used each of the EM interventions in this
session…and therefore do not need to write anything for interventions you did not use. For
example, in your first EM session focused primarily on engaging the family and developing
alliance with each family member, you may have primarily used “change focus” interventions
(point processing, strength-based relational statements, sequencing, etc) and not have used
“change meaning” techniques (reframing, relational themes, organizing themes). You can just
type in “intervention not used in this session”.
Engagement/Relationship Building: Describe in session interpersonal interactions that aided in
the development of engaging each family member and developing a trusting and respectful
relationship with them.
Matching: Describe how you interacted with each family member in a way that matched to
each of them. Consider how you demonstrated respect for what is important to each family
member, how you matched to the climate of the family, and/or how you matched to wording
and interaction styles.
Interrupting/Diverting: Describe different ways in which you interrupted or diverted the
escalation of family negative or blaming interactions that are not considered other
interventions (such as interrupting through pointing process, sequencing, reframing, etc).
Sequencing: Describe any sequencing interventions you used. Sequencing is a “change focus”
technique that interrupts the description of an escalated negative/blaming family interaction
that occurred outside of this session in a way that describes the interaction that occurred in a
more strength-based and relational manner. This technique is typically used during the process
of engaging families.
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Point Processing: Describe any point processing interventions you used. Point processing is a
“change focus” technique that interrupts the description of an escalated negative/blaming
family interaction that occurred during this session in a way that describes the interaction that
occurred in a more strength-based and relational manner. This technique is typically used
during the process of engaging families.
Reframing: Describe any reframing interventions you used to reduce family members blame or
negativity towards another family members behaviors or actions. Reframing is a “change
meaning” technique used once at least a moderate amount alliance and engagement has been
created with family members and includes the steps of 1) acknowledge/describe the “bad”
behaviors being blamed and/or the negative impact on the family member blaming, 2) changing
the meaning of the “bad” behaviors by describing the relational noble intention of the person
who did the “bad” behaviors directed towards the person doing the blaming, and 3) listening
for family feedback so you can adjust and continue the intervention process.
Strength-based relational statements: Describe any interventions in which you highlighted a
positive, strength-based, or relational interaction that allowed you to divert an escalating
negative/blaming interaction in session. This is a “change focus” technique.
Theme Hints: Describe any theme hint interventions used in this session to start to change
meaning of “bad” behaviors or family patterns. Theme hints are a “change meaning”
intervention used once at least a moderate amount alliance and engagement has been created
with family members and is an intervention that begins to create a sense of hope within the
family. They may be words or phrases with obvious meaning (martyr, protection, etc).
Relational Themes: Describe any relational theme interventions used in this session to develop
a sense of family hope. Themes offer a hopeful way for the family to experience the past and
set the stage for the future. Relational themes include the same steps as reframing and differ
from organizing themes in that they target subsets of the family instead of the entire family.
Relational themes are a “change meaning” intervention used once at least a moderate amount
alliance and engagement has been created with family members and are an intervention that
begins to create a sense of hope within the family.
Organizing Themes: Describe any organizing theme interventions used in this session to
develop a sense of family hope. Themes offer a hopeful way for the family to experience the
past and set the stage for the future. Organizing themes include the same steps of reframing
and include all family members in the intervention. Organizing themes link all family members
together in non-blaming ways, in emotionally strength-based ways, and in a hopeful way to
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help them reexamine their life together. Like reframing, there is no single organizing theme but
instead organizing theme(s) interventions that emerge during session opportunities.
ASSESSMENT
Risk & Protective Factors: Indicate risk factors identified by family members by checking the
boxes for each person in family. Then identify risk factors you assessed in this session. You
identify protective factors by indicating that a domain is “not” important. Note: a family
member does not have to indicate a concern/risk factor for you as the therapist to indicate that
you assess it as a risk factor. For example, if father indicates that “communication” is a concern
you check off communication and then you consider if you assess communication skills to be a
risk factor for this family. If you believe it represents a risk, indicate how important. If you do
not believe it is a risk (and instead a protective factor), then you select “not” from the dropdown box.
Additional Risk & Protective Factors: Describe any additional factors that you assess to be of
risk or protection to family. You can also use this box to further explain factors you identified in
the previous check-box section. For example, you can indicate whether family employment,
school attendance, family discouragement, medical history, etc are risk or protective factors.
RELATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Behavioral Pattern: Detail examples of family patterns/sequences you have observed or the
family has described. Be specific in regards to the behaviors of each family member in therapy.
Include in your description of the family pattern skills that represent both risk factors (poor skill
practices) as well as protective factors (skills that are strengths and abilities of family). Include
all family members. Since the text in this box carries over to each progress note, you can enter
in multiple examples of the core family pattern to help you tease out the core family skills to
target during Behavior Change.
Relatedness Functions: Assess the outcomes of family BEHAVIORAL interactions. The primary
focus of this assessment is how two people interact that leads to sustained or increased
behavioral interactions, leads to decreased behavioral interactions, or interactions that lead to
a balance of both. Relatedness is not an assessment of how much a person cares or feels about
the other person nor is it based upon the emotional intensity in interactions—base the
assessment on increases or decreases to how much/often two family members interact “when
the dust settles”. Note, if you are working with a family in which there are siblings or family
members other than mother-figure, father-figure and youth, you can type your relatedness
assessments of the other family dyads in the “behavioral pattern” text box above.
