Evaluating a Functional Family Therapy Service (Version 1.1)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  An effectiveness study of Functional Family Therapy in the UK: Evaluating moderators and mechanisms of change which underpin outcome and engagement

• IRAS ID

  147041

• Contact name

  Hannah C Collyer

• Contact email

  hannah.collyer@kcl.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  King's College London

• Research summary

  Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is a systemic, evidencedbased,
  manualized treatment, which has been shown to be successful in treating a range of externalizing problems in young people and their families (including drug misuse, conduct disorder, truancy, and related family problems) (Baldwin et al., 2012; Sexton & Turner, 2010; von Sydow et al.,
  2013).
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of FFT treatment outside the context of a tightly controlled randomised efficacy study, and to evaluate the extent to which outcome is moderated by two different modes of treatment delivery a) home based treatment and b) clinic based treatment, and will investigate whether treatment setting, adherence to treatment model, individual or family characteristics may act as moderators of engagement in treatment, development of therapeutic alliance and treatment outcomes.
  The study will also evaluate the therapeutic processes during the early stages of FFT that are hypothesized to underpin family engagement in treatment and early behavioural change in the young person. The FFT model predicts that key factors of early change are reductions in family negativity and blaming (Sexton & Alexander, 2003) and that reduced
  negativity may strengthen the therapeutic alliance for both the young person and parents (Robbins, Turner, Alexander,
  & Perez, 2003). Using selfreport ratings and observational ratings from video recordings of early sessions, a substudy will explore the development of the therapeutic alliance early in treatment to test these predictions of the FFT model.
  Referrals to two FFT teams will be invited to take part. Main assessments will take place at baseline, end of treatment (46 months) and followup (6 months post treatment). Session by session data, currently completed by young people, family members and therapist to monitor treatment progress and fidelity, will also be used to explore mediators of treatment change.

• REC name

  London - South East Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/LO/0737

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Jul 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion