Certification
MDFT certification training and program licensing is available for teams of three or more clinicians. All MDFT training is done on-site at your agency or virtually through Zoom.


General Requirements
The information listed here is not comprehensive. Read our Getting Started guide for full details.
Site & Staff
- A team of a minimum of three clinicians with master's degrees in social work, marriage and family therapy, counseling, or other related clinical fields
- Serving youth who fit MDFT criteria: between ages of 9-26, and having at least one parental figure or guardian who can participate in treatment
- Adequate recording equipment and set-up for recording supervision and therapy sessions
- Cell phones for easy contact between clients and other therapists
- Internet access for entering data into the MDFT Clinical Portal, an online database for tracking outcomes
- Commitment to adhere to MDFT supervision and QA requirements
Caseloads
- Length of treatment generally runs from three to six months
- Number of weekly sessions can range from one to three, tapering down at the end of treatment
- Full-time MDFT therapists who hold some or all sessions in the home have caseloads of 6-10 families (depending on case severity)
- Full-time MDFT therapists who work in office-based outpatient programs have caseloads of 10-20 families (depending on case severity)
Training & Quality Assurance Activities
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Therapist Certification
- Study written and video material, complete exercises, review feedback
- Onsite 2.5-3 Day Introduction
- 12-15 Weekly Team Consultation Calls
- Written assessment 1
- 2 Onsite Intensives (Video Review and Live Supervision for each therapist & instruction on the MDFT Clinical Portal)
- Written assessment 2
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Supervisor Certification
- Onsite Introduction to Supervision
- Supervision written assessment
- Onsite Supervision Intensive
- Review Case Review supervision sessions
- Review feedback to therapists on Weekly Case Plans
- Review Therapist Development Plans
- Review Video Review supervision sessions
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Annual Quality Assurance Activities
- Onsite Booster Training: Video Review and Live Supervision for each therapist, Video Review of Supervision, Consultation on Therapist Development Plans (TDP) and overall program implementation.
- Instructional presentation by trainer on relevant topic(s) to the team
- Review, rating, & feedback on supervision session video for each supervisor
- 3 Consultation Calls with supervisor and/or team throughout the year (trainer and supervisor determine agenda)
- Bi-annual reviews of Therapist Development Plans (TDPs)
- Bi-annual reviews of MDFT Clinical Portal Reports (January – June Report, and January – December Report)
- Review of compliance with site requirements
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