Family Effectiveness Training

Family Effectiveness Training (FET) is a family-based program for Hispanics that targets family factors known to place children at risk. FET helps Hispanic immigrant families with children ages 6 to 12, particularly when the child is exhibiting behavior problems, associating with deviant peers, or experiencing parent–child communication problems. The program consists of three components: Family Development, Bicultural Effectiveness Training, and Brief Strategic Family Therapy. FET uses two primary strategies to initiate change: 1) didactic lessons and participatory activities that help parents master effective family management skills and 2) organized discussions in which the therapist/facilitator intervenes to correct dysfunctional communications between or among family members. The training sessions last for 13 weeks, are 1½ to 2 hours long, and are tailored to each individual family.

The goal of FET is to strengthen families by increasing their ability to adapt to new situations, particularly developmental and cultural challenges the family will face.

FET was evaluated using a Solomon Group Four design with a clinical extension. Seventy-nine Hispanic families were randomized either to receive FET or to a minimum contact control condition. To control for a testing bias in the results, some members of the treatment group and some members of the control group were not given a pretest. Posttest assessments were conducted at about 13 weeks (around the time the FET condition was completed). Those in the control group had the opportunity to receive the treatment after the 13-week posttest was administered. A follow-up was conducted 6 months after the posttest. Families assigned to FET received 13 lessons, at a rate of one lesson a week. Families assigned to the control group had only minimal contact with program staff.

Youths who received FET had significantly fewer behavioral, personality, and inadequacy problems and reported greater improvement in their feelings about themselves at the termination of treatment, compared with the control group. FET significantly improved the family structure, functioning, resonance, developmental stage, and conflict resolution.