What are the MDFT four areas of attention?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are four overall areas of attention in MDFT.Adolescent. The counselor establishes a working alliance with the adolescent that in some ways mirrors but is distinct from the parental relationship. The adolescent comes to learn that treatment is a team process via the collaborative establishment of treatment goals that are not only practical but—more important—of value to the adolescent. Adolescents express their perception of their life thus far, and treatment is geared toward addressing some of these issues. The goal is the creation of both pragmatic and obtainable alternatives to substance use and other problematic behaviors (e.g., delinquency). Parent. The primary objective in the MDFT work with parents involves enhancing the feelings of parental love and emotional connection while appreciating the difficult past and present parental circumstances that their child brings to the family. The goal here is to generate a new sense of hope while changing the parent-adolescent relationship and (where needed) improving the parenting practices. Parents moving through this process come to the decision that they must play a role in their child’s change, and in turn, they partner with the counselor to assist the adolescent to change. MDFT conceptualizes the reengagement of parents into their role as parents as the result of “soul searching” about their adolescent, their parenting, and themselves. Parent–Adolescent Interaction. Fostering changes in the parent-adolescent interaction is primarily accomplished via the family systems technique of enactment. Here, the counselor forces the adolescent and parent(s) to engage with one another, and not through the counselor, in order to facilitate critical and frank discussions. These discussions reveal relationship strengths and problems, which in turn are also discussed. Basically, the enactment helps to train the parent and the adolescent on how to discuss and solve problems in new and healthier ways. Social Systems External to the Family. Families with an adolescent struggling with substance use likely are involved with multiple community agencies (e.g., school, criminal justice system). The success or failure in working with these agencies can dictate devastating longer term outcomes. Consequently, a well-working give-and-take collaboration with school, legal, and mental health systems can positively influence the potential for adolescent treatment engagement and lasting change.