For decades, the child welfare system has relied on traditional (often manual) processes to protect vulnerable children and support struggling families. The system operated with significant limitations, which made timely interventions challenging. While dedicated professionals worked tirelessly to navigate these limitations, inefficiencies and inconsistencies often led to gaps in care. 

Raising a child with serious behavioral challenges can feel overwhelming, but Multisystemic Therapy (MST) can help. Unlike many interventions that focus solely on the child, MST programs take a community-based, evidence-driven approach that treats the family as a whole system.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a highly effective, evidence-based intervention that addresses adverse behaviors in young people, particularly those exhibiting delinquent behavior. 

Grounded in principles that target various systems in a young person's life—such as family, school, peers, and community—MST provides a comprehensive approach to treatment, focusing on long-term behavioral change. Maintaining fidelity ensures that MST consistently delivers positive outcomes across these diverse systems and settings. 

For decades, wilderness camps for teens have promised life-changing results for teens who are at risk or troubled. Marketed as a last resort for desperate parents, these juvenile delinquency programs claim to rehabilitate teenagers dealing with behavioral issues, substance abuse, and mental health challenges. But beneath these promises lies a much darker reality.

Substance misuse within families is a significant and growing concern within the child welfare system. The challenges are multifaceted and deeply entrenched, often leading to devastating outcomes for both parents and their children. According to recent data, parental substance use is a contributing factor in approximately 26% of substantiated cases of child maltreatment and plays a role in over one-third of cases where a child is removed from the home. 

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) is historic legislation with a noble and critical goal. It prioritizes family preservation and the well-being of young people by decreasing the necessity for placing children in foster care. 

The FFPSA expands how states can spend certain Social Security funds by allowing states to allocate funds to evidence-based practices and programs offering various treatment and prevention services to children and families in the child welfare system. 

The FFPSA Clearinghouse categorizes these evidence-based programs across levels—the top rating being "well-supported." But what does this mean? Why does it matter? What are the benefits? And how can you select and implement a well-supported program? 

We'll answer these questions to understand not just the "what" but the “why" behind the importance of well-supported services that can transform the lives of children and families. 

Therapy can be a positive tool for change in a person’s life. However, the relationship between a therapist and their client significantly impacts the effectiveness of the treatment.  Unfortunately, many barriers can threaten the therapist-client relationship, including communication breakdowns, power imbalances, and conflicting goals.  

Addressing these struggles early can prevent them from escalating and affecting treatment outcomes. In addition, when therapists approach these struggles with intentionality and self-awareness, it can ultimately improve the relationship and help the client reach their therapy goals. 

We are excited to announce that MST-BSF has been approved as supported by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse! This is a significant achievement for MST Services, as being "supported" means that Multisystemic Therapy – Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF) has met the rigorous standards for evidence-based interventions set by the clearinghouse and highlights the effectiveness of the program in helping children and families.

How you view yourself, your qualities, and your capabilities — in other words, your self-esteem — plays a major role in your mental health. This is true for people of all ages, including teenagers. A healthy level of self-esteem can set a teenager up for success as it can empower them to set boundaries, bounce back from challenges, and make positive choices.   

Unfortunately, many teenagers struggle with low self-esteem. Adolescence can be challenging, and hormonal shifts, physical changes, and social challenges, coupled with new responsibilities and peer pressure, can affect a teenager's self-perception.  

May is National Teen Self-Esteem Month, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on the connection between self-esteem and mental health, as well as how to build self-esteem in teenagers.

The outcome of any form of counseling depends on how well the therapist is able to engage the client and their caregivers in sessions.  The same can be said for family therapy interventions. If the therapist isn’t able to engage family members, it can impact how well interventions will be implemented that positively affect the entire family.  

When it comes to family-based counseling, therapists measure client engagement in the following ways: 

• Attending the sessions regularly

• Sharing openly during the sessions

• Being willing to discuss difficult topics 

• Participating in exercises and activities during the session 

• Completing therapy homework between sessions 

• Attempting to integrate insights into their day-to-day life 

When a therapist is able to engage clients, they are likely to achieve better outcomes more quickly, not only for the client but the entire family.  

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) works to address known barriers to client and caregiver engagement and utilize the strategies below, though this is not an exhaustive list.