Mindful Continuing Education

1. Although most programs serving youth experiencing homelessness use some form of family intervention to address conflict and help reconnect youth with families when appropriate, there is limited evidence as to which programs have the greatest success.

2. Ecologically Based Family Therapy (EBFT) is an evidence-based strategy designed to support positive family connections as well as communication and problem-solving skills.

3. Core components of evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions for youth experiencing homelessness include each of the following EXCEPT:

4. In recent years, research has suggested that youth who identify as LGBTQ are overrepresented among youth experiencing homelessness, and this has led to the development of numerous interventions that focus on the needs of LGBTQ youth and their families.

5. Providers of homeless youth services have noted the importance of gaining parents' trust, working cooperatively with parents, and:

6. One challenge of family intervention models is that even though they may improve family functioning, they may not fully address other family challenges and needs, such as serious mental illness or the need for stable housing.

7. Risk factors for youth experiencing homelessness generally include:

8. Recent national survey data suggest that approximately 25 percent of youth run away from home before age 18, many of those run away multiple times, and those who leave because of abuse generally enter a runaway and homeless youth program (RHY).

9. Homeless advocates contend that early intervention for youth who have left home for the first time provides the most hope of reunification, since when young people get older and families are more strained by years of conflict, reunification is less likely.

10. While reconnection interventions typically support youth and their families in the transition to living together again, reunification interventions focus on improving family functioning after a separation.

11. Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) has been rigorously evaluated as an evidence-based intervention that changes maladaptive patterns within and around the family by enhancing family interactions and communication.

12. Which of the following are NOT addressed when assessing positive youth outcomes of evidence-informed programs?

13. One promising intervention to help homeless youth is On the Way Home (OTWH), a transition program that provides parent training, homework support, and school-based mentoring for boys recently discharged from a continuum of out-of-home placement settings.

14. While family-focused interventions from child welfare and juvenile justice sectors often focus on common risk and protective factors, they do not necessarily consider the unique aspects of working with youth experiencing homelessness.

15. An emerging trend in interventions for homeless youth is to frequently track housing or homelessness as a long-term outcome.

16. Poor outcomes for Native American youth include living with families who may be transient or shifting locations frequently, and the tendency to be at risk for:

17. In addition to establishing and preserving trust, key components for working with parents of homeless youth include helping them connect with resources, considering a trauma-informed approach, and maintaining cultural competence.

18. While research indicates that youth experiencing homelessness are often willing to participate in reunification and reconnection efforts, they are generally reluctant to meet in their family homes during the process.

19. One substantial barrier to adopting proven family intervention models in RHY settings is the overwhelming nature of their core task, which is to:

20. Implementing proven family intervention strategies with fidelity may require substantial resources to hire qualified staff, offer staff training and program monitoring, and budget adequate staff hours to carry out services, which is often too costly for service providers.

21. Key factors that must be addressed while working toward improving overall family functioning include:

22. The most promising models for evaluating the effectiveness of family interventions include each of the following EXCEPT:

23. A significant limitation in addressing the needs of youth experiencing homelessness is the lack of school-based interventions that target this population and their families.

24. The phases of Functional Family Therapy include engaging and motivating family members by fostering positive contexts in which positive changes are more likely to occur, using parent training, problem-solving skills training, and communication training to promote behavioral changes, and:

25. Support to Reunite, Involve, and Value Each Other (STRIVE) is a family therapy intervention for newly homeless youth that is based on interpersonal and motivational theories designed to build systemic strength-based skills within the family.