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.
MST helps parents take control
Working with their MST therapist, Kyle’s parents started setting limits at home. It also helped to manage and decrease Kyle’s incidents of defiance, angry outbursts, and verbal and physical aggression. The MST therapist worked with mom and stepdad to develop a behavior-management plan that included effective rules, rewards, and consequences. The therapist also helped Kyle’s parents consistently follow the plan by providing 24/7 phone support and face-to-face contact several times a week. Together, they anticipated and prepared for potential barriers to following the behavior-management plan.
Methods for keeping things in check
Mom and stepdad learned de-escalation techniques that prevented incidents from getting out of hand. They were also taught healthy coping skills and learned to talk more about their thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs before they triggered arguments and confrontations. Over time, these efforts helped Kyle’s parents change patterns of interaction with Kyle, ultimately improving family relationships.
During the family’s time in treatment, the therapist helped Kyle’s parents work with his school to update his IEP (Individualized Education Plan) so that it included realistic and achievable goals for him. They improved the school-home link by developing clear ways to collaborate and problem-solve so that Kyle’s needs in school were met. Teachers and case managers started using daily school logs to track behavior, classwork completion, and homework completion.
Lastly, per their parents’ requests, Kyle was referred to a psychiatrist to provide him with medication-management services that would stabilize his moods, attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The MST therapist provided the parents with support in monitoring Kyle’s daily, weekly, and monthly symptoms and behaviors to track the effectiveness of his medication and behavior-management plan. The MST therapist also helped Kyle’s parents establish and maintain a working relationship with the psychiatrist so they could closely meet their son’s medication needs.
Months of hard work leads to a successful conclusion
Kyle and his family spent five months in the MST program and made remarkable strides. Kyle’s mother and stepfather improved the skills necessary to manage behavioral challenges with Kyle at home, school, and within the community. They were even able to improve their relationship and communication with school staff to better meet Kyle’s needs there. These systemic changes reduced the impact of stress on the family and allowed them to enjoy their family life again. Interactions between Kyle and his parents became more pleasant, and they started doing things together again.
At the end of the treatment, Kyle’s deputy probation officer, who had originally referred him to MST, discharged him from probation. The case was terminated due to his success with consistently following home, school, and community rules.
Paula Magana is an MST Therapist in Los Angeles County's Pathways Community Services
