How an MST therapist helped an angry youth turn his life around
After physically assaulting his mother, Kyle was put on probation. A community deputy probation officer referred him and his mother to the MST program. Kyle lived with her and his stepfather in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. At the beginning of the program, he was adversarial and defiant at home. He disregarded rules, flouted his parents’ directives, challenged their requests, had angry outbursts, was verbally aggressive toward both of them, and sometimes physically aggressive toward his mother. Kyle had a history of stealing from his parents and blaming others for his choices.
Kyle not only behaved like this at home, but he also broke rules at school. He had a pattern of being disruptive in class, stealing from students and teachers, physically threatening teachers, leaving school and classrooms without permission, and defying teachers’ directives. In fact, prior to his participation in MST, Kyle had 45 disciplinary entries at school. He struggled for a long time with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness.
