The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was created to protect and empower children in the welfare system.

While previously, states could only use certain Social Security funds to finance foster care, the FFPSA allows states to use these funds to provide parental training, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment for children and their families in the child welfare system. The FFPSA empowers families at risk of separation, thus reducing the need for children to be placed in foster care.  

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a dynamic, evidence-based approach designed to address complex behavioral problems in young people. At its core, MST works within the ecological systems- family, peers, school, and community - influencing a young person's life.

By working within these systems, MST can support at-risk young people. This can be particularly important when a young person is faced with a difficult transition — for example, changing schools, adapting to a blended family structure, or transitioning home from placement or foster care. 

Families can be a person’s primary source of support as well as stress. When used correctly, family therapy plays a pivotal role in addressing and resolving familial tensions, improving relationships as well as the wellness of individual family members.  

Family therapy can help improve boundary-setting and communication skills. It can also provide a space for families to process and share their emotions, enabling family members to understand one another’s perspectives and offer meaningful support to each other. 

Unfortunately, some families can run into difficulties with family therapy. Common barriers include logistical issues, cultural beliefs and values, lack of awareness, and even skepticism or hesitancy from family members to participate. Recognizing and addressing these barriers is crucial for the success of therapeutic interventions. 

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an evidence-based therapeutic approach designed to address at-risk young people's behavioral challenges. For young people who meet MST Program criteria, MST is a treatment that can be more effective than incarceration and juvenile detention. MST treatment has been shown to reduce recidivism, whereas incarcerated young people will often re-offend by committing further crimes or acts of violence. 

MST isn't just renowned for its efficacy — it's also an economically sensible choice. Not only is it more cost-effective than incarceration, but it also reduces costs to the community and state by preventing recidivism.  

A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that the net benefit of MST is up to $200,000 per youth. The study found that every dollar spent on MST saved taxpayers and crime victims $5.04 in the 25 years after treatment. 

But why is MST so cost-effective? Let’s discuss how MST prevents recidivism, reduces crime, and uses pre-existing resources to treat at-risk young people. 

The cornerstone of a child’s well-being, growth, and development is often rooted in their caregivers' mental and emotional health. Parental figures influence how children process information, behave, and interact with the world around them.   

However, parents are human — and many parents struggle with maintaining their mental stability. Any parent can grapple with anxiety symptoms, attachment issues, and executive dysfunction, all of which can affect their parenting.  

In these situations, Multisystemic Therapy (MST) can be a key source of help. Recognizing the profound connection between parental well-being and children's mental health, MST focuses on holistic therapeutic interventions for at-risk youth. MST treatment looks at the whole family, including the parents, who may need extra support both as a parent and as a human being.   

Because children spend much of their time at school, schools can be the perfect setting for promoting mental health awareness. Schools can help students learn about mental health and access helpful resources. But in order to take full advantage of this opportunity, we must first break the stigma attached to mental illness. 

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. 

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.  

Resilience is a skill that can be learned at any age. Building resilience can help us cope in the aftermath of tragedy and trauma, and it can help us maintain mental health. With World Teen Mental Wellness Day in mind, let’s consider how we can help the teens in our lives develop resilience.