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Hierarchy Functions: Assess the outcome of family BEHAVIORAL interactions. The primary focus
of this assessment process is what occurs between two family members that represents
behavioral influences. Consider in your assessment whether one person’s behaviors in the
interaction influence the other person’s behaviors. Consider whether one person in the
interaction has greater influence over family resources (financial, transportation, etc). You are
looking to assess the overall relational influence between two people to determine if there is a
balance/shared influence or if one person exerts a greater relational influence in the
interaction. Note, if you are working with a family in which there are siblings or family members
other than mother-figure, father-figure and youth, you can type your hierarchy assessments of
the other family dyads in the “behavioral pattern” text box above.
SESSION OUTCOMES
For each of the Engagement and Motivation goals, consider your progress made in THIS
SESSION and your OVERALL TREATMENT progress. When you are assessing your progress in
THIS SESSION, keep in mind that some goals become less important in your sessions as you
make progress in the phase. So, if you have a strong alliance with each family member by
session 2, your assessment of progress with balanced alliance in THIS SESSION of session 3 may
be “none” which indicates it was not a focus of your interventions in session 3. Your OVERALL
TREATMENT progress assessment would then potentially be good or significant.
NEXT SESSION PLAN
Phase: phase of next session
Assessment Focused Questions: This is a place for you to consider information to gather in
your next session to aid you with your relational assessment. As you have finished your
progress note of the last session, this is the moment to gather your assessment thoughts so
that you are purposeful in the next session.
Goal Focused Questions: This is a place for you to consider questions or discussion topics you
may address in your next session that are linked to specific phase goals. For example, if you are
going into session 2 and continuing to work to build alliance and engage a youth or parent, you
may want to remind yourself to discuss topics brought up during the last session or in previous
phone calls—such as follow-up questions about an important basketball game, a job interview,
etc.
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Who to Engage: Indicate members of the family you are still working to engage in therapy by
checking the box.
Specific Session Plan: Describe your targets and goals for your next session. Consider what is
necessary to engage different family members, to create a more relational focus, to motivate
family members, and to assess relational functions. Be specific in your planning (consider each
family member, EM risk factors, EM goals, matching-to). Also include how soon you will see the
family for the next session. Base your decision about how soon to see the family again upon the
risk factors (safety, hopelessness, drop-out potential) and protective factors (extended family
that can support them, community support, etc). NOTE: The progress notes are meant to be a
critical tool to support your adherence to the FFT model. Notes and next session plans should be
completed as quickly as possible (within 24-48 hours after this session) so that you will be
anchored by this plan in your next session.
*****IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTE: If this progress note represents your last session of EM,
please complete the Behavior Change Phase Plan prior to your first BC session. To do this, you
will use the “Specific Session Plan” text box IN THIS PROGRESS NOTE to write out your BC
Phase Plan. The plan you write in this note will then carry over to your BC progress notes. So
your BC Phase Plan will be basically “copied and pasted” by the CSS to your upcoming BC
progress notes. You can always edit and modify the BC phase plan in your BC progress notes.
Directions for completing the BC Phase Plan: This is an opportunity for you to plan for the full
phase and the desired phase outcomes as much as possible prior to your first BC session. In
doing so, describe anticipated specific family core skills (the family's targeted behavioral risk
factors) for each family member and how these skills will match relational functions. Consider
the protective factors to be enhanced (skills the family already practices or uses effectively).
This information will come from your assessment of the core family pattern that you have
observed across your EM sessions. Your intervention plan should be very specific to the skills
for each member and the match to relational functions. Keep in mind that the core skills
identified from the core family behavioral pattern will potentially include 3-8 skills…potentially
more for the more high risk families.
Between Session Intervention Plans: Describe what interventions (phone calls to maintain
engagement, etc) you plan before next session. This is an opportunity to consider any reach-out
you may do for this family based upon your assessment of risk and protective factors in the last
session.
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Agency Related Information: This section is not specific to the FFT model, but instead it is a
place for you to document information that your agency may require for billing purposes, etc. If
you do not have any agency requirements, you can leave this section blank or can once more
state when/where/who will be at your next session. Another use of this section can be if there
are any “critical incidents” that are outside the typical work with this family that may require
documentation. These could include a CPS/Welfare report that occurred in session, a safety
assessment, suicide assessment documentation, etc.
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Completing Behavior Change Progress Notes
BEHAVIOR CHANGE PHASE PLAN
Describe Behavior Change Phase Plan: This section is an opportunity for you to plan for the full
phase and the desired phase outcomes as much as possible prior to your first BC session. In
doing so, describe anticipated specific family core skills (the family's targeted behavioral risk
factors) for each family member and how these skills will match relational functions. Consider
the protective factors to be enhanced (skills the family already practices or uses effectively).
This information will come from your assessment of the core family pattern that you have
observed across your EM sessions. Your intervention plan should be very specific to the skills
for each member and the match to relational functions. Keep in mind that the core skills
identified from the core family behavioral pattern will potentially include 3-8 skills…potentially
more for the more high risk families. In the Behavior Change progress notes, you will be
discussing the progress you have made in this plan session-by-session. NOTE: This section of
the BC progress notes will be saved and carry over to each of your following BC progress
notes. Meaning, each time you prepare to complete a progress note for your most recent
session, you can review and be anchored by the full phase plan that you crafted at the outset
of the BC phase. You can always make changes to your phase plan and those changes will be
saved.
SESSION INTERVENTIONS (this portion of the progress note captures what occurred in your
most recent session).
NOTE: The following text boxes are opportunities for you to write about what you did in THIS
SESSION which means that you may not have used each of the BC interventions in this
session…and therefore do not need to write anything for interventions you did not use. For
example, if you did not assign homework, you do not need to include details about homework
assignments. You can just type in “intervention not used in this session”.
Introduced New Skills: Describe the specific “chunk” or portion of skills from your PHASE PLAN
that you introduced in THIS SESSION. Include in your description what skills for what family
members. Please be specific in what skills you introduced. The development of these skills in
this session represent your session GOALS.
Practiced New Skills: Provide examples of what family scenarios/situations were used for skill
development in THIS SESSION. These situations can come from past session discussions, from
phone call discussions, or from situations that are occurring at the time of this session. These
situations should be real examples from the family’s life. The use of these situations represents
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your practicing the skills that are the goals of this session and building their abilities to practice
these skills between sessions. The practicing in session with multiple family scenarios also starts
to build the families sense of self-efficacy that these skills can carry over into any situation they
experience.
Matched New Skills to Relational Functions: Please describe how the specific skills you
targeted in this session match to family members’ relational functions. Be specific in your
description of matching-to and how the introduction of these skills to the family behavioral
pattern will maintain the relational outcomes.
Reviewed Skill Progress in Session: Describe how you followed-up with the previous session
interventions (skill practice, relational function matching, family motivation to practice) to
assess family’s use of the skills between sessions and the accuracy of your matching the skills to
their relational functions. Explain whether this assessment led you to use this session to
practice the previous skills even further, to rework the application of the skills to better match
relational functions, or whether your assessment indicated that your original relational
assessment was not accurate so you reworked your application of skills to be a better relational
fit. NOTE: If this is the progress note for your first BC session, you will most likely not need to
enter any information here since you were introducing skills for the first time.
Assigned Homework: Describe any homework assignments you asked the family to complete
before your next session. Keep in mind the specific skills included in this homework assignment,
the specific application/situation for the family to practice the skills with, and how this
assignment matched relational functions.
ASSESSMENT
Match of Behavior Change Interventions with Client Relational Functions: From your
assessment in this session, indicate how well your skill interventions matched to all family
members’ relational functions. If you have assessed that any resistance to trying new skills is
due to a poor match of skills to relational functions, use the “Next Session Plan—Specific
Session Plan” text box below to describe your plans to improve the match in the next session.
Accuracy of original relational assessment: From your assessment in this session, indicate the
accuracy of your relational assessment. Consider if there is information that could alter your
original assessment which would lead to changing how you would match the skills to the family
members’ functions. If you have assessed that any resistance to trying new skills is due to your
original assessment being inaccurate, use the “Next Session Plan—Specific Session Plan” text
box below to describe your plans to improve the match in the next session based on your more
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accurate assessment. Also change your assessment in the Relatedness Functions or Hierarchy
Functions boxes below.
Family Member Motivation Maintained: From your assessment in this session, indicate the
continued maintenance of family motivation to try new skills. If you have assessed that any
resistance to trying new skills is a result of low family motivation, use the “Next Session Plan—
Specific Session Plan” or “Between Session Intervention Plan” text boxes below to describe
what you need to do to build family motivation in the next session or between sessions.
RELATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Behavioral Pattern: Your previous description of the family behavioral pattern that is common
to how the family deals with different situations should be where you go to identify the core
skills to develop as well as the core protective factors to enhance in BC. Detail examples of
family patterns/sequences you have observed or the family has described. Be specific in regards
to the behaviors of each family member in therapy. Include in your description of the family
pattern skills that represent both risk factors (poor skill practices) as well as protective factors
(skills that are strengths and abilities of family). Include all family members.
Relatedness Functions: Review your assessment of relatedness functions for family dyads and
consider information that either confirms your original assessment or potentially disconfirms
your original assessment. Alter your assessment if needed and consider what should be
changed in how the skills are matched to family members in BC.
Hierarchy Functions: Review your assessment of hierarchy functions for family dyads and
consider information that either confirms your original assessment or potentially disconfirms
your original assessment. Alter your assessment if needed and consider what should be
changed in how the skills are matched to family members in BC.
SESSION OUTCOMES
For each of the Behavior Change goals, consider your progress made in THIS SESSION and your
OVERALL TREATMENT progress. When you are assessing your progress in THIS SESSION, keep in
mind that some goals become less important in your sessions as you make progress in the
phase.
NEXT SESSION PLAN
Phase: phase of next session
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Assessment Focused Questions: This is a place for you to consider information to gather in
your next session to aid you with monitoring your relational assessment or confirming/finalizing
any skills to target or enhance in your next BC session. As you have finished your progress note
of the last session, this is the moment to gather your assessment thoughts so that you are
purposeful in the next session.
Goal Focused Questions: This is a place for you to consider questions or discussion topics you
may address in your next session that are linked to specific phase goals. One example would be
asking the family for their ideas about how to practice certain skills using a specific situation
they are currently facing.
Who to Engage: Indicate members of the family you are still working to engage in therapy by
checking the box.
Specific Session Plan: Describe what specific skills you will review and/or what skills you may
introduce from the Behavior Change Phase Plan. Consider strategies for practicing those skills
and matching those skills to functions. Also include when you will see family for next session.
