Describes an ecological approach to family counseling to untangle the various influences on a child’s development. This framework is a way of reaching effective therapeutic interventions based on the characteristics of the child, parent-child interactions, peer relations, teacher-child interactions, and the neighborhood and school environments in which the family and child live. Central to this framework is the health maintenance model of mental health, which proposes frequent check-ups at key transition points in a child’s development, especially for families in transition or individuals who are developmentally vulnerable. The health maintenance model of mental health offers services that are assessment-driven rather than theory-driven, and focuses on dimensions of mental health that are systemically connected in a family. The clinical application of this model involves: (1) comprehensive assessment involving data gathering from a variety of sources; (2) case management; and (3) intervention, including monitoring of goals by family and therapist. Appropriate interventions for this model include family therapy and parenting interventions to reduce home conflict and child behavior problems, school-based work with children and peers to reduce problems both at school and at home, and home-to-school contacts and behavior plans to reduce problems at school while linking parents and teachers.
