Call for Revision of Weisman and Montgomery’s Review of Functional Family Therapy

Abstract

Weisman and Montgomery completed an overview of reviews to evaluate the status of research concerning functional family therapy (FFT). Despite reporting modest effects on delinquency, substance use, and secondary outcomes, the authors conclude that the research base supporting FFT is tenuous and that it “may not be advisable to continue adopting FFT without reexamining and testing the effects.” We present a critique of their flawed analysis and question their inconsistent and potentially harmful recommendations. At present, clinicians provide FFT services in over 340 sites in 12 countries with more than 50,000 youth/families. More than a dozen independent cost analyses suggest that these communities save more than US$1 billion annually in social service costs from avoided incarcerations and more than US$4 billion in avoided victim costs. These youth and families, and their communities could experience serious harm if policy makers adopted Weisman and Montgomery’s recommendations.