The bridging of research, theory and application has been lacking in the field of marriage and th... more The bridging of research, theory and application has been lacking in the field of marriage and the family. Although some headway has been made in bridging this gap in some marital and family therapy projects, it was primarily because one individual had all three perspectives and not because of cooperative efforts by professionals specializing in these three domains.
Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 2020
Disconnection and disengagement are frequent characteristics of interactions between parents and ... more Disconnection and disengagement are frequent characteristics of interactions between parents and adolescents who present with substance use disorders. Excessive blame, defensiveness, and recrimination characterize day-to-day interactions within these families. Developmental psychopathology research reveals both shortand long-term effects of negative emotional patterns between parents and adolescents on the young person’s development, as well as on the parents’ functioning and their parenting practices in particular. Persistent expression and experience of negative emotions are also associated with poor treatment outcome, as they act as barriers to treatment engagement and change. This article demonstrates how research-based knowledge can guide therapeutic strategy and how emotions can be transformed in an empirically supported, family-based treatment: multidimensional family therapy. Transcripts with commentary from an adolescent, a parent, and from family therapy sessions illustrate emotion-related interactional transactions and interventions.
Background and aims Clinicians and researchers are increasingly interested in investigating exces... more Background and aims Clinicians and researchers are increasingly interested in investigating excessive use of video gaming recently named Internet gaming disorder (IGD). As is the case with extensively researched adolescent problem behaviors such as substance use disorder, several studies associate IGD with the young person’s family environment and the parent–adolescent relationship in particular. Evidence-based treatments for a range of adolescent clinical problems including behavioral addictions demonstrate efficacy, the capacity for transdiagnostic adaptation, and lasting impact. However, less attention has been paid to developing and testing science-based interventions for IGD, and at present most tested interventions for IGD have been individual treatments (cognitive behavioral therapy). Methods This article presents the rationale for a systemic conceptualization of IGD and a therapeutic approach that targets multiple units or subsystems. The IGD treatment program is based on th...
This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a c... more This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a comprehensive treatment for youth substance abuse and antisocial behaviors. Findings from four types of MDFT studies are discussed: hybrid efficacy/effectiveness randomized controlled trials, therapy process studies, cost analyses, and implementation trials. This research has evaluated various versions of MDFT. These studies have systematically tested adaptations of MDFT for diverse treatment settings in different care sectors (mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, and child welfare), as well as adaptations according to treatment delivery features and client impairment level, including adolescents presenting with multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Many published scientific reviews, including meta-analyses, national and international government publications, and evidence-based treatment registries, offer consistent conclusions about the clinical effectiveness of MDFT compared with...
Background: Multidimensional family therapy is the most researched family based intervention for ... more Background: Multidimensional family therapy is the most researched family based intervention for adolescent substance abuse. Research and coverage: Funded continuously since 1985 in a series of controlled trials, process studies, economic analyses, and implementation studies, MDFT has achieved positive outcomes at post treatment and at various follow-up periods at one year and beyond when compared to a variety of active treatments, including cognitive behavior therapy, group counseling, multifamily groups, as well as in comparisons against services as usual. MDFT is a treatment system rather than a one size fits all model, having been adapted for testing and implementation in a variety of U.S. locations and in a multinational controlled trial in Europe over the past 5 years (Berlin, Paris, Brussels, The Hague, and Geneva). Studies have tested MDFT in juvenile justice settings such as drug courts, detention centers, residential treatment, as well as in outpatient treatment offered in...
Abstract 1. This chapter provides an overview of the subspecialty within family psychology of fam... more Abstract 1. This chapter provides an overview of the subspecialty within family psychology of family psychology intervention science and proposes areas of future study and expansion. The authors conclude that further work is required to develop reliable and valid measures that can be applied to the diversity of families as well as methodologies that can consider the variety of family structures and relationship patterns. The development of ways to successfully recruit and retain participants in longitudinal studies, particularly those from ...
This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disor... more This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disorders to treat. It impacts on schools, community-based programs, mental health and medical facilities, and juvenile justice settings. This book provides practitioners, program developers and policy makers with practical information for improving outcomes in adolescent substance abuse. The authors cover a range of issues, including empirically based treatment development protocols, how to incorporate innovative treatment models into diverse clinical settings; research advances; interventions with special populations, culturally based intervention guidelines, and recommendations for practice and policy.
Abstract 1. Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1988, Vol 33 (3... more Abstract 1. Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1988, Vol 33 (3), 202-204. Reviews the books, The Handbook of Family Psychology, and Therapy, Vol. 1 edited by Luciano L'Abate (1985). A historic document, The Handbook of Family Psychology and Therapy, Vols. 1 and 2 provides a grand tour of the multiple content domains of family psychology. The editor has assembled a diverse and respected corps of contributors to examine a central conceptual issue in family psychology: the ...
