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

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

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

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