INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a short term, intensive way of working with families when a young person in the family is getting into trouble — at school, at home or with the law.
We know that these can be very difficult times for families, so MST works to support parents, carers and other family members. Together you and your therapist find ways to make the situation better and improve the young person's chances for a better future.
MST teams focus on understanding the whole world of children and young people - their homes and families, schools and teachers, neighbourhoods and friends.
Quotes from MST parents
“There’s less arguing and shouting, no verbal abuse or door slamming. I’m able to enjoy my daughter’s company and get her to listen and understand my way of thinking, e.g. house rules for safety measures. The home is calmer and happier and communication 100% improved.”
“I used to think people didn’t believe me how bad things were, but MST did believe me and understood the way things were. I am thankful for changing mine and my child’s relationship – I got my son back.”
Who is MST aimed at?
MST works with families where a young person is living at home, and aged between 11 and 17 years old, whose behaviour at home, school and/or in the community, concerns you or other people. This might include:
- aggressive behaviour
- getting into trouble with the law
- running away or not coming home
- using drugs and/or alcohol
- not going to school or having other problems at school
How long will it last?
The MST programme is designed to make a difference quickly, so the therapist will work with you for about three to five months, depending on how much help your family needs.
What will I have to do?
As a parent or carer, your involvement and support is critical to the programme's success. The MST therapist will work with you to decide what needs to be done to make the right change.
They will need your skills and knowledge to help identify your son or daughter's difficulties. We will start by looking at all the important people in their life, such as school, friends, family and community. This helps us to understand where difficulties happen and find the best way to solve them.
Together, you and the MST therapist will set goals, and look at various ways that work best for your son or daughter. You will need to be prepared to try different approaches and be open to new ideas.
What will happen?
The MST therapist will visit you, as parents, or as a family, for an hour or more, several times a week.
MST is a community and home-based programme, so the therapist may visit you at home or somewhere else where you feel comfortable.
The MST programme operates an out-of-hour service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is run by all the therapists in the team. If your therapist is not available you can easily speak to another member of the team.
Ultimate aims
To keep families together when the young person is at risk of entering care, custody or secure placement.
For the young person to be engaged in education, training or employment.
For there to be a reduction in anti-social behaviour and charges brought against the young person.
How can I request MST?
A number of different professionals can refer you or your family to us for help, including social care, youth offending services, child and adolescent mental health services, and schools.
Information about where MST teams are located can be found here.
Confidentiality and record keeping
We realise that families may be concerned about what happens to the information they give to professionals. The information that an MST team hold about you is confidential. MST teams will make written records and store information on a computer, but these can only be seen by authorised staff within the organisation.
If an MST team is concerned about yours or your son or daughter's safety, they may need to tell other people what is happening, and your therapist will talk to you if we are going to do this.
They may also want to share information with other people, like the person who referred you, so that they can do what is best for you, but they will ask your permission before doing this.
MST news
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