Family Integrated Transitions (FIT) provides individual and family services to juvenile offenders with mental health and chemical dependency disorders during the period of transition of the youth from incarceration back to the community.
The goals of the FIT program include:
- Lowering the risk for recidivism
- Connecting the family with appropriate community supports
- Achieving youth abstinence from alcohol and other drugs
- Improving the mental health status of the youth
- Increasing prosocial behavior
The program is an intensive 6 month family and community-based treatment program that focuses on youth transitioning from facilities to home.
The first two months of treatment works on transitional needs (mental and physical health, academic, housing, safety, support structure and monitoring, etc.) of youth and family to increase success of transition from facility to home.
The next four months of treatment is focused on addressing all environmental systems that impact chronic and violent juvenile offenders in their homes, with families, schools and teachers, neighborhoods and friends.
FIT uses the MST model with elements of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and relapse prevention.
- MST-FIT clinicians go to where the child is and are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- They work intensively with parents and caregivers to put them in control
- The therapist works with the caregivers to keep the adolescent focused on school and gaining job skills
- The therapist and caregivers introduce the youth to sports and recreational activities as an alternative to hanging out