She didn't think MST would work, but now this Scottish mum is grateful she gave MST a chance so her son could remain at home

Sean* was referred to Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Edinburgh by his social worker in July 2017. He was being reported missing to police as frequently as every day. He was using drugs, offending in the community and would often smash up property within the home. Sean’s mother, Ms. Spencer*, described the family as being in a “desperate situation.” She believed that having her son taken into Local Authority care was her only option. She said, “I couldn’t cope. My whole family was stressed, and it all became unbearable. I had to resign from my job as I was calling in sick continuously due to Sean’s behaviour. It was impossible to manage.” 

Georgia juvenile justice reform, led by Gov. Nathan Deal, wins award 

A year after taking office, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal recognized that he had an opportunity, and a responsibility, to fix the state’s criminal justice system. A year later, in 2013, he expanded his focus to include the state’s juvenile justice system. Shortly thereafter, the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) partnered with the Pew Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, among others, to explore ways to reduce the unnecessary, ineffective, and expensive overuse of out of home placement of youth who ran into trouble with the law as adolescents.

Much to CJCCs surprise, many of the juveniles placed out of home had committed misdemeanor or status offenses.

How Multisystemic Therapy gave this young man from Compton a chance to be more than a statistic

In the summer of 2017, The New Yorker ran an article titled “American Inferno: The Life of a South Central Statistic.” This was a woman’s story of how her cousin became involved in the juvenile  justice system and his eventual murder—making him one more tragic statistic.

As a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) therapist in the Compton and South Central areas of Los Angeles County, I see these “statistics” play out in real life.

Before Highfields' Multisystemic Therapy team came along, Sandra and her son, Larry, didn’t know how to communicate without arguing. 

Last year, Sandra and her family moved to a new home in a new school district. This created a lot of stress for her oldest child, 15-year-old Larry. 

Sandra saw changes in him. He was hanging out with the wrong crowd, not focusing in school and making bad decisions. They argued constantly about power dynamics, such as who was in charge or who would have the final word. They didn’t know how to communicate with each other.

Virginia replaces correctional centers with evidence-based practices, MST is one of them

In June 2017, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) closed its Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center, which had been housing more than 160 young men. The center had first started receiving youth offenders in 1890, and its yearly budget had grown to $26,039,540 by 2016.

The closing was good news for some youth advocates. Even better news came this month when the DJJ announced it would be using savings from the closing to fund Multisystemic Therapy (MST). In a statement, the department referred to MST as “a highly-regarded evidence-based model,” which would be made available “to court-involved youth in traditionally underserved areas of the Commonwealth.”

Members of the new MST teams

School season can be stressful. Here are 9 strategies for families to help their children succeed in school.

It’s back to school season—from shopping for supplies to the sounds of early morning buses. For many young people, this can be a happy time of year, a time when they will start fresh or rejoin old classmates or re-connect with teachers. For some, the sights and sounds of crowded hallways bring a sense of excitement. But many youth—and families—do not have the same joyful anticipation. Many students and parents have lumps in their throats or experience anxiety when they think about returning to school and the concerns it brings—bullying, truancy, suspensions or exclusions, the dreaded phone call from school when a problem arises and the potential that things may escalate to involvement with child-protective services or the juvenile-justice system.

An MST newcomer shares her experience of becoming a supervisor

You know that feeling when everything just seems to ‘click’? That ‘aha’ moment when your brain clears and you understand whatever problem you have been trying to solve? That’s my favorite part about being an MST supervisor—being a part of the moment when the family ‘arrives’—when a mother looks at me and says, “You mean when I parent from guilt and keep letting my child get away with things, or let him off punishment early, that is why he keeps doing the things he is doing? I am not running my home, my child is? I get it. I want this to work. He is not going to like it, but I am the parent here, not him!” That is the moment that makes the challenges of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) worth it.

Stella and Paul were losing control of their adopted son, Charlie.

He was becoming violent and affecting the whole family. Luckily, they found a partner to work alongside them and keep their family together.

Stella and Paul have children ranging from age 37 to 12. Their two youngest, Brenda and Charlie, were adopted from foster care and have special needs.

“In our naiveté, we thought, we’re going to adopt these kids and bring them into a loving home. Then, they’d be just like the other kids we have,” said Stella. “But we didn’t realize that at a young age, there’s so much that they already picked up that we can’t change.”

A former school social worker and current MST supervisor reflects on harsh school discipline policies feeding the school-to-prison pipeline

“It is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunities of an education.” Chief Justice Earl Warren, 1954

I was a special-education school social worker and school social-work clinical supervisor in the Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) schools. These are the “lowest performing” Detroit public schools and were taken over by a governor-appointed emergency manager in 2011. As a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) supervisor and former MST therapist, I have dealt with keeping youth in school.

While schools have complex challenges, one of the most frustrating aspects I observed was the detrimental discipline policies.

MST therapists and supervisors doing whatever it takes

Houston, Texas. The largest city in the southern U.S. Hit last week with a natural disaster of epic proportions. Hurricane Harvey has made an indelible mark on the landscape and on the people of the Space City. It was the lead story on the national news for days. You have probably seen the flooding, heard of the death toll, watched the search-and-rescue efforts with bated breath. If you’re like me, you cried through heartbreaking interviews with families who have lost it all. What you may not know is that there are two Multisystemic Therapy (MST) teams in Houston. This is their story. And it’s not over yet—this blog may require a Part II.