It’s that time of year when we think about all we’ve accomplished in 2016 as an organization and as individuals. And as the tradition has it, we look ahead, always optimistic that next year we will do more, dream bigger and deliver better results.
So as we at MST Services consider 2017, we have compiled a list of our top 10 New Year’s Resolutions.
Topics: MST Community
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.
Topics: MST Success Stories
"You want to have children rehabilitate to the point that if they move next to you, your grandchildren will be safe." This is the simple, yet powerful advice Judge Dorene Allen, presiding probate and juvenile court judge for Midland County, Mich., has for people selecting programs for juveniles in the justice system.
At one point, the services offered in her county were not meeting that standard. Judge Allen was not "satisfied spending time, energy and money for no results. That’s depressing to the judge and community."
Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform
Imagine an 18-year-old former high-school football star, now a shell of his previous self. His decline started when a knee injury left him in a lot of pain. No one knew it, but he became addicted to the pills that were prescribed by his doctor to help him recover. He says he later started using heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get on his college campus than painkillers.
Or consider the young teen who was suspended from school because she was found "under the influence of something." Later, her parents found out their daughter bought pills from one of her classmates who took the pills from his mother’s medicine cabinet.
Topics: Substance Abuse
A picture of a long and winding road. It resonated with attendees at the opening of the 2016 MST Network Partnership Conference when executive vice president and clinical director of MST Services, Lisa Reiter, showed one. Many participants sitting in the audience, myself included, have been a part of that long and winding journey that took Multisystemic Therapy from a university-based research treatment model into the real world.
Topics: Multisystemic Therapy
What does Mrs. Claus do when Santa is busy making toys for all good girls and boys? She runs a club to support women who are undergoing cancer treatment.
The Mrs. Claus Club started in Bentleyville, Pa., with the realization that the holidays can be a particularly difficult time for women with lives already filled with stress and anxiety from their diagnosis. Club members provide food baskets and other holiday cheer.
Topics: MST Community
Jerry Brown is a man on a mission. The California governor is set on shrinking the state’s prison population, including the number of juveniles caught up in the system.
That was why he threw his support behind Prop 57, one element of which would throw out a 2000 law that shunted more young defendants into adult courts. In 2014 alone, the number was 395.
Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform
When I think about the things for which I’m thankful, one thing that immediately comes to mind is how thankful I am for the fulfilling work that I love.
What follows exemplifies why I find my work with MST families so rewarding.
Topics: MST Success Stories
With 2016 drawing to a close, the Multisystemic Therapy (MST) 2015 outcome data is in. And the numbers look good.
As a top tier program that works to keep at-risk juveniles out of trouble, at home and in school, achieving our goals is bigger than just our organization. Meeting our goals means helping children and families across the world live healthier, more productive lives.
Topics: Multisystemic Therapy
Looking back, I remember my very first day in Multisystemic Therapy (MST). To be exact, it was Feb. 5, 2001. As I sat in the MST 5-Day Orientation, feeling a bit overwhelmed, I found myself wondering "What is this MST all about?" and "What I have gotten myself into?" Spring forward 15-plus years, and I cannot imagine myself doing anything else.
As I think about the families I have worked with, the teammates that I have had the privilege to work alongside, the support I received from my supervisors and experts, I realize there are valuable lessons that I have learned that keep me going every day.
Topics: MST Community
