Using MST and tech-savvy to stop a 14-year-old’s criminal enterprise

Danny was referred to Multisystemic Therapy (MST) for stealing, truancy and verbal aggression at home. The treatment addressed all these problems. One, in particular, took some creative thinking.

At 14, Danny was quite the entrepreneur. Very clever at buying low and selling high, he had a business going where he sold electronics, clothes and high-end sneakers to his friends, to friends of friends and to people out of town who were nobody’s friends. He used online platforms to pay his customers and to get paid.

How an MST therapist helped an angry youth turn his life around

After physically assaulting his mother, Kyle was put on probation. A community deputy probation officer referred him and his mother to the MST program. Kyle lived with her and his stepfather in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. At the beginning of the program, he was adversarial and defiant at home. He disregarded rules, flouted his parents’ directives, challenged their requests, had angry outbursts, was verbally aggressive toward both of them, and sometimes physically aggressive toward his mother. Kyle had a history of stealing from his parents and blaming others for his choices. 

Kyle not only behaved like this at home, but he also broke rules at school. He had a pattern of being disruptive in class, stealing from students and teachers, physically threatening teachers, leaving school and classrooms without permission, and defying teachers’ directives. In fact, prior to his participation in MST, Kyle had 45 disciplinary entries at school. He struggled for a long time with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness. 

Would "K" be better off in placement, or could MST help keep her with her family?

It was a case of “what would it take?” What would be the tipping point that would make a judge decide to send an incorrigible young girl to placement or leave her at home?

Before the judge stood a 14-year-old K who had exhibited many of the behaviors of an out-of-control youth. She couldn’t control her anger. She went missing for long periods of time and had substance-abuse problems. She was aggressive toward her family and disrespected her mother—to the point her mom had had enough and was throwing in the towel. She wanted the judge to remove her daughter from her home.

Sometimes D’s are the best thing to get

I was at my wit’s end. My 13-year-old son, Brendan, was suspended from school (again), failing all of his classes. I knew he was on a bad path and didn’t know how to get him off it.

Brendan had seen his share of therapists. In fact, he’d been in therapy for more than six years, and nothing worked. Brendan didn’t like to talk, he didn’t open up, and his behavior never changed. If anything, as he got older, it had gotten worse. Now in middle school, he was facing expulsion after the most recent suspension.

His therapist mentioned a program that is targeted at juvenile offenders. I figured if it could work for them, it might work for Brendan. I didn’t want him taken away and placed out of our home. He was definitely headed that way.

What stops high-risk juveniles from further crime?

A report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention based on the “Pathways to Desistance” project offered up a serious look at what deters high-risk kids from committing future crimes.

More than 1,300 delinquents from Philadelphia and Phoenix were interviewed seven years after they were convicted. They were asked about the factors—becoming more mature, life changes, and whether they were involved again with the criminal-justice system—that led youth who have committed serious offenses to continue or stop offending.

Quick-thinking MST therapist diffuses domestic-violence situation

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) sessions are held in the client’s home. It makes sense since that’s often where a youth acts out.  The therapy focuses on addressing all parts of young person’s life that contribute to chronic and violent behavior—the home and family, schools and teachers, neighborhoods, and friends. MST recognizes that each aspect plays a critical role in a youth's world and each system requires attention when effective change is needed to improve the quality of life for youth and their families.

I visited the home once and reviewed my notes from the initial session before taking the short drive to my new client’s home. A truancy officer, citing low school attendance, had referred the youth to MST. The plan was to meet with Mom to begin assessing the strengths and needs of the child’s ecology. Then, I could tailor the treatment approach to best capitalize on their strong points.

Police in our schools—There is a better way

Watching the news this week, I came across an unsettling story.  

An 8-year-old, third-grade student diagnosed with ADHD and PTSD was handcuffed above the elbow by a sheriff’s deputy for not following directions at school. It is a disturbing image, yet one that may become increasingly more common. 

MST is an Effective Evidence-Based Treatment

Many new treatments for juvenile offenders show promising results in research settings but when provided in a real-world setting they fail to yield the same results. Oftentimes, when new treatments are transported from the laboratory, they lose their effectiveness. Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive family- and community-based treatment that addresses the multiple determinants of serious antisocial behavior in adolescents. MST has a strong research history demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing crime, violence, and substance use. Download a list of all published studies here. What’s more, MST has been successfully implemented in over 34 states and 15 countries, getting superior results for the youth and families it serves. 

An MST therapist weighs in on treating trauma

As practitioners of Multisystemic Therapy, we are often asked if MST can be helpful for youth who have experienced trauma. While MST is not a treatment model designed to provide trauma-focused care, the short answer is—yes. 

MST's analytic process gives hope to families with troubled adolescents.

Families with adolescents who have committed crimes are often at the end of their tether and have lost all hope. The first question to their MST therapist often is “what could you possibly do that we haven’t tried?” Then they say, “And believe me, we’ve tried everything, and nothing works.” What they quickly come to learn is that MST's approach to working with families is different from anything they've tried in the past.

That's because MST is rooted in understanding the family's unique circumstances and their strengths. The therapist uses the MST Analytic Process, what we call the Do Loop to create change by slowing down to first seek understanding and then speeding up by acting and doing.