NOTE: The progress notes are meant to be a critical tool to support your adherence to the FFT
model. Notes and next session plans should be completed as quickly as possible (within 24-48
hours after this session) so that you will be anchored by this plan in your next session.
*****IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL NOTE: If this progress note represents your last session of BC,
please complete the Generalization Phase Plan prior to your first Gen’l session. To do this, you
will use the “Specific Session Plan” text box IN THIS PROGRESS NOTE to write out your Gen’l
Phase Plan. The plan you write in this note will then carry over to your Gen’l progress notes. So
your Gen’l Phase Plan will be basically “copied and pasted” by the CSS to your upcoming Gen’l
progress notes. You can always edit and modify the Gen’l phase plan in your Gen’l progress
notes.
Directions for Completing the Generalization Phase Plan: This is an opportunity for you to plan
for the full phase and the desired phase outcomes as much as possible prior to your first Gen’l
session. In doing so, describe how you anticipate to 1) generalize skills by identifying specific
within family and outside family areas for application of new skills; 2) maintain family changes
by identifying specific areas for relapse prevention practice; 3) maintain family changes by
identifying potential family and community resources that reduce family risk factors and/or
enhance family protective factors. Be specific in your planning for the phase.
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Between Session Intervention Plans: Describe what interventions (phone calls to maintain
motivation, check in on a homework assignment, etc) you plan before next session. This is an
opportunity to consider any reach-out you may do for this family based upon your assessment
of risk and protective factors in the last session.
Agency Related Information: This section is not specific to the FFT model, but instead it is a
place for you to document information that your agency may require for billing purposes, etc. If
you do not have any agency requirements, you can leave this section blank or can once more
state when/where/who will be at your next session. Another use of this section can be if there
are any “critical incidents” that are outside the typical work with this family that may require
documentation. These could include a CPS/Welfare report that occurred in session, a safety
assessment, suicide assessment documentation, etc.
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Completing Generalization Progress Notes
GENERALIZATION PHASE PLAN
Describe Generalization Phase Plan: This section is an opportunity for you to plan for the full
phase and the desired phase outcomes as much as possible prior to your first Gen’l session. In
doing so, describe how you anticipate to 1) generalize skills by identifying specific within family
and outside family areas for application of new skills; 2) maintain family changes by identifying
specific areas for relapse prevention practice; 3) maintain family changes by identifying
potential family and community resources that reduce family risk factors and/or enhance family
protective factors. Be specific in your planning for the phase. In the Generalization progress
notes, you will be discussing the progress you have made in this plan session-by-session. NOTE:
This section of the Gen’l progress notes will be saved and carry over to each of your following
Gen’l progress notes. Meaning, each time you prepare to complete a progress note for your
most recent session, you can review and be anchored by the full phase plan that you crafted
at the outset of the phase. You can always make changes to your phase plan and those
changes will be saved.
SESSION INTERVENTIONS (this portion of the progress note captures what occurred in your
most recent session).
NOTE: The following text boxes are opportunities for you to write about what you did in THIS
SESSION which means that you may not have used each of the Gen’l interventions in this
session…and therefore do not need to write anything for interventions you did not use. For
example, if you did not link the family to external resources, you do not need to write about that
intervention. You can just type in “intervention not used in this session”.
Generalization of Skills: Describe both internal and external family application of skills. This is
the intervention in which you are helping the family generalize the changes they made in BC to
new situations. For internal family generalization of skills, an example might be a sister using
her new communication skills to talk to her older brother who just moved back home. For
external family generalization of skills, an example might be a mother how uses her new
negotiation skills to talk to her boss about her son being dropped off at her place of work after
school. You are not introducing new skills but helping the family “move” the previously
developed BC skills to new situations to help empower them.
Maintenance of Change (Relapse Prevention): Describe how you are helping each member of
the family identify triggers for potential relapses back to old patterns of interacting or helping
each family member identify strategies to help them “get back on track” by using their newly
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developed skills in the face of a relapse. Be specific with the family when identifying triggers or
situations. Also include how you introduced the idea of relapses to the family so that they are
aware to expect some setbacks and that this is a normal part of change.
Resource Links that Decrease Risk and Enhance Protective Factors: Describe any resources
that you helped the family connect to with the goal of helping the family sustain their positive
changes. Include how you helped empower the family to connect to these resources
themselves instead of your doing it for them. Include how the family connecting to these
resources matches to their relational functions and maintains these functions. This intervention
is an “it depends” intervention in Generalization and may not be necessary for all families.
Consider resources that are already naturally available to the family (churches, neighbors,
extended family, friends, etc) in addition to more formal or clinical resources (YMCA, couples
therapy, etc).
ASSESSMENT
Match of Generalization Interventions with Family Relational Functions: Assess how well your
interventions in this session of Gen’l match to relational functions and maintain those
functions.
External Family Risk Factors that May Impede Family’s Maintenance of Change: Assess any
risk factors in the family’s external relationships (for example: school, juvenile justice system,
neighborhood, job loss, homelessness, etc) that could hinder their ability to maintain successful
family changes. In this section, describe your plans for intervening with these external risk
factors.
External Family Protective Factors that May Enhance Family’s Maintenance of Change: Assess
any protective factors in the family’s external relationships (for example: school, juvenile justice
system, neighborhood, extended family, new job, church, etc) that can support their ability to
maintain successful family changes. In this section, describe your plans for maximizing the
family’s connections to these external family resources.
RELATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Behavioral Pattern: Review your previous description of the family behavioral pattern that was
common to how the family dealt with different situations in the past. This can aid you in
identifying triggers for relapse or situations in which a relapse may be experienced by family
members.
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Relatedness Functions: Review your assessment of relatedness functions for family dyads so
that you can match your Gen’l interventions (linking family members up to resources, etc) to
the family relational functions.
Hierarchy Functions: Review your assessment of hierarchy functions for family dyads so that
you can match your Gen’l interventions (linking family members up to resources, etc) to the
family relational functions.
SESSION OUTCOMES
For each of the Generalization goals, consider your progress made in THIS SESSION and your
OVERALL TREATMENT progress. When you are assessing your progress in THIS SESSION, keep in
mind that some goals become less important in your sessions as you make progress in the
phase.
NEXT SESSION PLAN
Phase: phase of next session
Assessment Focused Questions: This is a place for you to consider information to gather in
your next session to aid you with your assessment of risk and protective factors both internal
and external to the family that can support or hinder their continued success. Also, consider
any information you may need to help you with relapse prevention planning with the family.
Goal Focused Questions: This is a place for you to consider questions or discussion topics you
may address in your next session that are linked to specific phase goals. For example, if you are
thinking of linking a family to a natural resource (neighbors, church, etc) or a more formal
resource (parent support group, etc) you may need to gather more information from the family
that helps you best support the family as they connect to these systems.
Who to Engage: Indicate members of the family you are still working to engage in therapy by
checking the box.
Specific Session Plan: Describe plans (areas of practice, how you will match-to relational
functions) for relapse prevention and generalization of skills in your next session. Indicate if you
plan to help family connect to any resources. Describe how soon you plan to see the family for
the next session.
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Between Session Intervention Plans: Describe what interventions (phone calls, learning about
family/community resources, etc) you plan before next session. Consider what work you need
to do to help prepare for your next session such as talking to a probation officer, therapist, etc.
Agency Related Information: This section is not specific to the FFT model, but instead it is a
place for you to document information that your agency may require for billing purposes, etc. If
you do not have any agency requirements, you can leave this section blank or can once more
state when/where/who will be at your next session. Another use of this section can be if there
are any “critical incidents” that are outside the typical work with this family that may require
documentation. These could include a CPS/Welfare report that occurred in session, a safety
assessment, suicide assessment documentation, etc.
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Functional Family Therapy
PROGRESS NOTE
Motivation/Engagement Phase
(Early Sessions)
Client Name / Case Number: Lee
Wilson / 111
Session
Date: 10/25/07
Therapist #:
Session Number: 1
This Session: Engagement/Motivation Phase
Goals of the session and progress made toward those goals in this session
SESSION INTERVENTIONS
Relationship Building
At the beginning of session, started to being curious about what
the family does--learned about Lanai's child care (***note, "child
care" not "day care"), Greg's work as a construction worker
(***note he has to drive 3 hours daily for work), and Lee's regular
attendance in school. Also learned that there is a 6 y/o brother and
teenage sister in the home...and an older brother out of the home.
Initial Family Presentations Addressed Through:
Matching
Greg doesn't "do feelings"--would rather talk about trucks and
sports. Matching to Lee is about itensity of voice, language of
"fuck you", asking his permission to ask him questions. Matching
to Lanai is comfortable with feelings, also very connected to her
spirituality, is not comfortable "knocking her husband", and does
not feel comfortable around "fuck you" language...also expressing
how I would feel overwhelmed in her job (respecting her work
and not being an "expert".
Interrupting/Diverting
Much energy was spent interrupting Lee and Greg's intense
blaming interactions. This was done sometimes by ignoring what
Lee was saying, sometimes it was done with diverting their
attention to myself (clarifying Fords vs. Chevy; joking about
basketball teams).
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Interrupting Greg's attack on Lee about "not having any
consideration" by shifting to a more relational focus by discussing
"respect" and "talking to the man about being hurt".
Sequencing
Interrupting Greg's blame about Lee trying to "run my family" by
describing a sequence at home..."Lee asks if he can go out, you
say no b/c he went out last night, Lee says fuck you and goes out
anyway...so he came first to ask and maybe didn't agree with you-very different than slipping out the window and not asking.
Describing what occurs between Lee and Greg and Lee having to
"just react"..."If I said it was a clear blue sky I would get a
reaction"...so Lee just "has to react".
Point Processing
Describing how Greg and Lee interrupt Lanai when she
speaks...to protect?...to shut her down?...to force her to jump in?
Reframing
Changing meaning of Lanai's blame about Lee's "fuck you
language" by acknowledging that Lee is not in control of his
mouth and shifting it to be about an expression of affect and
being in control of his fists (Lanai said she is not afraid of
violence).
Lee's acting out may be an attempt to not be a victim...or being
different than other kids...forcing this family to finally correct it's
problems/hurt.
Strength-based
Relational Statements
Discussion around Lee's substance use--not letting focus be
"problem based" but instead relational--hearing Lee's opinion
about his substance use and hearing parents' opinions about Lee's
substance use and not trying to change their views (Lanai and Lee
seem to minimize whereas Greg seems to catastrophize).
Describing how Lee purposely tries to not pull Lanai into a
difficult position by not talking to her about what a "dick" Greg is
being.
Theme Hints
Hurt (Greg about Lee having no consideration, Lee about Greg
not being the dad he wanted).
