According to an article by the World Economic Forum, American adults average 12 jobs by the time they are 55. Growing economic, social, and environmental pressures all impact the frequency at which people transition to new employment.
How is it that FFT is able to retain and sustain teams and therapists? I spoke to the Washington State Supervisors, who shared their reasons why. What emerges from their responses are common themes that explain FFT's unique staying power.
FFT Is Built To Last: Insights From Experienced Supervisors
Marcus Farley (10 years of experience)
Marcus brings a unique perspective as someone who experienced similar systems as a youth before becoming a practitioner. Here’s what he had to say:
“I try to explain to people that it's not necessarily just a job. There's something about it that is special. It makes me think back to being a kid in the system myself and going through programs with court-appointed therapists and the people who really showed up that really related with me, with clear boundaries, opened their hearts to me. They're in the room with me when I'm doing therapy now. They're still a part of me.
The first teacher I had in this field told me, people are falling overboard all the time. The key is don't jump over and try to save them. Instead, learn how to throw the lifesaver out and coach them how to swim to it. FFT works perfectly into that metaphor, because we're not jumping in the crisis with them. We're trained to follow the model, which is teaching them to fish, not fishing for them. I'm not there to show off to them what I'm capable of doing for them. I'm helping them to figure out how to do it on their own. And I think that that is a big aspect of this model that makes this sustainable for me to stay with.
I love that feeling I just had last night with the family. They wanted to work on fixing something in session two. And I was like, you know, we're really not going to go there. And my experience is that if I go there with you now, I'm gonna do you a disservice so we're gonna stay here, and I'm gonna really take the time to get to know you guys a little bit more before we start trying to change anything. And the look on their faces, they're just kind of like, oh, okay, wow, this is different, you know?
I still insist when people ask what I do that I'm an activist that happens to do therapy as my activism because I feel like I'm working with families that without something like FFT would never get quality services and would never think that they were worthy of quality services. And there's something about working with a family and watching them light up and go, we're worth this. Like, we can do this. That's some of the best activism. I mean, I certainly miss the days of blocking the gates of nuclear power plants, but this is a little bit easier, and I don't get arrested for it.”
Marcus's experience highlights the personal connection many therapists feel to FFT. This sense of meaningful work is echoed by other long-term practitioners.
Kerri Duke (27 years of experience)
Kerri brings a scientific background to her FFT practice, valuing the model's system-based approach. She shared:
“Working with construction workers, when they drive down the street, and they see a house, they know what they've done. It's the same thing, too, for clinicians. You can drive through a neighborhood, and oh, there's a family I worked with. I've always thought what a treat and privilege to be able to walk into someone's home. And to be invited. I've always loved those first stages and it's always a surprise.
I think FFT is really elegant, you can continue to grow as a clinician, simply using this model. There's no ceiling on it. I just know the feeling of making a difference, I get to facilitate their relationship. My relationship [with them] isn't as important as me facilitating their relationship.
I have a science background in chemical engineering. What I like about FFT is it is structured, it is evidence-based. It's nice to know you're really making a difference and not just showing up.
In doing in-home family therapy, it's so different than having people come to your office who are self-referred. There's a component, either our humanity or our desire to improve things. When you walk into the room, you have an idea how things are gonna go yet, we go in over and over again.
I do think there's something about the model that's just universal I feel. People are allowed to flourish. That doesn't mean there aren't hiccups, there always are going to be, but I just feel like it's a way to think about families and process families that just holds a truism, regardless of the relationship you're in.
You lose a sense of time when you're in the room with the family. You can come in tired, but you get energized in a whole different way, and that's a really good space to be in, time evaporates. There's that whole individualized aspect which always keeps things fresh with every family. I never feel like, oh, I've seen this before. When you're so much in the present moment, it's a good experience. There was a cliche we used to say, it was always trust the model. I just love the way you approach, and you think about things through the lens, it's very hopeful. Also, I think it's very honest. And it's never failed me.”
Lara Stephens (18 years of experience)
Lara transitioned to FFT after experiencing frustration with residential treatment approaches that didn't address family systems. Her perspective:
“I love our model because it's working with families. I began in residential and I remember banging my head, we would work so hard, and kids would gain so many skills, and then leave and go back into communities where nothing had changed. I love the opportunity to support the family in the process. I think, is just such an honor to be able to go in homes.
I also love teaching new clinicians. I will always talk about how humbling and honored I am to be able to walk into someone's home and have them share their experience with me and It's something that registers with everyone. You know, when people are even behaving, "really badly," or "negatively" or "hurtfully", to have someone witness that is very vulnerable. So, we are very honored to be able to experience that with people.”
Lara's journey from residential treatment to family work illustrates why many clinicians find FFT more sustainable than other therapeutic approaches. The mentorship aspect helps create a cycle of investment that strengthens the entire FFT community.
Stacy Fennell (24 years of experience)
Stacy has built her entire career around FFT and community health, seeing how the model translates across different settings. She expressed:
"I can remember a pivotal experience early on. Where there was some crisis and it was very much like, okay, I gotta solve this problem for him right now, I gotta invest all this energy. I was really worried, and put all this time in, and then when I went back the next week, he barely even remembered what we talked about, right? I think that's helped me, honestly, stay in this as long as I have. Is that I care about families, and I want them to be okay. There was some important lessons along the way in there around these families, this is their lives. They're resilient. They don't need me to come in and rescue them and I think that was an important lesson that FFT taught me. The model is my whole filter, like everything I do, all of them have a piece of FFT in the systemic look. It's just kind of hard to imagine not doing it, but if I stopped, it would still be the core of who I am.
I've been in community health also for 27 years. The model resonates so well. I don't know which came first, was I a natural fit for the model because of my own values coming in, or did FFT shape those values? Because I started FFT when I wasn't that far out of grad school. I just can't quite let it go because I like that thread of connection with the FFT model, in my community health(...) it's not private practice people who decide, oh, I want to go talk about my mother, right? What's their motivation to do something different? Let's talk about how they're motivated to do what they're doing, right? like Jim said years ago at my externship, if you can do that motivation phase and even if they're gonna go off to another treatment, you're setting them up for success, to the next thing because of the shift in that motivation and that shift to do things differently.”
Functional Family Therapy is more than just an evidence-based practice—it’s a sustainable approach that supports both families and the professionals who serve them. The experiences of Washington State FFT supervisors show that this model fosters long-term engagement, continuous professional growth, and deeply meaningful work. In a field where turnover is high, FFT stands out as an evidence-based therapy program for youth that sustains teams, strengthens communities, and demonstrates that EBP sustainability is both achievable and enduring.
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Functional Family Therapy is more than just an evidence-based practice—it’s a sustainable approach that supports both families and the professionals who serve them. The experiences of Washington State FFT supervisors show that this model fosters long-term engagement, continuous professional growth, and deeply meaningful work. In a field where turnover is high, FFT stands out as an evidence-based therapy program for youth that sustains teams, strengthens communities, and demonstrates that EBP sustainability is both achievable and enduring.
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