title: Strategic interventions within a no-treatment frame.
abstract: It is the thesis of this paper that there are some problem contexts in which the risk for either no-response or negative effects of therapy are considerably greater than the probability of positive outcomes, despite the competence level of the therapist or special characteristics of the client system. It is these contexts that warrant the inclusion of a no-treatment option among therapists' current range of treatment choices. Rather than turning client systems away in an absolute sense, however, no-treatment is presented as a frame in which therapists are not obligated to help change a problem but may continue to have some form of contact with the client-system. Four no-treatment prescriptions are presented that can be employed strategically either to increase available opportunities for therapist leverage within a problem context, or to amplify competence in pivotal family members when the problem context demands immediate competent responses. Case studies are presented to highlight the contextual information used in making no-treatment decisions.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012944:Social Support