There are five themes intertwined in the company name.
First Things First.
We usually start building capacity by consulting on an organization’s complex cases following an initial training. An essential part of our problem-solving process is to start by focusing on the knowable and resolvable rather than the seemingly impossible. We also advocate for a progressive process in which relationships are developed before they are challenged. For example, we start by helping consultees design contexts in which the child or client is reliably happy, relaxed, engaged, and free from problem behavior. We help consultees over-teach important social skills prior to supporting the development of more complex repertoires and expecting those repertoires in varied situations.
Face To Face.
Our consults start with face-to-face meetings and interactions—there is no record review or advice offered until face-to-face interviews and training take place. We travel to organizations that seek out our training and consultative support and see them weekly via videoconferencing technology. We also confront problems with our consultees; we share ownership of the problems to be addressed with our consultees so that the problems are easier to face and resolve together.
Free The Function.
A good foundation for understanding problem behavior has been built by researchers asking general questions about problem behavior in controlled analyses (e.g., is problem behavior occurring to escape an unpleasant situation, or is problem behavior occurring to gain other’s attention?). It is now understood that these types of questions are often too simple and the means by which these answers are sought too impersonal to reveal an understanding capable of informing a meaningful outcome from treatment. A more contemporary understanding is that attempting to identify the function of a problem behavior is both a language trap, limiting one’s ability to identify qualitatively rich interactions influencing problem behavior, and a process trap, increasing risk during analyses and preventing the practitioner from achieving socially meaningful treatment outcomes. Our aim is to free the function of behavior (and practitioners) from these language and process traps.
For The Family.
Sleep problems and food selectivity/refusal are major stressors to family. Severe problem behavior can lead to highly restrictive lifestyles, out-of-school placements, and residential care. Our aim is to help families and professionals address these behavioral issues so the children/individuals being supported through FTF consultation can be involved in their communities in diverse and meaningful ways and live in harmony with others.
For The Future.
We help prepare organizations for inevitable budgetary constraints by teaching their personnel to understand and routinely implement more efficient processes for addressing problem behavior, to integrate programs for preventing the development of intractable problem behavior into their curricula, and to bring these processes to scale through a train-the-trainer model of support. We also help organizations diversify experiences of the professionals charged with addressing problem behavior to prevent burn-out and develop sustainable careers.