Disappointment
Relational Themes
"Secret love test" (between Lee and Greg)...when Lee was 3
y/o...maybe it was diarhea...it was different with Lee...and now
you don't know what to do (Greg)...so you have a son who has
made a career of being a little shit and knowing what an asshole
I'm becoming...and I am going to force you to prove that you love
me...and it's a game you can't win...and that's sad.
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Organizing Themes
Developed in this Session
For Greg, Lanai and Lee--There’s one theory about that being the
mother or woman in the middle...Men don’t do a lot of things well
and one thing men don’t do well is deal with neediness and love
and all that kind of stuff and what we do is we say, “well that’s
what mothers are for.” Now the truth is that’s unfair. That dumps.
It allows men to say, “Hey, I’m a guy. You know I don’t do
unconditional positive regard for my kids. I’m a guy. I drive
trucks. And so what we do is plot it all on mothers, and it’s a huge
burden and we, you’ve all heard this, but mothers are blamed for
everything and the reason I say it that way is that what could have
been happening here for a long is this, these two almost colluding
to say, “Will you get in the middle and fix us?” And let me tell
you how then you make it worse and I don’t say this to blame you
because I think you are a good woman, I’m not just saying this
about you. I believe that about all of you.
ASSESSMENT
Risk and Protective Factors
Family Perspective
Therapist Perspective
Which family member sees
factor as a problem?
How important do you
see these factors?
Father Mother Adol Sib1 Sib2 Importance
Parenting
Somew hat
Communication
Very
Problem Solving
Somew hat
Family Negativity
Very
Adolescent Substance Use
Somew hat
Parent Substance Use
Not
School Attendance
Not
Delinquency Behavior
Little
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Running Away
Not
Peer Group Influence
Not
Family Relationships
Very
Marital Discord
Not
Additional Protective and
Risk Factors
Greg and Lanai both employed. Lee enrolled in school and attends
regularly.
SESSION OUTCOME
Progress
made toward
this goal
Balanced Alliance
good
Build Hope
progress
Reduce Blame
progress
Reduce Negativity
little
Building Relational Focus
significant
NEXT SESSION PLAN
Phase
Engagement/Motivation
Assessment Focused
Questions
Unsure about Lee and Greg's autonomy or connection. Track on
relational patterns observed and described in session. Unsure
about Greg's engagement...start session focused on Greg and then
quickly shift to all of them.
Goal Focused Questions
Following up on Lanai's sense of hopelessness in her family...does
she continue to feel paralyzed?
Who to engage? (check all that apply)
Dad
Sibling
Adolescent
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Mom
Specific Session Plan
Describe your targets and goals for your next
session. Consider what is necessary to engage
different family members, to create a more
relational focus, to motivate family members,
and to assess relational functions
Between Session
Intervention Plans:
Describe what interventions (phone calls,
learning about family/community resources,
etc) you plan before next session.
Agency Related
Information
Anticipate high levels of blame between Lee and Greg...and be
prepared to interrupt and potentially reframe meanings of
behaviors such as "controlling my home", "playing the game",
"being disrespectful", "not showing me any love". Scheduled to
see family in two days.
Will call family tonight to thank them for attending and confirm
next scheduled appointment.
Mother, father, and referred you attended 60 minute session. Next
session scheduled for the next day (10/27) at 6:00pm to occur in
office.
Signed:_________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________
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Functional Family Therapy
PROGRESS NOTE
Behavior Change Phase
(Middle Sessions)
Client Name / Case Number: Lee
Smith / 12345
Session
Date: 10/15/07
Therapist #:
Session Number: 4
This Session: Engagement/Motivation Phase
Goals of the session and progress made toward those goals in this session
BEHAVIOR CHANGE PHASE PLAN
Describe Behavior Change Phase Plan.
Core skills:
1)brevity (M)
2)impact statements (M)
3)specificity and concreteness (youth and M)
4 active listening that matches M's impact statements (youth),
5)parenting skills and negotiation: improve parental supervision of youth by using negotation
skills to determine what information youth and M and agree to exchange (i.e. curfew
expectations, who youth will be with, letting M know if he will be late, etc)
Protective factors:
1) M typically keeps conversations short and youth typically responds to M on non-crisis issues
2) Youth usually home at curfew
3) M attempts to check in with youth while she's at work
Relational Functions:
1) To match youth's autonomy with M--brevity and concreteness is key--what will help M with
brevity is youth's active participation in short conversations and not walking away (matches M's
connection to Youth)
2) Negotiation of expectations (curfew, etc) is a match to Mom-Youth symmetrical
relationship...and also matches to have youth provide information instead of M prompting it from
him.
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SESSION INTERVENTIONS
Introduced new skills
Introduced brevity (M) and active listening (youth) in this 1st BC session.
Practiced new skills -- provide examples of how family
scenarios were used for skill development
On a phone call with family last night, M brought up her fears about youth's marijuana use with
his girlfriend...and this conversation has lead to much conflict. Practice having M briefly (3
minutes) tell youth her concern ("I worry about your getting high with your GF because it is
illegal and the two of you may have unprotected sex and she get pregnant") and youth
responding back with active listening ("Thanks for worrying about both of us--I don't want to get
arrested again or have a baby now").
Also practiced a couple more times using the scenarios of M's concern about curfew and youth's
frustration with M calling his cell phone frequently when he's out with his friends and GF.
Matched new skills to relational functions
As we practiced the new skills...M and youth improved their abilities to keep it brief (matching
to youth's autonomy) and responding back with understanding (mathcing to M's connection).
