See content from this manual in Vimeo and YouTube videos:
MDFT Intro Part 1 https://www.youtub... more See content from this manual in Vimeo and YouTube videos:
This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-yea... more This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-year and 8-year) sustainment of 137 programs in Europe and North America implementing a single evidence-based practice (EBP), Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). MDFT implementation and sustainment is based on the Stages of Implementation (SIC) model outlined by Saldana and colleagues. The study had two primary objectives: (1) to examine short-term and longer-term sustainment rates of MDFT in Europe and North America, and (2) to explore potential factors that may be associated with sustainment of MDFT in particular, and the potential implications for behavioral health EBPs more generally. Results show that 90% of MDFT programs were sustained for at least 2 years, 87% of the programs sustained for at least 5 years, and 70% for at least 8 years. These findings compare favorably with the previous research on implementing and sustaining evidence-based practices. The findings support the gro...
For some adolescent gamers, playing online games may
become problematic, impairing functioning in... more For some adolescent gamers, playing online games may become problematic, impairing functioning in personal, family, and other life domains. Parental and family factors are known to influence the odds that adolescents may develop problematic gaming (PG), negative parenting and conflictual family dynamics increasing the risk, whereas positive parenting and developmentally supportive family dynamics protecting against PG. This suggests that a treatment for adolescent PG should not only address the gaming behaviors and personal characteristics of the youth, but also the parental and family domains. An established research-supported treatment meeting these requirements is multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), which we adapted for use as adolescent PG treatment. We report here on one adaptation, applying in-session gaming. In-session demonstration of the “problem behavior” is feasible and informative in PG. In the opening stage of therapy, we use in-session gaming to establish an alliance between the therapist and the youth. By inviting them to play games, the therapist demonstrates that they are taken seriously, thus boosting treatment motivation. Later in treatment, gaming is introduced in family sessions, offering useful opportunities to intervene in family members' perspectives and interactional patterns revealed in vivo as the youth plays the game. These sessions can trigger strong emotions and reactions from the parents and youth and give rise to maladaptive transactions between the family members, thus offering ways to facilitate new discussions and experiences of each other. The insights gained from the game demonstration sessions aid the therapeutic process, more so than mere discussion about gaming.
Sustainment rates for MDFT in North America and Europe, 2022
This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-yea... more This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-year and 8-year) sustainment of 137 programs in Europe and North America implementing a single evidence-based practice (EBP), Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). MDFT implementation and sustainment is based on the Stages of Implementation (SIC) model outlined by Saldana and colleagues. The study had two primary objectives: (1) to examine short-term and longer-term sustainment rates of MDFT in Europe and North America, and (2) to explore potential factors that may be associated with sustainment of MDFT in particular, and the potential implications for behavioral health EBPs more generally. Results show that 90% of MDFT programs were sustained for at least 2 years, 87% of the programs sustained for at least 5 years, and 70% for at least 8 years. These findings compare favorably with the previous research on implementing and sustaining evidencebased practices. The findings support the growing consensus that not only start-up funding but also ongoing financing either through governments or third-party payors may be essential for longer-term sustainability of EBPs in both Europe and North America. This study also highlights the potential value of multi-site program networks. Future research directions are suggested, such as examination of the potential importance of the quality and nature of the EBP itself, adaptability to different organizations and clients, and providing high-quality structured and empowering training and quality assurance to sustain evidence-based behavioral health interventions. These programmatic and clinician-level factors are critical areas for further investigation into the sustainment of EBPs.
Abstract 1. Attempts to move beyond the general guideline-proposing stage regarding the integrati... more Abstract 1. Attempts to move beyond the general guideline-proposing stage regarding the integration of approaches to family therapy by discussing some of the issues and problems inherent in a developing formulation of a structural-strategic family therapy that relies heavily on such constructs as dialectics, the expandability and contractability of therapeutic contexts, and coevolution. A key area of focus in model construction will be in the decision-making process about such issues as what to include or omit.(49 ref)(PsycINFO Database Record ...
