MST for Problem Sexual Behavior works with youth engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour

The sexual behaviour of young people is often difficult to fathom, even more so when that behaviour harms someone else. Estimates suggest that nearly a quarter of reported cases of child sexual abuse are committed by an individual younger than 18. Victims are often younger than the perpetrator and known to them, either as a family member or family friend.

L.A. County Bureau Chief says his staff trusts Multisystemic Therapy as treatment for at-risk youth

I first learned of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) in 2003 when I was assigned to the Los Angeles County Probation Department’s Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) program. JJCPA operates from a platform of evidence-based practices and principles that unite and coordinate a wide range of services. Through JJCPA, the probation department has continued to partner with the Department of Mental Health to contract with local agencies to provide MST services. 

It did not take me long to realize the value and potential of a therapist who is engaged with the youth’s social ecology. 

Are we in danger of losing a generation of children from the opioid crisis

Our family lives on a picturesque island off the coast of Maine. Yet, painkillers prescribed by physicians resulting in opioid addiction and the ready availability of heroin have damaged the lives of many families in our extended social network – children of our friends, friends of our friends, work colleagues of our friends, families of our children’s friends, and acquaintances in our community.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which we work. We also pay respect to  Elders past, present and future and recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of Aboriginal people from this land.

Child abuse and neglect is not unique to any one continent, country or city. Across the globe, governments and non-government organisations are working together to support those most vulnerable in our communities to reach the best possible outcomes and lives.

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) may be the long-awaited bicameral win that Congress has been searching for this year 

First enacted in 1974, the JJDPA provides four core protections for young people who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The legislation ensures that youth are not housed in adult facilities, that they are sight and sound separated from adult inmates, and that states address racial and ethnic disparities within their systems. The law also prohibits the incarceration of young people for status offenses such as running away from home and skipping school. These status-offense behaviors are illegal only because the person engaging in them has not yet reached the age of majority. 

His humility shows first and foremost

Let’s talk about Fuzi Bradshaw—an outstanding Multisystemic Therapy (MST) clinician and father.

When you first meet Fuzi, you are struck by his humility. He talks with humble pride about the work he does with MST families in the Nottingham community of England. He talks with that same pride about his own family and the lives that he is shaping as a father.

Fuzi is a recent recipient of the MST Sustained Excellence award (an ESSY) for his overall adherence to the MST model as determined by the MST Therapist’s Adherence Measure. 

MST's work in Iceland shows that it's possible to provide MST in remote areas

Approximately 500 families have completed Multisystemic Therapy (MST) in Iceland since the first team started in November 2008. MST was brought in as a part of a policy change by the Government Agency for Child Protection, which is a provider for speciailised services like Parent Management Training–Oregon Model (PMTO), MST and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for sexually abused children (Barnahus—Children‘s House). Since 2010, two MST standard teams have worked in Iceland. MST, like all other social services in the country, is free of charge.

MST brought a significant improvement to the Icelandic Child Protection System (CPS) and made it possible to close many of the residential treatment homes.

This therapist helped clear a path for Mom to succeed, literally

When I think of summer, my mind wanders to the feelings and smells of a summer day—the sun’s warmth on my skin, the taste of BBQ and other treats, the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of the lawn mower zipping through the ever-growing jungle that we call a yard. There is something therapeutic about cutting the grass, but sometimes it is more than just about mowing the lawn, as one of my therapists for a team on my caseload found out during a recent session. 

MST moves beyond the labels that stigmatize troubled youth

Labels. Labels we are given, and ones we take on and allow to define us. For young people who are involved in juvenile justice, and for many who become MST clients, labels can get in the way of success. Maybe they are marked as “bad kids” because they are on probation or parole. Maybe it’s a mental health diagnosis or a learning disability that is allowed to become their label. Some kids are remembered for a crime they committed or by the reputation their families have in the community. Thankfully, we don’t live in the 17th century and have to literally wear a scarlet letter stitched across our clothing. Being put into a category can still be incredibly damaging and difficult to overcome. In particular, when we internalize it.

Homelessness can happen at any time. Here's what we learned when it happened during one of our MST cases

Close your eyes, and picture a homeless person. What images do you see? Do you see someone begging along the highway? Or perhaps someone just sitting around “refusing to help themselves”? So often, we have a narrow view of those who find themselves on the street, when in fact, homelessness can strike at any time, and therapists have to be armed with strategies to help. Our team learned this valuable lesson just recently when working with Ben and his family.