Johnna BrownFamily Therapist

Institute for Family Development

• Developers of the HOMEBUILDERS Program• Provides intensive in-home services to

children & families– Crisis intervention– Counseling– Life-skills education

• Provided training & technical assistance over 20 years nationally & internationally to public & private human service agency professionals

Key Program Elements

• Intervention at the crisis point• Treatment in the client’s home• Accessibility & responsiveness: on

call to clients 24/7• Intensity: services are time-limited

& concentrated• Low caseloads: therapists carry 2-3

case at a time• Research-based interventions:

crisis intervention, motivational interviewing, parent education, skill building and cognitive/behavioral therapy

Key Program Elements

• Flexibility: services are proved when & where the client wishes

• Therapists provide a wide range of services:– Helping clients meet basic

needs of food, clothing, & shelter

– Teach basic skills• Using public transportation

system• Budgeting• Dealing with social services

system

Therapists provide a wide range of services

– Educate families in areas associated with counseling• Child development• Parenting skills• Anger management• Other mood management

skills• Communication skills• Assertiveness

HOMEBUILDERS Model

• 28 day intensive intervention

• CPS referrals where imminent risk of permanent placement of child/children in state-funded care

• Family has to be willing to agree to intervention and to meet 10 hours face-to-face

• Reunification where there are still risk factors

About Johnna

• Graduated with a BA in Psychology from Western Washington University

• Graduated with a MSW from Eastern Washington University (yes, she knows Jim!)

• Likes most about job:– Short interventions, “you’re there and then you’re

gone”

More About Johnna

• Likes most about job:– Variety: Every family is different, issues are

different• Likes least about job:– Contact with caseworkers at CPS• Not always easy to get a hold of them• Unrealistic expectations• Not told everything going on, “left out on a limb”

Johnna’s Duties

• Meet family within 24 hours of referral

• Build rapport w/family and assess the 1st week

• Create a service plan• Teach skills• Connect family with

services: go with them and/or provide transportation if needed

More Job Duties for Johnna

• Contact CPS caseworker once a week

• Complete termination summary for CPS– What was done– How family reacted– Recommendations

• Change(s) Johnna would make with the job:– No changes– Likes what she does– Likes the

HOMEBUILDERS Model

Additional Job Information

• Cause(s) of family violence in families she’s been involved with:– Drugs are almost always

involved• Meth use

– Paranoia

• Advice to future social workers:– Gather information from

many areas, not just parent(s)/child(ren)to determine what’s going on

Essential Elements

• Intervention:– Teaching skills , developing a

service plan, setting goals,– Goals of intervention is to

prevent out-of-home placement and to prevent future crisis

– Motivational interviewing to motivate change

– REBT: Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy

• Prevention:– Knowledge of child

development and age appropriate expectations

– Supervision of children– Education– Skills – Safety– Connections to

resources

Institute for Family Development

• Main Office & Training Division– 34004 16th Avenue South, Suite 200– Federal Way, WA 98003-8903

• Local Branch Office (Serving Yakima, Benton, Franklin, Grant, Adams, Kittitas, & Walla Walla Counties):

• Yakima– 413 B North 20th Avenue– Yakima, WA 98902– 509-457-8151