Certification

MDFT certification training is available for teams of two or more clinicians. Teams are required to dedicate one or more clinicians to becoming MDFT supervisors, generally within the year of beginning training. Please note that MDFT therapist certification requirements must be completed before moving on to supervisor training, regardless of the experience level of the supervisor to be trained. All MDFT training is done on-site at your agency or over the phone.

 


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 two therapists 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