In their research report, Loukas et al. report that parental al-coholism is prognostic of childho... more In their research report, Loukas et al. report that parental al-coholism is prognostic of childhood behavior problems, both directly, through genetic and modeling effects, and indirectly, through parental distress and physical problems. They hypothesized that the heightened rate of behavior problems in young children of alcoholics could be traced to the combination of negative interactions with the alcoholic parent (eg, abuse, neglect) and the generalized stress involved in living with an alcoholic (eg, chaotic and unpredictable ...
Treatment research in the adolescent substance abuse specialty has evolved rapidly in the past de... more Treatment research in the adolescent substance abuse specialty has evolved rapidly in the past decade. Family therapies are emerging as “best practice” treatments for adolescent substance abuse (Ozechowski & Liddle, 2000). This paper presents an overview of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), an outpatient, empirically supported, family-based approach to the treatment of adolescent substance abuse and associated mental health and behavioural problems (Liddle, 2002a). MDFT integrates the clinical and ...
The bridging of research, theory and application has been lacking in the field of marriage and th... more The bridging of research, theory and application has been lacking in the field of marriage and the family. Although some headway has been made in bridging this gap in some marital and family therapy projects, it was primarily because one individual had all three perspectives and not because of cooperative efforts by professionals specializing in these three domains.
Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 2020
Disconnection and disengagement are frequent characteristics of interactions between parents and ... more Disconnection and disengagement are frequent characteristics of interactions between parents and adolescents who present with substance use disorders. Excessive blame, defensiveness, and recrimination characterize day-to-day interactions within these families. Developmental psychopathology research reveals both shortand long-term effects of negative emotional patterns between parents and adolescents on the young person’s development, as well as on the parents’ functioning and their parenting practices in particular. Persistent expression and experience of negative emotions are also associated with poor treatment outcome, as they act as barriers to treatment engagement and change. This article demonstrates how research-based knowledge can guide therapeutic strategy and how emotions can be transformed in an empirically supported, family-based treatment: multidimensional family therapy. Transcripts with commentary from an adolescent, a parent, and from family therapy sessions illustrate emotion-related interactional transactions and interventions.
Background and aims Clinicians and researchers are increasingly interested in investigating exces... more Background and aims Clinicians and researchers are increasingly interested in investigating excessive use of video gaming recently named Internet gaming disorder (IGD). As is the case with extensively researched adolescent problem behaviors such as substance use disorder, several studies associate IGD with the young person’s family environment and the parent–adolescent relationship in particular. Evidence-based treatments for a range of adolescent clinical problems including behavioral addictions demonstrate efficacy, the capacity for transdiagnostic adaptation, and lasting impact. However, less attention has been paid to developing and testing science-based interventions for IGD, and at present most tested interventions for IGD have been individual treatments (cognitive behavioral therapy). Methods This article presents the rationale for a systemic conceptualization of IGD and a therapeutic approach that targets multiple units or subsystems. The IGD treatment program is based on th...
This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a c... more This article summarizes the 30+-year evidence base of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), a comprehensive treatment for youth substance abuse and antisocial behaviors. Findings from four types of MDFT studies are discussed: hybrid efficacy/effectiveness randomized controlled trials, therapy process studies, cost analyses, and implementation trials. This research has evaluated various versions of MDFT. These studies have systematically tested adaptations of MDFT for diverse treatment settings in different care sectors (mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, and child welfare), as well as adaptations according to treatment delivery features and client impairment level, including adolescents presenting with multiple psychiatric diagnoses. Many published scientific reviews, including meta-analyses, national and international government publications, and evidence-based treatment registries, offer consistent conclusions about the clinical effectiveness of MDFT compared with...
Background: Multidimensional family therapy is the most researched family based intervention for ... more Background: Multidimensional family therapy is the most researched family based intervention for adolescent substance abuse. Research and coverage: Funded continuously since 1985 in a series of controlled trials, process studies, economic analyses, and implementation studies, MDFT has achieved positive outcomes at post treatment and at various follow-up periods at one year and beyond when compared to a variety of active treatments, including cognitive behavior therapy, group counseling, multifamily groups, as well as in comparisons against services as usual. MDFT is a treatment system rather than a one size fits all model, having been adapted for testing and implementation in a variety of U.S. locations and in a multinational controlled trial in Europe over the past 5 years (Berlin, Paris, Brussels, The Hague, and Geneva). Studies have tested MDFT in juvenile justice settings such as drug courts, detention centers, residential treatment, as well as in outpatient treatment offered in...
