Youth Programs

Multisystemic Therapy (MST)

2010 brought to ACSA the first program offering mental health services to the families of youth in Scarborough. Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a unique, goal-oriented, comprehensive treatment program designed to serve youth who are facing multiple challenges. MST is a family-focused and community-based treatment program and is effective in helping youth with chronic, violent delinquent behavior and youth with serious emotional problems, including:

• truancy and academic problems
• serious disrespect and disobedience
• aggressive behavior (fighting and property destruction)
• criminal behavior
• drug and alcohol problems

MST interventions focus on key aspects of these areas in each youth’s life. All interventions are designed in full collaboration with family members and key figures in each area of the child’s life -- parents or legal guardians, school teachers and principals; the youth’s entire ecology.

MST is a home based model where services are provided in the home, school, neighborhood and community, MST Therapists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, caseloads of therapists are small (4 families per therapist) and treatment is intensive, often including multiple contacts with family and other participants every week, and the length of treatment averages 3-5 months.

MST offers a complete functional assessment of youth in the context of their family, school, and community, seeks to understand the “fit” between the child’s problems and the factors which contribute to them, focuses on helping parents build supportive social networks, empowers parents to address the needs of the youth more effectively and emphasizes long-term change that families can maintain after the program.

Any combination of the following services could be provided to the youth and her/his family, as needed, within the MST program; family therapy, marital therapy, individual sessions with parents, chemical dependency assessment and treatment, evaluation of the youth’s peer network and arranging alternative activities, consultation with schools, coordinating activities with school systems, court, and/or other social service agencies and arranging a psychiatric consultation.

In 2010, partnerships were established with a variety of community agencies. Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Children’s Aid Society, Catholic Children’s Aid Society, Scarborough Court System and many others refer families who meet the criteria to ACSA’s MST program.

For more information, please contact Denise at 416-321-6912 ext223.