What is MultiFamilyProject.org?

MFT brings together 6-8 families who have a problem or difficulty in common. Two practitioners work with the families to create specifically tailored relational contexts via different, often playful, activities. These can involve the whole group, any sub-groups or individual group members. They work by helping families to learn from each other and experiment with new ways of interacting which bring about possibilities for change. Families usually engage well due to the reduced stigma and the emerging solidarity which is carefully fostered in multi-family groups (see ‘how does it work?’). MFT has been successfully employed (see ‘what is the evidence base?’) for a wide range of different problems* across many different delivery settings** all over the world. It is a flexible approach, with format, length and frequency of groups varying depending on the problem and setting, and it can be used on its own or in conjunction with other interventions. MFT aims to mobilise families’ existing resources in ways that connect with their specific social and cultural contexts. As such, it provides a genuine opportunity to increase the reach and effectiveness of mental health provision at a time when need has never been so great and when services are often not reaching those who need it most (see ‘the added value of MFT’)  

* Including ADHD, adoptive families, anxiety, ASD, child protection concerns, complex families with multiple needs, depression, parents in conflict, parents and infants, physical health, psychosis, school attendance, school engagement, self-harm, trauma, young carers, waiting lists. 

**Including mental health, physical health, social care and education settings 

MFT has its roots in systemic family therapy*, with a focus on social and cultural contexts and on identifying and changing relational patterns. In more recent years it has integrated Mentalization-based conceptual frameworks and techniques**. Families attending benefit from reduced stigma (‘we’re not the only ones!’) and the opportunity to observe and reflect on the experiences of families with similar difficulties to their own. MFT practitioners actively try and de-centralise themselves whenever it is safe and possible to do so, as opposed to positioning themselves as ‘experts with answers’. Their expertise lies in skilfully creating relational contexts that mobilise families’ own resources. MFT practitioners do so via different (often playful) activities that can involve the whole group or any sub-group. They respond to the needs of families’ by continually creating new, relevant contexts that build on the multi-family group’s strengths. Where specific knowledge and expertise are relevant***, these are introduced tentatively, with the recognition that families have their own knowledge and expertise and that the advice of professionals may or may not be useful. Participation in MFT activities lead to the emergence of new relational experiences in a spontaneous and natural way as families help one another to experiment with new ways of interacting. From these experiences emerge new understanding and consideration of changes that can be transferred outside of the group setting. As the practitioners work hard to de-centralise themselves, responsibility is shared more evenly across the group members, with families supporting and challenging one another through a position of solidarity.  

*Systemic family therapy treats the family as a unit. It helps individuals manage their difficulties within the context of their family relationships, understanding how individual actions affect each other and the family as a whole  

** Mentalization is the ability to understand the mental state – of oneself and/ or others – that underlies overt behaviour. Mentalization based therapy aims to strengthen mentalizing capacity  

*** for example, psychoeducation or cognitive and behavioural approaches to managing specific difficulties.

MFT extends both reach and effectiveness of traditional mental health provision. It uses the existing resources of family members and the healing power of social connection to strengthen mental health in a lively, natural and generalisable way and can be easily delivered in community settings. This makes it widely acceptable and accessible, including to minoritized groups who are often not helped by existing provision. As it is an approach that does not require practitioners to be highly specialist mental health professionals, MFT can be grown as a resource relatively quickly and inexpensively.

A significant amount of research around MFT has been conducted over the years, including numerous Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), and there is significant evidence to indicate the effectiveness of the approach in different settings*. There is also substantial qualitative research describing the benefits of the naturalistic, de-stigmatising setting from the perspective of family members. However, differing research methodologies and factors regarding treatment populations, delivery, model fidelity and the presence of other simultaneous interventions have made it difficult to draw more broad conclusions about the impact of MFT to date.

* Asen, E., Morris, E., & Pommepuy, N. (2024). Systemic Multi-Family Therapy: Concepts and Interventions. Taylor & Francis.