ABSTRACT
The following article outlines an empirically-validated treatment approach for addressing chronic, delinquent behavior in adolescents and their families: Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC). MTFC grew out of evidence for the effectiveness of behavioral parent training approaches and a clinical need for programs to address the behavior of delinquent adolescents who have been found to be beyond parental control. MTFC starts with a focus on the need to return the adolescent to the family and community, and, thus, the program stresses the generalization of treatment effects. Recent replication studies are reviewed that demonstrate the effectiveness, utility, and cost-effectiveness of the MTFC program.
