A determined grandmother does whatever it takes to help her grandson succeed
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) therapists and supervisors engage all families and do whatever it takes to build a trusting relationship. They know how important it is to connect to families and their needs in a direct and efficient way from day one. This connection was made with a 68-year-old grandmother who referred to herself as "Guerrera,"—Spanish for warrior.
Guerrera’s story is one of courage and strength. She fought against odds to regain her grandson from the grips of the local street gang. Sadly, the presence of criminal activity was not foreign to her. She was exposed to it when living in her native country of Colombia years before moving to New York City.
In the United States, she found herself facing a similar gang challenge, and by the time the family court intervened, her grandson had already been arrested two times and was facing another out-of-home placement. As a last option, the judge offered MST as an alternative to placement. With some hesitancy, the family agreed, and within six hours, an MST therapist was knocking on the door.
Guerrera had fears and concerns that perhaps this "therapist" was in fact connected to the police, the legal system or immigration. Sessions in the family’s native tongue were intense, and through collaboration, many strengths for this caregiver, as well as those in her ecology, were identified. Guerrera’s desired outcome and mantra was "Yo voy a rescatar mi nieto de la calle." ("I will rescue my grandson from the streets.")
Finding help within the system
With the therapist’s support, she learned to collaborate with his school and sign on the school counselor as part of her team to improve attendance and academic performance. She brought in her English-speaking "comadre" ("close friend") to help her link with the probation officer to report her grandson’s progress. Guerrera creatively increased her supervision of her grandson’s whereabouts and kept tabs on whom he was with and what he was doing by using her neighborhood "vigilantes." She started drug screening to objectively know if her grandson was using or not. She finally retired her discipline method of chasing her grandson with a broom and adopted a more effective consequence of removing his most prized possession—his cellphone—and weekend excursions.
The family’s road to success was not easy, but with much love and consistent expectations, Guerrera heard what sounded like music to her ears during the last court hearing. The judge, probation officer and MST therapist recognized each and every effort she made toward the success of her grandson. He had close to perfect attendance, would be graduating and was working with grandma at her job. The judge congratulated Guerrera and her grandson, and also granted the probation officer’s request to have the youth’s probation terminated with a successful discharge.
There are so many other families looking for the opportunity to overcome adversity and triumph. MST believes in families. MST believes in partnership. MST believes in all other Guerreras fighting to help their youth. Won’t you open your door to MST?
To learn more about what makes MST an effective treatment for at-risk youth, download this white paper.