Abstract 1. This chapter provides an overview of the subspecialty within family psychology of fam... more Abstract 1. This chapter provides an overview of the subspecialty within family psychology of family psychology intervention science and proposes areas of future study and expansion. The authors conclude that further work is required to develop reliable and valid measures that can be applied to the diversity of families as well as methodologies that can consider the variety of family structures and relationship patterns. The development of ways to successfully recruit and retain participants in longitudinal studies, particularly those from ...
This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disor... more This book was first published in 2006. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the most challenging disorders to treat. It impacts on schools, community-based programs, mental health and medical facilities, and juvenile justice settings. This book provides practitioners, program developers and policy makers with practical information for improving outcomes in adolescent substance abuse. The authors cover a range of issues, including empirically based treatment development protocols, how to incorporate innovative treatment models into diverse clinical settings; research advances; interventions with special populations, culturally based intervention guidelines, and recommendations for practice and policy.
Abstract 1. Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1988, Vol 33 (3... more Abstract 1. Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1988, Vol 33 (3), 202-204. Reviews the books, The Handbook of Family Psychology, and Therapy, Vol. 1 edited by Luciano L'Abate (1985). A historic document, The Handbook of Family Psychology and Therapy, Vols. 1 and 2 provides a grand tour of the multiple content domains of family psychology. The editor has assembled a diverse and respected corps of contributors to examine a central conceptual issue in family psychology: the ...
In their research report, Loukas et al. report that parental al-coholism is prognostic of childho... more In their research report, Loukas et al. report that parental al-coholism is prognostic of childhood behavior problems, both directly, through genetic and modeling effects, and indirectly, through parental distress and physical problems. They hypothesized that the heightened rate of behavior problems in young children of alcoholics could be traced to the combination of negative interactions with the alcoholic parent (eg, abuse, neglect) and the generalized stress involved in living with an alcoholic (eg, chaotic and unpredictable ...
Treatment research in the adolescent substance abuse specialty has evolved rapidly in the past de... more Treatment research in the adolescent substance abuse specialty has evolved rapidly in the past decade. Family therapies are emerging as “best practice” treatments for adolescent substance abuse (Ozechowski & Liddle, 2000). This paper presents an overview of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), an outpatient, empirically supported, family-based approach to the treatment of adolescent substance abuse and associated mental health and behavioural problems (Liddle, 2002a). MDFT integrates the clinical and ...
Videos are available at the MDFT website. Therapists, supervisors and trainers, as well as progra... more Videos are available at the MDFT website. Therapists, supervisors and trainers, as well as program administrators discuss their experiences with the MDFT program.
MDFT videos have been produced by the Hazelden Foundation, the American Psychological Association, and Alexander Street Press. See MDFT Videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/CTRADA and at www.mdft.org
Video of MDFT - Published on Nov 25, 2016
Illustrates interventions in four MDFT Domains - adoles... more Video of MDFT - Published on Nov 25, 2016 Illustrates interventions in four MDFT Domains - adolescent, parent, family, and extra-familial. Video has audio and slide content inserts describing key therapist behaviors. Viewer can navigate to particular sections ("chapters") of the video according to the timings provided below.
Video Chapters:
1. Introduction 00:00 2. MDFT Illustrated 12:25 3. First session with adolescent 13:45 4. First session with mother 22:10 5. Howard and school counselor meeting 39:05 6. First family session - mother & adolescent 45:37 7. Session with adolescent 2 months into treatment 50:30 8. Session with mother 2 months into treatment 58:00 9. Family session two months into treatment 1:07:20 10. Final family session 1:17:30 11. Closing 1:23:50 12. Credits and MDFT information 1:24:33
Clinical video of MDFT, an evidence-based treatment for youth substance abuse and delinquency.
Information on MDFT at www.mdft.org Go there for MDFT news and updates, background, training opportunities, clinical publications, manuals, and research papers. Also visit MDFT Facebook page.
MDFT News
October 2017. Members of the original International Cannabis Need for Treatment (INCAN... more MDFT News
October 2017. Members of the original International Cannabis Need for Treatment (INCANT) Study, including Henk Rigter, the INCANT PI from The Hague, Netherlands, are collaborating with MDFT International again on a multi-site, cross-national research project to treat Internet Gaming Disorders (IGD). The study’s clinical sites are in Paris, France (Paris Descartes CPSC - Institut de Psychologie, and Dupre Clinic), and Geneva, Switzerland (Phenix Foundation). This photo includes project members who met for an MDFT-IGD treatment development meeting in Geneva, September 24, 25, 26. From left, Nathalie Bastard (Paris), Celine Bonnaire (Paris), Philip Nielsen (Geneva), Cecilia Soria Dupuis (Geneva), Olivier Phan (Paris), Howard Liddle (Miami).
