Functional Family Therapy and Felony Recidivism among Juvenile Offenders (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists and Counselors

Course By: Tim Grigsby, PhD

Content By: Turner, C. W., Robbins, M. S., Winokur Early, K., Blankenship, J. L., & Weaver, L. R. (2019). Juvenile justice risk factors and functional family therapy fidelity on felony recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 46(5), 697-717.

Course Description: Functional family therapy is a well-researched, evidence-based treatment with broad treatment effects. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the implementation and clinical outcomes of a FFT program with families at community sites. Pretreatment client risk, community risk and therapist workload were all associated with felony recidivism and it remained unclear whether fidelity was the cause, or result, of recidivism in the study sample. High risk clientele had more positive outcomes when therapist workloads were smaller. Organizations and juvenile justice courts should be mindful of contextual factors that make functional family therapy successful at reducing recidivism.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the unique theoretical and clinical elements that underly functional family therapy
2. Discuss the challenges of implementing evidence-based treatments, such as functional family therapy, into community settings
3. Summarize the relationship between clinical and implementation outcomes on reducing felony recidivism among adolescent offenders

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Juvenile justice risk factors and functional family therapy fidelity on felony recidivism
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Reflect on the statistical and clinical implications of implementing functional family therapy to reduce recidivism
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the recommended procedures therapists should follow when handling high risk caseloads and using functional family therapy in juvenile justice settings

Approvals: