Family Centered Treatment (FCT)

At Walden Family Services, we believe every child deserves the chance to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving environment. For foster youth and families navigating difficult circumstances, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or uncertain about the future. That’s why Family Centered Treatment (FCT) is a key part of our continuum of care.

Whether a family is at risk of separation or working toward reunification after time in foster care, Family Centered Treatment helps keep hope alive. It creates space for healing, trust, and new beginnings.

At Walden, we believe in walking alongside families—not just providing services, but building relationships that restore dignity, strengthen bonds, and give children a real chance to thrive.

Because supporting youth means supporting the people who love them most.

What is FCT?

Family Centered Treatment (FCT) is an evidence-based, trauma-informed model of in-home therapy that works with the entire family to address serious challenges—while keeping families together whenever possible. FCT is designed to help prevent out-of-home placements and support reunification by building trust, communication, and resilience within the family unit.

This proven approach meets families where they are—literally and emotionally—helping them strengthen relationships and break patterns that contribute to instability or crisis.

Why FCT Matters for Foster Youth

FCT is especially impactful for foster youth and families who have experienced trauma, including systemic barriers, incarceration, hospitalization, or long-term separation. Many of the families we support through FCT have already tried other services without success. FCT offers a fresh start—one rooted in empathy, consistency, and partnership.

In 2018, SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) designated FCT as a recognized trauma treatment practice. The FCT Foundation was awarded a five-year federal grant to join the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), confirming its effectiveness in creating real, long-lasting change.

How Family FCT Works

Walden provides FCT directly in the family’s home, ensuring services are comfortable, consistent, and accessible. Over a 6-month period, families receive individualized and intensive support, including:

Multiple weekly visits with a dedicated FCT therapist
Individual and family counseling
Trauma-informed care rooted in trust and collaboration
24/7 on-call crisis support
Help navigating school, mental health, and community systems
Tools to practice communication, set goals, and build resilience
Ongoing psychoeducation and advocacy

Our therapists work side-by-side with families to identify strengths, disrupt generational trauma, and empower lasting transformation. FCT doesn’t just focus on what’s going wrong—it builds a plan for what’s next.