MST’s Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program

Multisystemic Therapy (MST)

For adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, it can often feel like a highway with only one exit ramp: incarceration. MST offers an alternative juvenile delinquency prevention program. Instead of sending teens out of the community, therapists work in the home, addressing the root causes of anti-social behavior.

MST is an evidence-based juvenile delinquency program that empowers youth (ages 12-17) and their families to function responsibly over the long term. MST reduces juvenile delinquency and antisocial behavior by addressing the core causes of such conduct—and views the client as a network of systems including family, peers, school, and neighborhood.

Therapists have small caseloads and are on-call 24/7—providing services in the home at times convenient to the family. The average length of treatment is between 3 and 5 months, and therapists and provider agencies are held accountable for achieving change and positive outcomes.

The primary goals of MST’s juvenile delinquency prevention program:

• Reducing youth criminal activity

• Reducing other types of anti-social behavior such as drug abuse

• Achieving these outcomes at a cost savings by decreasing rates of incarceration and out-of-home placement.