Substance Misuse Outcomes
“For years I was dependent on drugs, and basically a zombie. I have no memory for 2 years of my life. MDFT was different. The counselors gave me respect and showed me that they actually cared. As I became more comfortable I opened up more and discussed more of my problems. I stopped blaming my family for everything. I was finally feeling good about myself. I did not have to use drugs. I was getting good grades, going to school, going to work every day. I didn’t need drugs to block out my emotions. For once I was content in life.”
— Ryan, Received MDFT at Connecticut Junior Republic, Waterbury CT
With over 30 years of research, MDFT has been widely recognized by governments and independent organizations across the globe as an effective intervention for youth substance misuse.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse listed MDFT as an effective treatment for youth drug treatment
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction listed MDFT as the only treatment beneficial for cannabis users
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime listed MDFT as an effective approach
MDFT has been vetted by the Netherlands Youth Institute, the Swiss Office of Public Health, and the Early Intervention Foundation of the UK
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare listed MDFT as one of only two programs with a Scientific Rating of 1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence
MDFT in Randomized Clinical Trials
MDFT in the Community
International Need for Cannabis
Treatment Study (INCANT)
INCANT was the first study of its kind: a multi-national randomized clinical trial of an
adolescent evidence-based treatment. Five European countries-France, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany-participated in the study, with the goal of finding an effective treatment that could be implemented across different cultures and treatment settings.
MDFT was compared to enhanced individual psychotherapy (IP), and surpassed IP in
reducing substance misuse, treatment retention, and externalizing symptoms.
What People Are Saying
“Findings showed MDFT superior to various alternative treatments (CBT, peer group, multifamily educational therapy, usual care) in reducing ASU problem severity and frequency of use… and youth with more severe ASU at intake benefitted to an even greater degree from MDFT than other treatments.”
— Hogue et al., 2018
Want to Learn More?
Sources:
Liddle, H. A., Dakof, G. A., Turner, R. M., Henderson, C. E., & Greenbaum, P. E. (2008). Treating adolescent drug abuse: A randomized trial comparing Multidimensional Family Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Addiction,103, 1660-1670. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02274.x
Liddle, H. A., Rowe, C. L., Henderson, C. E., Dakof, G. A., & Ungaro, R. A. (2004). Early intervention for adolescent substance abuse: Pretreatment to posttreatment outcomes of a randomized controlled trial comparing Multidimensional Family Therapy and peer group treatment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 36(1), 49-63. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2004.10399723
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
Rigter, H., Henderson, C., Pelc, I., Tossmann, P., Phan, O., Hendriks, V., Schaub, M., & Rowe, C. L. (2013). Multidimensional Family Therapy lowers the rate of cannabis dependence in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial in Western European outpatient settings. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 130(1-3):85-93. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.10.013
Drug and Alcohol Findings. (2002). Holistic therapy preferable for troubled teens. Drug and Alcohol Findings Magazine, 7, 13.