ISTAC, by Youth Untroubled, is a therapeutic, bespoke, needs-led treatment programme. ISTAC therapists work primarily with parents/carers, often several times each week, to empower them to regain control of their child/young person’s difficult and often harmful behaviour. This is achieved by building on the family’s strengths and equipping the parents (and other family members and those in the wider support network) with the tools and confidence to deal with current and future problems. Therapists draw on a range of therapeutic models including CBT, behavioural therapy and family therapy, to address the multiple systemic difficulties and overcome the issues preventing progress towards agreed treatment goals. 

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ISTAC therapists work collaboratively with whole networks, and with the systems around the child/young person including schools, peer groups and wider communities to address the factors in each of these systems that may be contributing to the child/young person’s problematic behaviour. 

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Therapy takes place in family homes and other environments where the difficulties tend to occur, and therapists work flexible hours, so that the problems can be addressed when they happen, and where they happen. The team are on call 24/7 to ensure plans stay on track and families can access support as and when they need it, especially at the early stages of therapy.