This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a c... more This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a comprehensive treatment for youth substance abuse and antisocial behaviors. Findings from four types of MDFT studies are discussed: hybrid efficacy/effectiveness randomized controlled trials, therapy process studies, cost analyses, and implementation trials. This research has evaluated various versions of MDFT. These studies have systematically tested adaptations of MDFT for diverse treatment settings in different care sectors (mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, and child welfare), as well as adaptations according to treatment delivery features and client impairment level, including adolescents presenting with multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Many published scientific reviews, including meta-analyses, national and international government publications, and evidence-based treatment registries, offer consistent conclusions about the clinical effectiveness of MDFT compared with...
This paper argues for a broadening of the very mission of family therapy training. This challenge... more This paper argues for a broadening of the very mission of family therapy training. This challenge to family therapy trainers is organized according to the following four-tiered schema: a) within family therapy, b) between family therapy and psychotherapy, c) among family therapy and other related fields, and d) between family therapy and society. At each of these levels, important questions for family therapy trainers are posed and discussed.
BACKGROUND FACTORS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The main title of Danzer’s article—“Helping Adolescent... more BACKGROUND FACTORS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The main title of Danzer’s article—“Helping Adolescents Just Say No to Drugs”—invites clarification of both the orientation and specific methods of MDFT. In virtually any context, simply invoking youth and drug use easily prompts associations to historically significant U.S. cultural events such as the War on Drugs and the Just Say No to Drugs campaigns. While planting adolescent substance abuse in our nation’s consciousness, the intervention strategies accompanying these efforts were starkly dissimilar to today’s researchsupportedapproaches.Contemporary thinkingandtechniques rely on contextual and developmental frameworks; on dynamic systems conceptualizations of human and multisystem processes; on interventions that include logic models of change incorporating theoretical and empirical elements; and on manual-guided prescriptions about an intervener’s multifaceted role and the intervention’s social context. Today’s notions about treating youth drug misuse represent a paradigm shift apart from a “Just Say No” strategy. Early reviews of research on teen drug treatment bemoaned methodological imperfections and, more fundamentally, the scarcity of controlled studies. Over the years a
This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disor... more This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disorders to treat. It impacts on schools, community-based programs, mental health and medical facilities, and juvenile justice settings. This book provides practitioners, program developers and policy makers with practical information for improving outcomes in adolescent substance abuse. The authors cover a range of issues, including empirically based treatment development protocols, how to incorporate innovative treatment models into diverse clinical settings; research advances; interventions with special populations, culturally based intervention guidelines, and recommendations for practice and policy.
Abstract 1. This book presents a thorough and concise historical overview of the emerging science... more Abstract 1. This book presents a thorough and concise historical overview of the emerging science of family intervention, which is considered the applied branch of family psychology. Leading experts in the field present therapy techniques, procedures, and research strategies that are empirically based. Contributors stress the need to link research and practice so that questions targeted by researchers are those confronted by clinicians and results can directly influence the practice of family therapy. Also emphasized is the need to identify specific ...
See content from this manual in Vimeo and YouTube videos:
MDFT Intro Part 1 https://www.youtub... more See content from this manual in Vimeo and YouTube videos:
This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-yea... more This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-year and 8-year) sustainment of 137 programs in Europe and North America implementing a single evidence-based practice (EBP), Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). MDFT implementation and sustainment is based on the Stages of Implementation (SIC) model outlined by Saldana and colleagues. The study had two primary objectives: (1) to examine short-term and longer-term sustainment rates of MDFT in Europe and North America, and (2) to explore potential factors that may be associated with sustainment of MDFT in particular, and the potential implications for behavioral health EBPs more generally. Results show that 90% of MDFT programs were sustained for at least 2 years, 87% of the programs sustained for at least 5 years, and 70% for at least 8 years. These findings compare favorably with the previous research on implementing and sustaining evidence-based practices. The findings support the gro...
For some adolescent gamers, playing online games may
become problematic, impairing functioning in... more For some adolescent gamers, playing online games may become problematic, impairing functioning in personal, family, and other life domains. Parental and family factors are known to influence the odds that adolescents may develop problematic gaming (PG), negative parenting and conflictual family dynamics increasing the risk, whereas positive parenting and developmentally supportive family dynamics protecting against PG. This suggests that a treatment for adolescent PG should not only address the gaming behaviors and personal characteristics of the youth, but also the parental and family domains. An established research-supported treatment meeting these requirements is multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), which we adapted for use as adolescent PG treatment. We report here on one adaptation, applying in-session gaming. In-session demonstration of the “problem behavior” is feasible and informative in PG. In the opening stage of therapy, we use in-session gaming to establish an alliance between the therapist and the youth. By inviting them to play games, the therapist demonstrates that they are taken seriously, thus boosting treatment motivation. Later in treatment, gaming is introduced in family sessions, offering useful opportunities to intervene in family members' perspectives and interactional patterns revealed in vivo as the youth plays the game. These sessions can trigger strong emotions and reactions from the parents and youth and give rise to maladaptive transactions between the family members, thus offering ways to facilitate new discussions and experiences of each other. The insights gained from the game demonstration sessions aid the therapeutic process, more so than mere discussion about gaming.
