"Not Just One, It's Both of Us": Low-Income Mothers' Perceptions of Structural Family Therapy Delivered in a Semi-rural Community Mental Health Center.

ABSTRACT

Qualitative methods were used to explore mothers' perceptions of structural family therapy (SFT) delivered in a semi-rural community mental health clinic. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen mothers who received SFT after seeking services for their children. Thematic analysis suggests mothers found SFT acceptable and valuable. Mothers reported using SFT strategies to regain parental authority, which they believed improved their ability to manage their child's needs and decreased their own stress. SFT also increased some mothers' receptivity to individual treatment. Mothers identified their low dose of treatment and lack of father involvement as impediments to improvement, raising concerns about intervention sustainability.