
Effectiveness		MDFT is recognized for its consistent effects on substance abuse, delinquency, school, mental health, out-of-home placements, family stability, and treatment retention.

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Crime & Delinquency

For a list of publications on MDFT and delinquency, click here.

Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) decreases crime and delinquency significantly more than standard treatments, and has been successfully studied and implemented in juvenile justice settings.

The National Institute of Justice has given MDFT its highest possible rating for efficacy. MDFT has also been recognized as an effective intervention for juvenile delinquency by Canada’s National Crime Prevention Centre and the Dutch Youth Institute.

Liddle, H. A., Rowe, C. L., Dakof, G. A., Henderson, C. & Greenbaum, P. (2009). Multidimensional Family Therapy for early adolescent substance abusers: Twelve month outcomes of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(1), 12-25. doi: 10.1037/a0014160
Dakof, G.A., Henderson, C., Rowe, C.L., Boustani, M., Greenbaum, P.E., Wang, W.,... Liddle H.A. (2015). A randomized clinical trial of family therapy in juvenile drug court. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(2), 232-241. doi: 10.1037/fam0000053
Schaub, M. P., Henderson, C. E., Pelc, I., Tossmann, P., Phan, O., Hendriks, V., ... Rigter, H. (2014). Multidimensional Family Therapy decreases the rate of externalising behavioural disorder symptoms in cannabis abusing adolescents: Outcomes of the INCANT trial. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 26.

Implement an MDFT Program.