Functional Family Therapy

• Whether implemented as an intervention or a prevention program, FFT may include diversion, probation, alternatives to incarceration, and/or re-entry programs for youth returning to the community following release from a high-security, severely restrictive institutional setting.



• The benefits of FFT include the effective treatment of conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, other disruptive behavior disorders, alcohol and other drug abuse disorders.



• FFT leads to reductions in the need for more restrictive, costly services and other social services; reductions in the incidence of the original problem being addressed; and reductions in the proportion of youths who eventually enter the adult criminal justice system.



• In clinical trials, FFT achieved significant reductions in the proportion of youths who re-offended and the frequency of offending for up to 2.5 years after participation in the program.



• An FFT clinician works with families for an average of 12 sessions over a 3-4 month period. Services are conducted in both clinical and home-based settings and can be provided in a variety of contexts, including schools, child welfare, probation, parole/aftercare, mental health, and as an alternative to incarceration or out-of-home placement.