Also practiced with issues that concerned M AND youth (not only using M's concerns) to match
hierarchy.
Reviewed skill progress in session
Since this was our first BC session, no previous skills to review during this session.
Assigned homework
Asked them to practice brevity and active listening over the next few days. Identified some
common things they struggle with to use for practice (getting up for school, M coming home late
from work). Will call them in 2 days to check in on how homework has gone.
ASSESSMENT
Match of Behavior Change Interventions with Client
Relational Functions
Excellent
Accuracy of original relational assessment
Excellent
Family member motivation maintained
Good
OUTCOMES
Family attempting positive changes
good
Family accomplishing notable positive changes
progress
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Family practicing new skills at home
none
Risk factors have been reduced
progress
Protective factors have been increased
progress
NEXT SESSION PLAN
Phase
Behavior Change
Assessment Focused Questions
Follow up to see how homework practice went. If went well, continue to confirm current
relational function assessments. If didn't go well, review behavior patterns to further assess
functions.
Goal Focused Questions
Ask about other areas they practiced these new skills in--did they use them in other
conversations? More than just about getting up for school and coming in late from work.
Specific Session Plan: Describe what specific skills you will
review and/or what skills you may introduce from the
Behavior Change Phase Plan.
The plan is to review progress made in practicing brevity and active listening. Depending on
development of skills, will either spend more time practicing those skills or move into next part
of phase plan--concreteness/specificity and impact statements with matching active listening
responses. Family demonstrated continued motivation in this session and there was no blame
during the practicing of skills...will plan to see family next week (11/5/07) to give them time to
practice skills.
Between Session Intervention Plans: Describe what
interventions (phone calls, learning about family/community
resources, etc) you plan before next session.
Call family to check in and see how homework practice is going. Monitor motivation to
determine if sticking with 11/5/07 session is appropriate or whether need to see family earlier.
Agency Related Information
60 minute session occurred in family's home. In attendance: mother and youth.
Signed:_________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________
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Functional Family Therapy
PROGRESS NOTE
Generalization Phase
(Later Sessions)
Client Name / Case Number: Lee
Smith / 12345
Session
Date: 10/19/07
Therapist #:
Session Number: 6
This Session: Engagement/Motivation Phase
Goals of the session and progress made toward those goals in this session
GENERALIZATION PHASE PLAN
Describe Generalization Phase Plan.
Generalization Areas:
1. Help M practice using specificity and negotiation skills in talking to her boss about new work
schedule.
2. Help youth practice using specificity and active listening in talking to his probation officer and
to the judge.
3. Practice negotiation skills b/t M and Youth with new family situations--youth getting driver's
permit, expectations for both M and Youth around the house (scheduling for cooking dinner,
cleaning kitchen, etc).
Relapse Prevention Practice:
1. M's biggest risk for relapse is her anxiety. When she gets nervous about her son's safety, she
has a harder time being brief and specific. Will develop relapse plan to help her manage anxiety
without returning to nagging and frequent cell phone calls.
2. Youth's biggest risk for relapse is his frustration with M's nagging. Will develop relapse plan
for how he can respond to M's nagging (when she is worried) by providing her information to
reduce her concerns about his safety instead of ignoring her and getting high.
Community Resources:
1. Consider having youth and girlfriend attend Planned Parenthood meetings to talk about safe
sex practices.
SESSION INTERVENTIONS
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Generalization of Skills -- discuss internal and external family
application of skills
In this session, targeted internal family practice of skills--youth brought up his desire to get his
driver learning permit. Had youth practice being specific about his request (wanting to take
driver's ed this summer, wanting to use M's car to practice driving, wanting to get part-time job
to save money for own car). M practiced brevity and impact statements ("My worry is that you
may not be safe driving this young with your GF and that your grades will slip if you work too
many hours"). Youth practiced active listening that matched M's concerns and both agreed to
negotiate these issues.
Maintenance of Change (Relapse Prevention)
Primary focus of session was within-family generalization of skills, but started to broadly
address the normalcy and expectations of relapses for each of them. Used the example of trying
to quit smoking--not an easy process to quit and unfortunately easy to have a setback and start
smoking again. Spoke with them about plan to identify for each of them what their "triggers" of
relapse will be and identify strategies for dealing with them in upcoming sessions.
Resource Links that Decrease Risk and Enhance Protective
Factors
Did not address community links in this session--will talk to youth about Planned Parenthood
referral in future session. Based on discussion about youth getting part-time job, will also plan to
help youth and M consider different job options.
ASSESSMENT
Match of Generalization Interventions with Family Relational
Excellent
Functions
External Family Risk Factors that may impede family’s
maintenance of change. For example: school, juvenile justice
system, neighborhood, job loss, homelessness, etc.
For M, she has a hard time sticking with a job for long periods of time because she becomes to
anxious or afraid to talk to her boss about scheduling changes. This results in being unemployed
for periods of time and M feeling discouraged and hopeless. During these times, she is more
likely to focus all of her energy on her son and this leads to fights between them. Will reduce this
risk factor by generalizing family skills for M in talking to her boss.
External Family Protective Factors that may enhance family’s
maintenance of change. For example: school, juvenile justice
system, neighborhood, extended family, new job, church, etc.
Youth is planning on getting a part-time job. Working after school and on weekends will reduce
the amount of free time in which he was most likely to get high. M very involved in her church
and has a group of women she can talk to when she gets worried about her son.