Sustainment rates for MDFT in North America and Europe, 2022
This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-yea... more This retrospective non-experimental study examined the short-term (2-year) and longer-term (5-year and 8-year) sustainment of 137 programs in Europe and North America implementing a single evidence-based practice (EBP), Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). MDFT implementation and sustainment is based on the Stages of Implementation (SIC) model outlined by Saldana and colleagues. The study had two primary objectives: (1) to examine short-term and longer-term sustainment rates of MDFT in Europe and North America, and (2) to explore potential factors that may be associated with sustainment of MDFT in particular, and the potential implications for behavioral health EBPs more generally. Results show that 90% of MDFT programs were sustained for at least 2 years, 87% of the programs sustained for at least 5 years, and 70% for at least 8 years. These findings compare favorably with the previous research on implementing and sustaining evidencebased practices. The findings support the growing consensus that not only start-up funding but also ongoing financing either through governments or third-party payors may be essential for longer-term sustainability of EBPs in both Europe and North America. This study also highlights the potential value of multi-site program networks. Future research directions are suggested, such as examination of the potential importance of the quality and nature of the EBP itself, adaptability to different organizations and clients, and providing high-quality structured and empowering training and quality assurance to sustain evidence-based behavioral health interventions. These programmatic and clinician-level factors are critical areas for further investigation into the sustainment of EBPs.
Abstract 1. Attempts to move beyond the general guideline-proposing stage regarding the integrati... more Abstract 1. Attempts to move beyond the general guideline-proposing stage regarding the integration of approaches to family therapy by discussing some of the issues and problems inherent in a developing formulation of a structural-strategic family therapy that relies heavily on such constructs as dialectics, the expandability and contractability of therapeutic contexts, and coevolution. A key area of focus in model construction will be in the decision-making process about such issues as what to include or omit.(49 ref)(PsycINFO Database Record ...
This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a c... more This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a comprehensive treatment for youth substance abuse and antisocial behaviors. Findings from four types of MDFT studies are discussed: hybrid efficacy/effectiveness randomized controlled trials, therapy process studies, cost analyses, and implementation trials. This research has evaluated various versions of MDFT. These studies have systematically tested adaptations of MDFT for diverse treatment settings in different care sectors (mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, and child welfare), as well as adaptations according to treatment delivery features and client impairment level, including adolescents presenting with multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Many published scientific reviews, including meta-analyses, national and international government publications, and evidence-based treatment registries, offer consistent conclusions about the clinical effectiveness of MDFT compared with...
This paper argues for a broadening of the very mission of family therapy training. This challenge... more This paper argues for a broadening of the very mission of family therapy training. This challenge to family therapy trainers is organized according to the following four-tiered schema: a) within family therapy, b) between family therapy and psychotherapy, c) among family therapy and other related fields, and d) between family therapy and society. At each of these levels, important questions for family therapy trainers are posed and discussed.
BACKGROUND FACTORS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The main title of Danzer’s article—“Helping Adolescent... more BACKGROUND FACTORS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The main title of Danzer’s article—“Helping Adolescents Just Say No to Drugs”—invites clarification of both the orientation and specific methods of MDFT. In virtually any context, simply invoking youth and drug use easily prompts associations to historically significant U.S. cultural events such as the War on Drugs and the Just Say No to Drugs campaigns. While planting adolescent substance abuse in our nation’s consciousness, the intervention strategies accompanying these efforts were starkly dissimilar to today’s researchsupportedapproaches.Contemporary thinkingandtechniques rely on contextual and developmental frameworks; on dynamic systems conceptualizations of human and multisystem processes; on interventions that include logic models of change incorporating theoretical and empirical elements; and on manual-guided prescriptions about an intervener’s multifaceted role and the intervention’s social context. Today’s notions about treating youth drug misuse represent a paradigm shift apart from a “Just Say No” strategy. Early reviews of research on teen drug treatment bemoaned methodological imperfections and, more fundamentally, the scarcity of controlled studies. Over the years a
This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disor... more This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disorders to treat. It impacts on schools, community-based programs, mental health and medical facilities, and juvenile justice settings. This book provides practitioners, program developers and policy makers with practical information for improving outcomes in adolescent substance abuse. The authors cover a range of issues, including empirically based treatment development protocols, how to incorporate innovative treatment models into diverse clinical settings; research advances; interventions with special populations, culturally based intervention guidelines, and recommendations for practice and policy.
