ABSTRACT

In this chapter, we review the nearly forty-year history of the Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) approach to treating adolescent problem behaviors. This research program has occurred in many phases, and we have organized the chapter to reflect the development of the BSFT approach. The chapter is organized into two major sections. Part I focuses on “The Brief Strategic Family Therapy Approach” and includes a) History and Background of the BSFT Approach, b) Key Concepts Underlying the BSFT Approach, c) BSFT Treatment Protocol, d) BSFT Research, and e) BSFT Therapist Behaviors, Therapy Processes, and their Relationship to Outcomes. Part II focuses on the BSFT Implementation and includes a) What is BSFT Implementation and Why is it Needed?, and b) the Nuts and Bolts of BSFT Implementation.