The CEBC rated MDFT with the highest possible rating of Well-Supported by Research Evidence in the areas of: alternatives to long-term residential care; behavioral management programs for adolescents in child welfare; disruptive behavior treatment; and substance misuse treatment.
The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative created the Results First Clearinghouse Database to provide users with an easy way to access and understand the evidence base for programs in social policy areas such as behavioral health, criminal justice, education, and public health. The database was transferred to Penn State University in 2021. MDFT is listed under the "highest rated" category as a program that had a positive impact based on the most rigorous evidence in the categories of mental health and substance use.
The Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) is a UK-based organization that promotes programs and policies that help children and young people develop the social and emotional skills they need to succeed. EIF gave MDFT the highest possible evidence rating in the areas of preventing substance misuse, crime, violence, and antisocial behavior.
MDFT is listed as an effective treatment for adolescent drug treatment in two NIDA publications: Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research Based Guide (the NIDA "Blue Book " on effective treatments) and Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations – A Research Based Guide.
The National Institute of Justice, the research branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, uses rigorous research to determine what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services. MDFT received a promising rating (more than one study), on CrimeSolutions.gov.
Title IV-E Prevention Clearinghouse reviews programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and to prevent foster care placement. In reviewing MDFT, they considered only 2 of the 11 MDFT clinical trials and implementation studies. In their review process and categorization system, the Clearinghouse only includes studies comparing models to treatment as usual. The Clearinghouse does not review any research comparing a treatment model to another evidence-based or active intervention. Nine studies in which MDFT was found to be more effective than other strong treatments, including manualized Cognitive Behavior Therapy, high quality residential treatment, and manualized peer group therapy, were not considered, resulting in an incomplete review of MDFT’s effectiveness. If you have any questions regarding this Title IV-E classification, please contact us.
Drug Strategies in a non-profit research institute devoted to identifying and promoting the most effective approaches to substance misuse treatment. MDFT is featured in two publications from Drug Strategies: Treating Teens: A Guide to Adolescent Drug Programs and Bridging the Gap: A Guide to Treatment in the Juvenile Justice System.
The Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Division 53 of the American Psychological Association, provides independent research reviews for child and adolescent mental health treatment. MDFT is identified as an effective child therapy.
MDFT is listed in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's Compilation of Evidence-Based Family Skills Training Programs, the Family-based Treatment Training Package (UNFT), and was named an effective approach in their publication International Standards for the Treatment of Drug Use Disorders.
The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) provides independent evaluations of available scientific evidence on drug treatment to policymakers and practitioners throughout the European Union and its member states. In their evaluation of treatment options for cannabis and alcohol users, EUDA rated MDFT as Beneficial for families and young people.
The Health Research Board, the government agency responsible for medical research in the Republic of Ireland, found MDFT to be effective in reducing adolescent drug use in an evidence review of interventions for illicit drug use.
The Finnish Association for Mental Health (FAMH) chose MDFT for a special project designed to prevent social marginalization among at-risk adolescents. FAMH describes MDFT as "an effective and flexible clinical approach for adolescents experiencing multiple problems" and provided essential program coordination and assistance in MDFT training and implementation in Finland.
The Dutch Youth Institute rated MDFT as efficacy based on good indications in their database of youth interventions and judicial interventions.
Infodrog advocates for effective addiction treatment and risk reduction on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. MDFT is one of just two family therapies evaluated as ‘Successful’ by Infodrog for early treatment intervention.
Gurasotasuna is an initiative of the Basque Department of Employment and Social Policies that connects professionals to family intervention resources. MDFT is included in their list of international, evidence-based programs.
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) lists MDFT as a validated treatment in its Adolescent-Based Treatment Database. The database provides profiles on interventions that have been empirically validated in juvenile justice settings.
The Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice in the UK described the MDFT research program as "one of the most comprehensive " in their report, The Evidence Base of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice.
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness helps military families choose the best evidence-based practices to address a wide range of family and mental health issues. They list MDFT as Effective-RCT, their highest rating of effectiveness.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington gave MDFT the highest rating of 'evidence-based' in their report, Treating Youth Substance Use: Evidence Based Practices & Their Clinical Significance. The report looked specifically at the treatment of adolescent cannabis use
The Urban Institute performs research on solving problems in an increasingly urbanized world. They family-based interventions for combatting youth homelessness, and included MDFT on their list of evidence-informed interventions.
UnidosUS (formerly known as the National Council of La Raza) advocates for Latino families and communities in the United States in the areas of civic engagement, civil rights and immigration, education, workforce and the economy, health, and housing. They identified MDFT as a substance misuse treatment with proven efficacy for Latino youth in their publication, Mental Health Services for Latino Youth: Bridging Culture and Evidence.
The National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) promotes programs and practices that contribute to student success and dropout prevention. The NDPC lists MDFT as a Model Program.
MDFT was carefully evaluated and recognized as a Model Crime Prevention Program by Canada’s National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC).