Dr Howard Liddle is a Professor in the Departments of Public Health Sciences, Psychology, and Counseling Psychology in the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. He is also the Director of the Center for Treatment Research on Adolescent Drug Abuse (CTRADA).

Dr Liddle is a pioneer in the fields of adolescent substance abuse and family therapy. He developed Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) in the 1980s. The aim of MDFT is to improve outcomes for young people and their families through a science-based approach implemented by highly-skilled therapists. MDFT can be implemented in a variety of settings, including in treatment, welfare and justice systems.

The practice of MDFT has grown to the point where nearly 200 teams operate across the US and Europe. Dr Liddle is the Chair of MDFT International.

The importance of Dr Liddle’s work in developing and researching MDFT has been acknowledged through multiple large grants, including by the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA). He has published over 200 scientific papers.

Dr Liddle has received career research awards from the Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American Family Therapy Association, Hazelden Foundation and the American Psychological Association.