October 2017. A new publication from Dr. Cindy Rowe and MDFT developer Dr. Howard Liddle was published in the newest edition of Cognitive Therapy with Children and Adolescents. The Anatomy of Cognitions in Multidimensional Family Therapy outlines aspects of the MDFT intervention that specifically target cognitions in adolescents. The article is a companion piece to Dr. Liddle's 1994 piece, The Anatomy of Emotions in Family Therapy with Adolescents.
May 2017. Two federal grants from SAMHSA were awarded for MDFT services in Wisconsin and Connecticut. The WI Department of Health Services (DHS) and the CT Department of Children & Families (DCF) will use the money to fund MDFT services for youth with substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.
The Wisconsin DHS will use its funds to create the Wisconsin Youth Treatment Initiative, which will focus on transitional aged youth (ages 16-25). The grant provides $760,000 annually for four years starting September 30, 2017, and the Wisconsin Youth Treatment Initiative will collaborate with MDFT International to train four MDFT teams at four clinical centers throughout the state.
Connecticut DCF will use the funds for MDFT services integrated with medication-assisted treatment, the first MDFT program of its kind. They will receive $3.1 million for the program.
Books of Abstracts of the 16th World Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP), 2004
Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) is a family-centered, comprehensive treatment program for ... more Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) is a family-centered, comprehensive treatment program for adolescents and young adults with substance use and related behavioral and emotional problems. This model is most effectively delivered as an outpatient or partial hospitalization (day treatment) program in the treatment of adolescents who are experimenting with or abusing substances, and/or those who exhibit co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders and other problem behaviors such as conduct disorder and delinquency.
Uploads
Papers by Howard Liddle
MDFT videos have been produced by the Hazelden Foundation, the American Psychological Association, and Alexander Street Press. See MDFT Videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/CTRADA and at www.mdft.org
Illustrates interventions in four MDFT Domains - adolescent, parent, family, and extra-familial.
Video has audio and slide content inserts describing key therapist behaviors.
Viewer can navigate to particular sections ("chapters") of the video according to the timings provided below.
Video Chapters:
1. Introduction 00:00
2. MDFT Illustrated 12:25
3. First session with adolescent 13:45
4. First session with mother 22:10
5. Howard and school counselor meeting 39:05
6. First family session - mother & adolescent 45:37
7. Session with adolescent 2 months into treatment 50:30
8. Session with mother 2 months into treatment 58:00
9. Family session two months into treatment 1:07:20
10. Final family session 1:17:30
11. Closing 1:23:50
12. Credits and MDFT information 1:24:33
Clinical video of MDFT, an evidence-based treatment for youth substance abuse and delinquency.
Information on MDFT at www.mdft.org Go there for MDFT news and updates, background, training opportunities, clinical publications, manuals, and research papers. Also visit MDFT Facebook page.
MDFT research summarized here: http://www.mdft.org/mdft/media/files/...
MDFT International Dissemination here:
http://www.mdft.org/mdft/media/files/...
October 2017. Members of the original International Cannabis Need for Treatment (INCANT) Study, including Henk Rigter, the INCANT PI from The Hague, Netherlands, are collaborating with MDFT International again on a multi-site, cross-national research project to treat Internet Gaming Disorders (IGD). The study’s clinical sites are in Paris, France (Paris Descartes CPSC - Institut de Psychologie, and Dupre Clinic), and Geneva, Switzerland (Phenix Foundation). This photo includes project members who met for an MDFT-IGD treatment development meeting in Geneva, September 24, 25, 26. From left, Nathalie Bastard (Paris), Celine Bonnaire (Paris), Philip Nielsen (Geneva), Cecilia Soria Dupuis (Geneva), Olivier Phan (Paris), Howard Liddle (Miami).
October 2017. A new publication from Dr. Cindy Rowe and MDFT developer Dr. Howard Liddle was published in the newest edition of Cognitive Therapy with Children and Adolescents. The Anatomy of Cognitions in Multidimensional Family Therapy outlines aspects of the MDFT intervention that specifically target cognitions in adolescents. The article is a companion piece to Dr. Liddle's 1994 piece, The Anatomy of Emotions in Family Therapy with Adolescents.
May 2017. Two federal grants from SAMHSA were awarded for MDFT services in Wisconsin and Connecticut. The WI Department of Health Services (DHS) and the CT Department of Children & Families (DCF) will use the money to fund MDFT services for youth with substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.
The Wisconsin DHS will use its funds to create the Wisconsin Youth Treatment Initiative, which will focus on transitional aged youth (ages 16-25). The grant provides $760,000 annually for four years starting September 30, 2017, and the Wisconsin Youth Treatment Initiative will collaborate with MDFT International to train four MDFT teams at four clinical centers throughout the state.
Connecticut DCF will use the funds for MDFT services integrated with medication-assisted treatment, the first MDFT program of its kind. They will receive $3.1 million for the program.