Multisystemic Therapy: Psychiatric Care (MST-Psych)

Multisystemic Therapy: Psychiatric Care (MST-Psych), is an adaptation of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) specifically designed to serve families with youth at risk of out of home placement due to serious psychiatric and behavioral problems. The goal of MST-Psych is to improve behavioral problems, mental health symptoms, suicidal behaviors and family relations while increasing the amount of time youth spend going to school and living in home-based placements.  MST-Psych targets: Youth (9-17 years old) at risk of placement in correctional or mental health facilities due to: serious behavioral problems, drug use/abuse and/or co-occurring mental health symptoms such as thought disorder, bipolar affective disorder, depression, anxiety and/ or impulsivity.

MST-Psych Intervention Strategies are comprehensive, which include: safety risks associated with suicidal, homicidal and psychotic behaviors;  The integration of evidence-based psychiatric interventions for youth and caregivers;  Treatment of adolescent and caregiver substance use/abuse utilizing an evidence-based treatment: contingency management (CM); Evidence-based assessment and treatment of youth and caregiver mental illness including anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar affective disorder, thought disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, impulse control difficulties and symptoms of borderline personality disorder.

Additional Outcomes include:  Decrease in suicide attempts, Decrease in externalizing and internalizing symptoms, More caregiver empowerment, Improved family relations.