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Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
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Background | MST in Adams County | Why MST Works | Contact Information
Background
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is recognized as a model program in SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), and is a time-limited, intensive family intervention intended to stabilize the living arrangement, promote reunification, or prevent and reduce the use of out-of-home therapeutic resources.
This community-based treatment addresses the multiple determinants of serious antisocial behavior in juvenile offenders, viewing individuals as being nested within a complex network of interconnected systems that encompass individual, family, and extra familial (peer, school, neighborhood) factors. Intervention may be necessary in any one or a combination of these systems. MST serves both youth and their families.
MST in Adams County
Adams County youth (age 12 to 17), who are juvenile offenders and at high-risk for out-of-home placement due to chronic, violent, or substance abuse behaviors are eligible for Multisystemic Therapy services provided through Adelphoi Village. Adelphoi Village is a private, not-for-profit agency providing comprehensive, community-based treatment to over 800 youth and families on daily basis throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.
Each Adelphoi Village therapist carries a small caseload (4 to 6 families at any one time), and are on-call for their families sevem days per week around the clock. During weekends, a 24-hour on-call system is active, with supervisory staff on as back-up to support the primary on-call therapist.
Referrals to the program are made by two Adams County departments - Adams County Probation Services (juvenile) and Adams County Children and Youth Services.
Why Does MST Work?
MST Promotes Behavior Change
Multisystemic Therapy addresses the multiple factors known to be related to delinquency across the key settings or systems within which youth are embedded. The program strives to promote behavior change in the youth’s natural environment, using the strengths of each system (e.g., family, peers, school, neighborhood, indigenous support network) to facilitate change.
MST Empowers Parents
The major goal of Multisystemic Therapy is to empower parents with the skills and resources needed to independently address the difficulties that arise in raising teenagers and to empower youth to cope with family, peer, school, and neighborhood problems. Within a context of support and skill-building, the MST therapist places developmentally appropriate demands on the adolescent and family for responsible behavior. Intervention strategies are integrated into a social ecological context and include strategic family therapy, structural family therapy, behavioral parent training, and cognitive behavior therapies.
MST is a Home-based Model of Service Delivery
Multisystemic Therapy is provided using a home-based model of service delivery. This model helps to overcome barriers to service access, increases family retention in treatment, allows for the provision of intensive services (i.e., therapists have low caseloads), and enhances the maintenance of treatment gains. The usual duration of MST treatment is approximately 60 hours of contact over four months, but frequency and duration of sessions are determined by individual family needs.
MST is Cost-effective
Multisystemic Therapy shows favorable cost-saving outcomes in comparison with usual mental health and juvenile justice services such as incarceration and residential treatment. With a cost of $4,500/youth, a recent policy report concluded that MST was the most cost-effective of a wide range of intervention programs aimed at serving serious juvenile offenders.
Contact Information
For more information about Multisystemic Therapy in Adams County, contact Gary J. Soltys at Adelphoi Village by calling (724) 520-1111.
For more information about Adams County Children and Youth Services, call (717) 337-0110, and for more information about Juvenile Probation Services, call (717) 337-9803.
Functional Family Therapy (FFT)
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Background | Core Values | Eligibility | FFT in Adams County | Program Outcomes | Referral Process
Background
Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is a FREE short-term family-based prevention and intervention program for youth ages 11-18, who are at risk for and/or presenting with: substance abuse, delinquency, excessive school absenteeism (truancy), violence, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, or disruptive behavior disorder.
FFT focuses on the family’s strengths to help build positive interactions within the family and community. Qualified therapists deliver services in a non-threatening environment (such as the home or community settings), and include as many members of the family in the sessions as appropriate.
The Shared Core Values of FFT
- Children’s Needs Come First
- Team Work
- Integrity
- Commitment
- Responsibility
- Accountability
- Family Strengths
What Does FFT Look Like in Adams County?
Here in Adams County, Functional Family Therapy is a service provided by Adams Hanover Counseling Services, Inc. The FFT process can be accomplished in as few as 8-15 one-hour sessions of direct service time designed to enhance protective factors and reduce risks – including the risk of treatment termination.
Eligibility Requirements
- Youth agea 10—18, presenting at-risk behaviors
- Must be currently living at home, or returning to the home within a few weeks (re-entry)
- Family (at least one “involved” care giver) must be willing to participate in FFT
- Must be a resident of Adams County
- No evaluation is needed — treatment can begin in as little as two days
Easy 3-Step Referral Process
- COMPLETE the Adams/Hanover Counseling Services Referral Form.
- CHECK the box next to “Functional Family Services.”
- FAX the form to (717) 637-0836 or CALL (717) 632-4900 or 1 (800) 315-0951 and ask for the Intake Department.
Program Outcomes
FFT has been applied successfully to treat youth and families coping with behavioral problems for more than 30 years.
During the first year in Adams County - 2010 - FFT served 34 families, with 31 of those graduating successfully. Of those, 87% were still successful (no re-offenses or placements) at the six-month follow-up. The goal for FFT in 2011 is that 75% of families available for follow-up will have no re-offenses or out-of-home placements at the one-year follow-up.
Outcome studies across the nation show the following on a consistent basis:
- Increase in positive family interactions and communication
- Increase in positive parenting skills
- Decrease in the youth’s behavior problems
- Decrease in the need for out-of-home placement
- Significant reduction in criminal activity, violent behaviors, and high-risk behaviors of younger siblings
- Prevention of adolescents from penetrating the adult criminal system
Adams Hanover Counseling Services, Inc., is a community-based agency that provides quality services in a timely and efficient manner, so any individual can achieve and maintain his or her highest attainable level of mental and emotional wellness.
For more information about Functional Family Therapy and other services available to children through Adams Hanover Counseling Services, Inc., contact Garrett Trout, Director of Children's Services by calling (717) 632-4900 or 1 (800) 315-0951. Or, visit the AHCS website: http://www.ahcsinc.com