An MST expert responds to the blog on SROs published Tuesday Feb., 7

My experiences with school resource officers (SROs) differ from the viral videos that make the media rounds. The SROs that I was fortunate to build relationships with as a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) therapist and supervisor produced a picture different from the image of officers arresting kids in school hallways or physically restraining them in their classrooms. Granted, it took some effort to establish rapport with the SROs.

This commentary originally appeared as an op-ed in the Mount Desert Islander. 

Historically, research has repeatedly shown that juvenile justice interventions often result in outcomes that are the opposite of what was expected or intended. For example, most people would agree that youth who commit crimes need more structure and self-discipline in their lives. This perspective led to the proliferation of military style boot camps in the 1990s designed to reduce delinquent behavior. While this intervention would seem, at face value, to be harmless and well suited for teaching teens to be more responsible, subsequent evaluations showed strikingly different results. That is, boot camp interventions actually increased youth antisocial behavior problems and did so at considerable financial cost.  

Before looking ahead, here's my thoughts on past conference

I can hardly believe it has been 17 years since I first attended the biannual MST International Conference in Savannah, Ga. At that time, I was an MST supervisor for Adelphoi Village. I loved my new job, but I wasn’t yet exactly sure what I was doing. I went to the conference enthusiastic and ready learn. The workshops I attended fit the bill. 

Brendan Dassey's long road of appeals is not over yet

The Netflix original series “Making a Murderer” captured the attention of America with the story of Brendan Dassey, a 17-year-old who was convicted in 2007 of first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse, and second-degree sexual assault. The guilty verdict came in large part because of Dassey’s confession, which he recanted. He was sentenced by a Wisconsin jury to mandatory life in prison with a possibility of parole in 2048.

A documentary film about teens behind bars

The documentary, 'They Call Us Monsters,' is a rare glimpse into the lives of the most vulnerable of those residing in America’s system of mass incarceration—juveniles facing a bleak life in prison. These adolescents would not have been deemed adults in virtually any other setting. They are unable to purchase cigarettes, rent a car or even vote. Yet, they are held to an arbitrarily created standard of adult convictions. It is clear from the film there is no easy answer for what to do with adolescents who commit serious offenses.

He owned pistols at age 12, but with MST was able to get a fresh start

I’m a sucker for a great success story. Whether it is an athlete’s training that results in a fantastic win or listening to my neighbor’s story about beating cancer. I think it is my love of people conquering great odds that attracted me to the Multisystemic Therapy (MST) treatment model almost a dozen years ago. The process of change is fascinating, and it’s good to be a part of a program that helps families use the therapeutic process to create their own success stories.

It's not about politics, it's about the future of our children

Jan. 10, 2017 marked the day Barack Obama gave his last televised speech as President of the United States. Almost immediately commentators began discussing and dissecting it. Through the whirlwind of news coverage that followed the address, one moment in particular kept coming back to me. Obama said something that resonated much like a call to action. "If we are unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants just because they don’t look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of America."

Watch how they do it in the Netherlands...

The mission of Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN) is to maintain the family unit while keeping children safe from physical abuse and neglect. It also focuses on reducing the mental health difficulties that often affect these families—children and adults. But we can’t start the treatment if we can’t engage the families. If they won’t open the door—literally.

January is dedicated to bringing awareness to human trafficking and slavery

You’re a 14-year-old girl living in an impoverished country. You have always dreamed of getting an education. Suddenly, an opportunity of a lifetime comes your way to learn and study in America. This is just what you have hoped might happen. Your close relative has gone to America and has been very successful. She and her husband are medical professionals and show pictures of living in a beautiful home. They tell your parents if you come to live with them, you will be given all kinds of educational and economic opportunities. In return, all you have to do is help them care for their two young children. Sounds perfect, right?

Schoolyard fracases now felonies in Missouri

It’s about to get way worse in the Show Me State.

The first day of the New Year, the day that traditionally marks a bright new beginning, marked a dark new chapter in Missouri's history.

Imagine a school-yard scuffle, maybe a punch or two thrown, some rolling on the ground.