On Thanksgiving, Alessandra Longo takes a moment to reflect on her work

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.

To wrap up Youth Justice Awareness Month, we are sharing a family story from Maine. Our hope is that all young people will be given a chance to succeed like Mitch was.

Imagine you’re a parent of four young kids. When the oldest is 11, he starts acting out in ways you aren’t able to manage. Mitch has massive anger outbursts that he takes out on the furniture, walls and cabinets. He discounts all authority. He is angry and aggressive. If asked to do chores, he vehemently refuses and leaves the house for hours. When he sets his eyes on a new toy or electronic, even if it is one you can’t afford, he starts cussing, hitting things and scaring his siblings, so much so that you feel you have to give in. You start to give in so often that you are running through your savings. 

Multisystemic Therapy helps Mum rebuild her relationship with son

For many years, Lara felt that she had no voice in her own home. Even though she was the mum, Lara was overwhelmed by her son Harry’s aggressive outbursts, using drugs and alcohol, and not going to school. Lara often felt she couldn't manage her 'unmanageable' child and had no choice but to call the police on Harry. This left her feeling ashamed, embarrassed and she couldn’t see her way out.

A mother hopes her positive experience can help other families

When Joe’s mom started working with an Multisystemic Therapy (MST) therapist, she saw it only as requirement to keep her son’s probation officer happy. Joe was in trouble, and she felt that she was, too. He’d been in detention for more than a month after stealing phones at school. Before that, he was out of control—running the streets, coming home high and destroying things in the house. His mom was stretched to the limit. She didn’t know what else to do and had never felt so helpless as a parent. On top of it all, Joe’s mom was working two jobs to support her three children. She could not imagine how it would be possible to make time for another 'program.' Nothing had worked for them before.

Giving a mother hope using MST principle four 

Ms. Mitchell always answered the door in pajamas with a cup of half drunk tea in her hand. She would usher me into her living room and approximately 10 minutes into every session would chide herself for forgetting to offer me a cup. We sat in our respective chairs—me facing the window and she keeping a diligent eye on the clock above my head to remind her of the day’s approaching work shift. These were the things that never changed throughout treatment. We cherished our routines, greetings and small familiarities to counter the challenge of raising a young person with persistent challenging behaviors that led to his involvement in the child-welfare system.

A young, upper-middle class, white male commits several crimes and wonders what would have happened had he been a young, poor, male of color

We’ve been reporting a lot on the disparities in the juvenile-justice system. We talk about the consequences of the school-to-prison pipeline, where brown and black kids are treated so much harsher than their white counterparts. It’s not often we get a glimpse into the system from the point of view of a white, advantaged male. Most often, it’s the disenfranchised who speak out about their stories. However, this anonymous young man has chosen to share his brush with the justice system and why he’ll be the first to believe that it was the color of his skin, not his innocence or guilt, that provided him with a “get-out-of-jail-free” card.

An MST supervisor reflects on the importance of fatherhood

I grew up in a time when fathers in my Hispanic culture were expected to be strong disciplinarians and primarily focus on providing financially for the family. My wife and I have been blessed with two gorgeous and conscientious daughters. When my first daughter was born, I knew I did not want to contribute to the cultural stereotypes of what a father should be and do.

Bridging cultures and a language barrier, MST does whatever it takes

Imagine that you are a single mom of a 14-year old boy. He’s an impulsive little guy. He loves to run away from school and into the small grocery store next door where he snaps up candy and snacks while no one is looking. When he is in the school building, he’s seldom in a classroom, preferring areas where kids take their breaks and adult supervision is minimal. After school, he’s out who knows where, with who knows whom, doing who knows what. You’re scared, but what to do?

How being white and privileged kept me out of the juvenile justice system

I’m new to a lot of things. Knitting, crossword puzzles, adult-ing, just to name a few. But most importantly, I’m new to my job at MST Services. Before working here, I could not have told you much about the juvenile-justice system. Now, by virtue of the research I now do, I can tell you a lot. Interestingly, not only have I learned a lot about the topic, I have learned a lot about myself. 

This is not going to be me gushing about how my life has improved since coming to MST. (Even though it has). This is going to be me speaking about the harsh realizations and self-awareness I’ve come to have, most of which I think are equal parts pertinent and relevant to my peers, as well.

My friends and me, senior year of high school

Pennsylvania family ready to give up on 14-year-old Son

I first met Anthony at his Inter-Agency Service Planning Team (ISPT) meeting. Sitting at the head of the table wearing an ankle bracelet and a big smile on his face, he told me he was ready to go home. He had been in two juvenile placements and was finishing up a stay at a drug-rehabilitation center. 

During the meeting, his parents acknowledged they were at their wit's end. They had supported sending their son away three times, and nothing seemed to change. In fact, I learned that before Anthony went into placement the last time, mom told the public defender that she didn't feel that she could keep him safe. She shared that made her feel like a bad mother, but at that time, she really believed placement was her only choice. Now they were ready to do whatever it took to keep Anthony home. They talked about their willingness to sleep on the living-room floor, guarding the house, so that he couldn’t leave and his older, anti-social peers couldn’t come in.