Whole family therapy helps keep families together
For Dorothea "Dori" Kinzler, helping families reconnect is more than a job—it's a passion. As a Functional Family Therapy (FFT) counselor at South Central Human Service Center, a regional behavioral health clinic in Jamestown, Dori has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of communication, understanding, and tailored support. Her work, focused on the importance of family is especially relevant during May, which is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month.
Nine months ago, North Dakota native Dori returned to Jamestown to join South Central, helping launch its FFT program. With a decade of experience in behavioral health roles and a master’s degree in social work, Dori brings a wealth of experience supporting individuals and families with compassion and purpose. Her previous work includes roles at the North Dakota State Hospital, James River Correctional Center and providing school-based services in Minnesota.
FFT is a short-term, strength-based program designed to improve family dynamics through 10-12 sessions over three to six months. The program is available to families that meet specific criteria and are at a crossroads in their ability to continue functioning in the community as a family unit. FFT counselors, like Dori, focus on helping youth ages 11-18 and their families strengthen relationships, improve communication and foster functional family units that can remain together.
Referrals to FFT often come from the regional behavioral health clinics’ youth and family teams, Child Protective Services, or juvenile justice systems. Unlike traditional family therapy, FFT focuses on the relational dynamics within the entire family unit.
"It’s about the whole family," Dori explains. "When a child or a parent faces challenges, we focus on how everyone responds and work together to create positive change."
Dori works with families through five key phases:
Engage with the family.
Identify patterns of conflict.
Assess family roles.
Teach new skills to address target behaviors.
Wrap around additional supports to include services that sustain the positive changes made in the home and transfer the skills taught to life in the community.
Dori describes an experience for families that teaches practical skills, even assigning activities to practice between sessions. For example, with a family whose members are learning to identify when a conflict escalates and better regulate emotions, she has taught them a “Stop” technique, which might even include family members holding up a homemade 'stop sign' to pause heated moments.
“That’s just one example that might work for one family as they learn to identify these critical moments in their communication,” Dori remarks, of the skills and solutions she and her clients seek to employ. “It’s about developing a tailor-made plan that addresses the specific issues of each family unit and creating real, lasting change."
Dori adjusts her schedule to accommodate family needs—often in meeting them at their homes and outside traditional working hours. Families who meet the criteria for FFT may also qualify for financial assistance. These efforts by the team help reduce barriers to participation and support successful completion of therapy.
“We understand how important it is to help families succeed at communicating and being a functional unit, so we do everything we can to eliminate the barriers to participating in the program,” Dori identifies. "That financial relief and flexible scheduling allows families to focus on what matters most: healing and growth.”
Building trust isn’t always easy, and Dori acknowledges that her presence isn’t always immediately welcomed.
“I focus on being transparent, honest, and real with my families,” she explains. She recalls a moment when her straightforward approach helped foster mutual respect and build trust. During a visit, she asked a family about their hopes and goals. One individual candidly replied that they wished she didn’t have to come to their home. “I smiled and said, ‘Okay, let’s see if we can make that happen.’”
FFT does not exist in a vacuum. As families complete FFT, Dori and her counterparts at the regional behavioral health clinics statewide seek to connect their families to continued support, called wraparound services. This might involve additional counseling within the clinics, or helping them connect with local organizations, churches, school groups and other programs that support the family’s specific needs.
Dori is encouraged by the progress she sees families make, knowing that it truly makes an impact and can change lives. She cites examples where school personnel have commented on positive behavioral changes and youth successfully being able to remain at home, thanks to the improved family dynamics fostered through FFT. In another instance, an individual whom the courts recommended for residential placement was able to remain in the community, because of participation in FFT.
“Sometimes progress is subtle, as argumentative and finger-pointing conversations decrease and lighter conversations between family members increase,” Dori recalls. "Other times, it’s a major breakthrough.”
She shares an example of a parent and child who couldn’t share the same physical space without significant conflict erupting. Three months later, that same child hugged their parent.
“Moments like that are why I do this work," Dori notes. "Seeing families laugh together again or communicate without escalating—those are the real victories. It’s about giving families the tools they need to thrive beyond therapy. In the end, I’m just happy I get to do this work."
Read more about Functional Family Therapy in North Dakota.
Learn more about other services provided by our regional behavioral health clinics.