Multisystemic Therapy (MST)

ERIE COUNTY

HYS COMMUNITY CENTER
2064-A WILLOW STREET  ●  ERIE, PA 16510
PHONE: (814) 464-0522, Ext. 401  ●  FAX: (814) 874-3492

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

BIRMINGHAM TOWERS
2100 WHARTON STREET, SUITE 302  ●  PITTSBURGH, PA 15203 
PHONE: (412) 381-9168  ●  FAX: (412) 381-9169

Program Overview

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive family- and community-based treatment that targets delinquent, violent or substance-abusing juvenile offenders, both male and female. A “typical” MST client

• Is 14 to 16 years old
• Lives in a single-parent home with multiple needs and problems
• Has multiple arrests or is a chronic offender
• Is deeply involved with delinquent peers
• Has problems at school or rarely attends
• Abuses substances such as marijuana, alcohol or cocaine.

Program Population

 To be eligible for MST services, the adolescent (male or female) must

• Be 12 to 17 years of age
• Be residing in a family setting with a caregiver or returning home after any type of placement
• Have a caregiver who is willing to participate
• Have active Medical Assistance coverage
• Be exhibiting chronic, violent, delinquent behavior and/or serious emotional problems.

If the family is receiving outpatient services, partial hospitalization or wraparound services, the mental health professionals working with the adolescent must agree to referral to MST.

Program Characteristics

MST delivers intensive home-based services via therapists who are fully trained in MST and are supported by weekly supervision and telephone consultation with an MST expert. Within the MST model, the therapist

• Conducts comprehensive functional assessments of adolescents in the context of their families, peer group, school and neighborhood
• Seeks to understand the roots of the adolescent's problems
• Empowers parents to effectively address their children's needs
• Enables families to build supportive social networks in their communities
• Emphasizes long-term change that continues after MST involvement ends.

Program Strengths

Because the MST therapist works with clients and families in their homes, he or she can accurately identify factors in the client’s family, peer group, school and neighborhood that contribute to delinquency. In addition, MST therapists build on strengths in the client’s environment and use those strengths to produce positive changes in adolescents and their families.

Program Goals

MST equips parents with the skills and resources needed to independently address the problems that arise while raising teenagers. In addition, MST helps adolescents meet challenges posed by family, peers, school and neighborhood. Within the context of support and skill-building, therapists place developmentally appropriate demands for responsible behavior on the entire family.

Program Outcomes

 Over $10 million of rigorous, scientific evaluations of MST have shown

• Reductions in long-term rates of criminal offending by serious juvenile offenders
• Reductions in out-of-home placements for serious juvenile offenders
• Significant improvements in family functioning
• Decreased mental health problems for serious juvenile offenders
• Cost savings when compared to conventional mental health and juvenile justice services.

What To Expect From MST

 Certain characteristics are unique to MST programs. Among these characteristics are the following:

• MST therapists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Services are provided in the home, school, neighborhood, and community
• Treatment is intensive and often includes multiple contacts every week with client, family and others
• The average length of treatment is two to five months
• Services may include family and marital therapy, individual sessions with parents, chemical dependency assessment and treatment, consultations with schools and psychiatric referrals.

Need More Information?

For more information, please contact Joseph Ropelewski, MST Program Director, at (814) 434-4665. You may also click here for a detailed description of our MST program, or here for an MST logic model.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a subsidiary of Harborcreek Youth Services and is presented in partnership with Adelphoi Village. Our mission is to help youth and families build positive futures within a Christian environment that celebrates individuality and strengthens community.

Harborcreek Youth Services is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and is affiliated with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Erie. Its programs are open to all youth, without regard to race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, age or sex.