DEVELOPED AS A SUPPLEMENT TO SERVICES OF THE JUVENILE COURT IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO., THE HIFT FORM OF FAMILY INTERVENTION REPRESENTS AN ALTERNATIVE TYPE OF THERAPY FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO MEET THE TIME DEMANDS OF LONG-TERM THERAPY. THE GENERAL GOAL IS TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM BY PROVIDING THERAPEUTIC SERVICES THAT REBUILD AND RESTRUCTURE FAMILIES OF STATUS OFFENDERS AND PREVENT THEIR PLACEMENT OUTSIDE THE HOME. IMPLEMENTING HIFT POSED A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN OVERALL STRATEGY FOR A PARTICULAR FAMILY, THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT THERAPISTS TO READ NONVERBAL CUES DURING THERAPY, WHETHER THERE WOULD BE A LEADER AMONG THERAPISTS IN ANY GIVEN PART OF THERAPY, AND WHAT RECOURSES ARE AVAILABLE TO A MEMBER TOTALLY OPPOSED TO THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. BASED ON EFFORTS TO CREATE A TEAM TREATMENT MODEL, TWO MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS ARE PERTINENT FOR COHESIVE AND ORDERLY TREATMENT: (1) ALL MEMBERS OF THE TEAM MUST ACCEPT EACH OTHER'S THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING; AND (2) ONE MEMBER MUST ASSUME THE DESIGNATED LEADER POSITION DURING ANY PART OF THE HIFT PROCESS. AREAS ON WHICH THE HIFT PROCESS FOCUSES ARE FOURFOLD: INSTILLING HOPE IN A FAMILY THAT FEELS HOPELESS OR FEELS THAT NOTHING WILL CHANGE; HAVING FAMILY MEMBERS RECOGNIZE THEIR DISFUNCTIONAL PROCESSES; POSSIBLE ALTERING OF PROBLEMATIC CONDITIONS TOWARD MORE FUNCTIONAL CONDITIONS; AND HAVING FAMILIES BEGIN PRACTICING ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES. THESE FOUR ELEMENTS OF THE HIFT PROCESS (HOPE, RECOGNITION, CHANGE, AND PRACTICE) CONSTITUTE THE ESSENCE OF THE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH. PRELIMINARY RESULTS BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM HIFT FAMILIES APPEAR TO BE POSITIVE, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO THE PERCEPTIVENESS OF THERAPISTS. A FURTHER OBSERVATION HAS SHOWN THAT FAMILIES DEMONSTRATE EXTREME CHANGE IN THEIR VIEWS ABOUT THE FUNCTION OF THE JUVENILE COURT. PROCEDURES FOLLOWED IN THERAPY SESSIONS ARE DETAILED, AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)