Tom Sexton, Ph.D., Task Force Co-Chair (Level III)

Thomas L. Sexton, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at Indiana University where he directs the Center for Adolescent and Family Studies (CAFS), a national research center for the study and dissemination of research based practices for the treatment of at-risk adolescents and their families. He is a practitioner, a social scientist and family therapy model developer that has presented more than 300 workshops on Functional Family Therapy and consulted with systems of care helping to integrate evidence-based practices both nationally and internationally. He implemented FFT in the Netherlands and in Ireland. He is co-author of the FFT clinical manual (Sexton & Alexander 2004), author/co-author of the most recent theoretical chapters on FFT and designed the most recent training and implementation procedures for moving FFT into community based clinical settings. His interest in Family Therapy and psychotherapy research have resulted in many journal articles, book chapters, and books including the Handbook of Family Therapy, a major reference in the field. His recent publication in the Journal of Family Psychology (Sexton & Turner, 2010) is the first FFT outcome study in more than 20 years. His most recent book Functional Family Therapy in Clinical Practice is the first book on FFT in over 30 years. In addition, his scientific work is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse. His most recent funded project investigates the use of computer technology in enhancing treatment outcomes of FFT in clinical settings.

He is a licensed psychologist (IN), a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a Board Certified Family Psychologist (ABPP). Dr. Sexton is past president of the Society of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

Recent Publications:

Sexton, T. L., Kinser, J. C., & Hanes, C. W. (2008). Beyond a single standard: Levels of evidence approach for evaluating marriage and family therapy research and practice. Journal of Family Therapy, 30(4), 386-398.

Sexton, T. L., & Schuster, R. A. (2008). The role of positive emotion in the therapeutic change process of family therapy. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 18(2), 233-247.

Sexton, T. L., Coop Gordon, K., Gurman, A. S., Lebow, J. L., & Johnson, S. (2007) Guidelines for evidence-based treatments in family psychology. Official Recommendations of the Division of Family Psychology (Division 43) American Psychological Association.

Sexton, T. L. (2007). The therapist as a moderator and mediator in successful therapeutic change. Journal of Family Therapy.

Sexton, T. L., Schuster, R., & Peterson, H. (2007). The treatment and prevention of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders in children. In T. P Gullotta, & A. Gerald, (Eds) Handbook of Child Behavior Disorders. NY: Springer.

Sexton, T. L. (2007). The therapist as a moderator and mediator in successful therapeutic change. Journal of Family Therapy, 29 (2), 104-110.

Sexton, T. L., Ridley, C. R., & Kliner, A., (2004). Beyond common factors: Multilevel-process models of therapeutic change in marriage and family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30(2), 1-12.

Sexton, T. L.& Alexander, J. F. (2002). Family-based empirically supported intervention programs. The Counseling Psychologist, 30(2), 238-261.