Abstract 1. This book presents a thorough and concise historical overview of the emerging science... more Abstract 1. This book presents a thorough and concise historical overview of the emerging science of family intervention, which is considered the applied branch of family psychology. Leading experts in the field present therapy techniques, procedures, and research strategies that are empirically based. Contributors stress the need to link research and practice so that questions targeted by researchers are those confronted by clinicians and results can directly influence the practice of family therapy. Also emphasized is the need to identify specific ...
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Books by Howard Liddle
MDFT Intro Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiOiOERc82o&ab_channel=MultidimensionalFamilyTherapy%28MDFT%29
And Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzjGqlPlU-g&ab_channel=MultidimensionalFamilyTherapy%28MDFT%29
Papers by Howard Liddle
become problematic, impairing functioning in personal,
family, and other life domains. Parental and family factors
are known to influence the odds that adolescents may
develop problematic gaming (PG), negative parenting and
conflictual family dynamics increasing the risk, whereas
positive parenting and developmentally supportive family
dynamics protecting against PG. This suggests that a treatment
for adolescent PG should not only address the gaming
behaviors and personal characteristics of the youth, but
also the parental and family domains. An established
research-supported treatment meeting these requirements
is multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), which we
adapted for use as adolescent PG treatment. We report here
on one adaptation, applying in-session gaming.
In-session demonstration of the “problem behavior” is
feasible and informative in PG. In the opening stage of
therapy, we use in-session gaming to establish an alliance
between the therapist and the youth. By inviting them to
play games, the therapist demonstrates that they are taken
seriously, thus boosting treatment motivation.
Later in treatment, gaming is introduced in family sessions,
offering useful opportunities to intervene in family
members' perspectives and interactional patterns revealed
in vivo as the youth plays the game. These sessions can
trigger strong emotions and reactions from the parents and
youth and give rise to maladaptive transactions between
the family members, thus offering ways to facilitate new
discussions and experiences of each other. The insights
gained from the game demonstration sessions aid the
therapeutic process, more so than mere discussion about
gaming.
MDFT Intro Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiOiOERc82o&ab_channel=MultidimensionalFamilyTherapy%28MDFT%29
And Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzjGqlPlU-g&ab_channel=MultidimensionalFamilyTherapy%28MDFT%29
become problematic, impairing functioning in personal,
family, and other life domains. Parental and family factors
are known to influence the odds that adolescents may
develop problematic gaming (PG), negative parenting and
conflictual family dynamics increasing the risk, whereas
positive parenting and developmentally supportive family
dynamics protecting against PG. This suggests that a treatment
for adolescent PG should not only address the gaming
behaviors and personal characteristics of the youth, but
also the parental and family domains. An established
research-supported treatment meeting these requirements
is multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), which we
adapted for use as adolescent PG treatment. We report here
on one adaptation, applying in-session gaming.
In-session demonstration of the “problem behavior” is
feasible and informative in PG. In the opening stage of
therapy, we use in-session gaming to establish an alliance
between the therapist and the youth. By inviting them to
play games, the therapist demonstrates that they are taken
seriously, thus boosting treatment motivation.
Later in treatment, gaming is introduced in family sessions,
offering useful opportunities to intervene in family
members' perspectives and interactional patterns revealed
in vivo as the youth plays the game. These sessions can
trigger strong emotions and reactions from the parents and
youth and give rise to maladaptive transactions between
the family members, thus offering ways to facilitate new
discussions and experiences of each other. The insights
gained from the game demonstration sessions aid the
therapeutic process, more so than mere discussion about
gaming.