A child talks about his experience with Multisystemic Therapy
Capturing the voice of the young person is often difficult in MST, but it is a critical part of the story that begs to be told. Community stakeholders and families alike often ask, “What about the young person? How does this program impact his or her life?” During a recent event, the Trafford MST team in the UK found a unique way to bring the voice of the young person to life.
This powerful video helps all of us understand – “what is it MST like?” from the perspective of the the child.
Back Story:
J is a 14 year old boy from the UK who was referred to MST because of frequent physical aggression at home towards family members. This included using weapons and destroying property. He also frequently displayed problems with verbal aggression and regularly went missing from home. At the beginning of treatment, J’s mother described how she felt “helpless” to prevent these behaviors. She told her MST therapist, Sarah, that she could not see any other solution other than having Social Care remove J from the home. Through the MST intervention, J’s mother reported learning that a key factor in the conflicts was her becoming drawn into her arguments with J and following him around when both were escalating. Sarah helped J’s mother to implement specific evidence-based strategies to avoid arguments escalating and helped her to hold J accountable for his behaviors. J’s mother reports that she continues to use the MST model to “find the fit” of new problems and create targeted solutions to get J back on track.
To learn more about the benefits of Multisystemic Therapy download this white paper.
