ABSTRACT
Clinical Judgment and Expertise: MDFT Process and Adherence Research 447 Adolescent Domain: Building erapeutic Alliances 448 Parenting Domain: Changing Parenting Practices 448 Family Domain: Resolving erapeutic Impasses 449 MDFT Adherence Evaluation and Monitoring to Support Clinical Judgment and Decision Making 450
Client Characteristics and Values: e Different “Looks” of MDFT 450 MDFT with Different Cultural Groups 451 MDFT with Adolescent Girls and their Families 452 MDFT for Youth with Comorbid Mental Health Problems 453
Pillar 4: MDFT’s Potential for Dissemination in Diverse Practice Settings 454 Transporting Family erapy into Adolescent Day Treatment 454
Family-Based Juvenile Drug Court Services 456 MDFT-DTC: “Detention to Community” 456 Brief Family-Based erapy for Adolescent Drug Abuse 456 Training Community-Based Providers in MDFT 457
Summary and Conclusions 458 References 459
“Evidence-based practice” can be considered the sign of the times in the substance abuse treatment field as in other areas of psychology. e phrase is so commonly (and perhaps carelessly) used that its full meaning may be obscured to researchers and practitioners alike. Multiple constituents have a stake in the use and promotion of evidence-based practice (e.g., policy makers, community agency directors, community treatment providers, etc.). Policy makers have successfully used best-practice guidelines to encourage the adoption of empirically based treatments (NIDA, 2004; NIMH, 2004). Such policies have had a broad impact on community agency program directors and community treatment providers, as well as treatment researchers. However well-intentioned, pressure from funders to adopt evidence-based practices without sufficient resources to do so places the average community-based provider at a disadvantage in maintaining funding and providing quality services. e merits of evidencebased practice are often hotly debated in relation to the effort and funds needed to implement them. What may get lost in these discussions is that evidence-based practice is not just about the “evidence base” but about developing and using clinical expertise and knowledge of different client groups, activities that have been fundamental in the evolution of certain treatments.