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OUTCOMES
Improved family ability to manage relapses
progress
Improved family’s ability to respond to “new situations” using
recently acquired skills
Aided family in linking to community resources that support
their positive family changes
good
none
NEXT SESSION PLAN
Phase
Generalization
Assessment Focused Questions
Will continue to keep relational function matching-to in mind while linking to Planned
Parenthood and employment opportunities. Will talk to M and Youth about potential for M to
drive you to pick up job applications (M-Youth connected) and only pick up 2 applications at
one time (Youth-M autonomous). Will also consider appropriateness of M reviewing job
applications after youth has completed them.
Goal Focused Questions
Ask M and youth about areas they consider triggers for relapses for themselves. Are there
situations that I have not considered for relapse prevention interventions?
Specific Session Plan: Describe plans (areas of practice, how you
will match-to relational functions) for relapse prevention and
generalization of skills in your next session. Indicate if you plan
to help family connect to any resources.
Primary goal for next session will be generalization of skills to M's job (talking to her boss). Will
also link this to relapse potentials if she were to quit her job. Will also follow-up on their
negotiation of youth getting part time job. Will help them strategize job application opportunities
and discuss the process of picking up applications and filling them out in a way that matches
relational functions.
Between Session Intervention Plans: Describe what
interventions (phone calls, learning about family/community
resources, etc) you plan before next session.
Before next session, I'll contact Planned Parenthood and learn who youth should contact, learn
about their safe sex education practices (does it match M and youth's beliefs), costs, and class
schedule.
Agency Related Information
60 minute session occurred on 10/19/07 with Mom and Youth. Next session scheduled for
10/30/07 at 6:00pm.
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Signed:_________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________
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Terminating a Case
When you FFT services are finished for a family (due to successful completion, drop-out, or
never began), the case should be terminated in the CSS. It is important to enter this data as
accurately as possible to ensure that information about your work with families and your
team’s outcome data is correct.
In the CSS, select:
 Close a Case
 Add New Termination


Termination Date: date of last contact or last session (not date you are entering data)
Termination Phase: phase of last contact or session

Three options for how to code a case termination:
1. Finished Counseling: a case is considered “finished” when the therapist and family
complete FFT services (phase goals achieved, risk factors reduced, protective factors
enhanced)
a. Select your assessment of the level of success achieved with the family
i. Positive: all treatment goals achieved and risk factors reduced
ii. Moderate: most treatment goals achieved and risk factors reduced
iii. Satisfactory: some treatment goals achieved and risk factors reduced
iv. Non-Significant: some goals achieved but did not impact risk factors
v. No Change: no goals achieved and no risk factors reduced
vi. Negative: family is worse as result of treatment
2. Dropped Out of Counseling: a case is considered “dropped out” when the family
does not complete FFT services
a. Select the best description for why family did not complete FFT
i. Moved prior to completing program
ii. Incarcerated (therapy ends)—family did not complete because youth
was arrested and incarcerated/placed in remand during the course of
FFT treatment. (Note: sometimes youth are placed in remand for a
matter of weeks—discuss with your consultant/supervisor to
determine if services should continue while youth is in placement and
whether FFT sessions can occur at youth’s placement location)
iii. Phone not working/Can’t contact: therapy ends because family can
no longer be reached by phone or drop-by visits. (Note: if you are
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having a difficult time contacting family once you’ve started seeing
them, discuss with your consultant/supervisor to determine all
avenues to contact families)
iv. Quit/Drop out after contact: therapy ends because family quits
showing up for sessions, family is not home for sessions, family does
not return messages, family unwilling to continue FFT
v. Runaway: therapy ends because youth runs away and does not return
home
b. Select time of drop-out
i. Prior to beginning: FFT ended after contacting family but before
session 1
ii. After 1st session
iii. After 2nd session
iv. After 3rd-5th session
v. After more than 6 sessions
c. Select Phase of Drop Out
****IMPORTANT NOTE: IF A FAMILY DOES NOT COMPLETE FFT FOR ANY REASONS, DO NOT
COMPLETE THE “FINISHED RESULT” SECTION. IF YOU SELECT ANY OPTIONS UNDER “FINISHED
RESULT” THE CASE WILL BE INACCURATELY LABELED AS COMPLETED.
3. Family Never Seen: FFT services never started and family was never seen for any
sessions
a. Select reason for family never starting:
i. Declined services…never began: family refused to start FFT
ii. Never contacted: therapist was never able to have any contact with
family and FFT never started
iii. Made appointment, client never attended: Contact had been made
with family and 1st session had been scheduled, but family did not
show and therapist was not able to remain in contact with family
Once that termination page has been completed, submit the data (which returns you to the CSS
Home page)
 Select Termination again (make sure correct client name is in drop-down box in upper
right corner of home page.
 Enter TOM
 Enter in adolescent COM-A
 Enter in parent-figure(s) COM-P
 As the final step, select “Close this Case”
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o This will officially terminate the case and remove this case from your active case
list
o You can reactivate a case at any time (for boosters, etc) by going back to the CSS
home page and selecting “Closed Case List” on the right hand side “Report”
section. You will be taken to the list of your inactive cases and you can select
“Reactivate” which will return this case to your active case list.
o You will have to terminate it again by going to the termination page and
selecting “Close this Case”. This will not confound your case data and report it as
having “two closures”…the case will have the one final closure reported.
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