Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) is a unique, integrated, and family-centered approach to youth problems and disorders. MDFT addresses a variety of youth problem behaviors, including substance abuse, aggressive behavior, delinquency, school and family problems, and more. This therapy aims at approaching and minimizing these behaviors, while setting the individual up for long-term success.

The primary objectives of MDFT are to address and eliminate delinquency, crime, and substance abuse, and to improve mental health, along with school and family functioning. This therapy has been shown to improve the individual’s coping and decision-making skills, and enhance family functioning. These components are the tools needed to provide a positive youth development for the individual.

MDFT promotes sustainable, long-term change in multiple facets, including:

• Within the adolescent
• Within parents, specifically how they relate to and influence their children
• In how the family problem-solves together and loves one another
• In the individual’s and family’s interactions with school, the juvenile justice system, and their entire community

MDFT is an evidence-based treatment option, with over 30 years of proven results and research to support it. This treatment has been shown to have a variety of positive outcomes, including an average of 31% improvement of grades, 42% reduction in cannabis and alcohol use, and a 47% reduction in delinquency.