Celebrating Families!™
Celebrating Families!TM (CF!) is a program designed for families with children ages 4–18 in which at least one parent has problematic substance use and is at risk of engaging in domestic violence, child abuse, or child neglect. CF! aims to break the cycle of addiction in families, improve participants’ healthy living skills, and increase children’s well-being and functioning. CF! was originally designed to support families in Family Drug Treatment Courts and to increase rates of family reunification but has since expanded to serve families in the community as well. The program seeks to provide a safe, nurturing place for children and parents to explore their feelings and choices and to learn communication and coping skills. The curriculum engages every member of the family and aims to foster the development of healthy and addiction-free individuals. A separate Spanish language manual, Celebrando Familias!, is available. This adaptation contains the same overall structure and format as the English-language version with modifications to examples and content to increase the cultural relevance of the program.
Group leaders deliver CF! to groups of families in weekly sessions. Sessions involve both parents and children and are fully scripted, including role-play, handouts, children’s stories, and activity sheets. Each session follows the same structure: (1) a 30-minute family meal, (2) 90-minutes of small group activities focused on the week’s topic, and (3) a 30-minute structured “Connecting with my Family” activity.
In the small group activities, both parents and children learn about the week’s topic with parents meeting in one group together and children meeting in separate groups by age (4–7, 8–10, 11–13, and 14–18). At least two group leaders facilitate each small group. Topics focus on healthy living skills (e.g., effective communication and anger management) and key addiction and recovery concepts (e.g., addiction is a disease, substance use impacts the whole family). For parents and for children ages 8–18, small group activities consist of an opening exercise designed to center the group and set expectations, a presentation of the main content, and a closing circle for reflection. For children ages 4–7, small group activities consist of a gathering activity, circle time, activity time, a break, story time, and a closing circle. These small group topics for children ages 4–7 include developmentally appropriate content for younger children.
In the “Connecting with My Family” activity, families come back together to participate in a structured activity. Each week’s activity builds on the topics discussed in the breakout sessions and is designed to model positive parenting behaviors and strengthen family relationships. For example, activities might focus on reading to and affirming children, spending time together safely as a family, or talking about how addiction has impacted the family.
CF! does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies met eligibility criteria for review.
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: Nov 2023
Sources
The following sources informed the program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information: the program or service manual, the program or service developer’s website, and the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare.
This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, visit the Review Process page or download the Handbook.
Target Population
CF! is designed for families with children ages 4–18 in which at least one parent has problematic substance use and is at risk of engaging in domestic violence, child abuse, or child neglect.
Dosage
Group leaders typically deliver CF! to groups of 6–15 families in 16 weekly 150-minute sessions. A clinician is on call in case a participant needs immediate help. CF! can also be implemented online. When implemented online, CF! follows the same general structure but families are encouraged to serve their own meal at home prior to the session and the total session length is reduced to 90 minutes.
Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings
Group leaders can deliver CF! in person in community or clinical settings or online.
Education, Certifications and Training
A team of 6–10 group leaders delivers CF! with support from a site coordinator and an on-call clinician. The site coordinator is typically a paid staff member at the organization implementing the program. The team of group leaders should consist of individuals who have the desire to help families learn, strong personal skills, and an understanding of chemical dependency and recovery. Overall, the team of group leaders should be balanced in terms of gender and ethnicity.
CF! training includes a 2.5-day program that introduces key program components, describes challenges to facilitation with diverse families, and provides practical experience with program exercises and activities. Group leaders receive training on: (1) how addiction affects the family, (2) small group facilitation, (3) group management, (4) learning differences, (5) CF! session plans, (6) the uniqueness of model, and (7) team building. Group leaders also participate in ongoing training and supervision, including weekly 1-hour planning sessions, de-briefing sessions, quarterly enrichment sessions, and team building events.
A train-the-trainer program is available for organizations that would like to grow the program in their area.
Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review
There are two manuals that can be used to implement CF!:
Tisch, R., & Sibley, L. (2021). Celebrating Families!TM: A curriculum to facilitate recovery for parents and children impacted by alcohol and/or drug dependence (8th ed.). National Association for Children of Addiction.
Tisch, R., Sibley, L., & Ramirez, M. (2012). ¡Celebrando Familias! National Association for Children of Addiction.
Available languages
The CF! manual is available in English and Spanish.
Other supporting materials
For More Information
Website: http://celebratingfamilies.net/CFmodel.htm
Phone: (301) 468-0985
Email: celebratingfamilies@nacoa.org
Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.
| Results of Search and Review | Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for Celebrating Families!™ |
|---|---|
| Identified in Search | 8 |
| Eligible for Review | 0 |
| Rated High | 0 |
| Rated Moderate | 0 |
| Rated Low | 0 |
| Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm | 0 |
Studies Not Eligible for Review
Study 14675
Cohen, E. & Tisch, R. (2021). The online adaptation and outcomes of a family-based intervention addressing substance use disorders. Research on Social Work Practice, 31(3), 244-253. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731520975860
This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).
Study 14676
Jrapko, A., Ward, D., Hazelton, T., & Foster, T.L. (2003). Family treatment drug court Head Start Program: Annual report October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003. The Center for Applied Local Research. http://celebratingfamilies.net/PDF/evaluationHeadStartAnnualReport.pdf
Jrapko, A., Ward, D., Hazelton, T., & Foster, T.L. (2005). Family treatment drug court Head Start Program: Annual report October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004. The Center for Applied Local Research. http://celebratingfamilies.net/PDF/annual_report_amended_03_04.pdf
This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).
Study 14677
LutraGroup. (2008). Final Outcome Evaluation May 2007 for Celebrating Families!™: Methodology. Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. http://celebratingfamilies.net/PDF/FinalOutcomeEvalution_LutraGroup.pdf
LutraGroup. (2006). Year One (FY ’05 – ’06) Evaluation report for Celebrating Families!™ grant: Executive summary. Prevention Partnership International. http://celebratingfamilies.net/PDF/YearOneEvaluationReport_new.pdf
This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).
Study 14678
Sparks, S., Tisch, R., Gardner, M.E., & Sparks, J. (2011). ¡Celebrando Familias! An innovative approach for Spanish speaking families at high risk for substance abuse disorders [Prepublication copy]. http://celebratingfamilies.net/PDF/evaluationReport_2011.pdf
This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).
Study 14679
Sparks, S., Tisch, R., & Gardner, M. (2013). Family-centered interventions for substance abuse in Hispanic communities. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 12(1), 68-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2013.759785
This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).
Study 14680
Sparks, S. N., & Tisch, R. (2018). A family-centered program to break the cycle of addiction. Families in Society, 99(2), 100-109. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1044389418767841
This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).
Study 14681
Zweben, J. E., Moses, Y., Cohen, J.B., Price, G., Chapman, W., & Lamb, J. (2015). Enhancing family protective factors in residential treatment for substance use disorders. Child Welfare, 94(5), 145-166. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48623467
This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).
Study 14682
Brook, J., Akin, B. A., Lloyd, M. H., & Yan, Y. (2015). Family drug court, targeted parent training and family reunification: Did this enhanced service strategy make a difference? Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 66(2), 35–52. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.120
This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).