PROTOCOL: Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) for young people in treatment for non‐opioid drug use

Abstract

This publication is a Campbell Systematic Review of the effect of the family therapy approach Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) for treatment for non-opioid drug use (cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine) among young people aged 11-21 years. The misuse of prescription drugs and the use of ketamine, nitrous oxide and inhalants such as glue and petrol are not considered in this review.Recent reports describe an alarming trend of drug use by young people and a lack of available treatment for those who require it. BSFT is a manual-based family therapy approach that seeks to reduce drug use among young people and to correct the problem behavior that often accompanies drug use by addressing the mediating family risk factors. This approach is based on the assumption that the family exerts a profound influence on child and youth development. It is also assumed that interventions needs to be well planned, problem-focused, and tailored to the unique characteristics of the individual family. BSFT initially targets those patterns of interactions that most directly influence the youth’s behavior.