Families Matter in Children's Mental Health Treatment

“Regardless of the specific goals of treatment, a fundamental assumption of MST is that the youth’s family or caregiver is the key to favorable long-term outcomes, even if that caregiver presents serious clinical challenges. Treatment goals are therefore largely defined by family members or caregivers, and the vast majority of MST clinical resources are devoted to developing the capacity of the caregiver to achieve those goals (versus treating the child or adolescent individually). Within this context, engagement of the family in the clinical process is viewed as primary – an essential (but not sufficient) step toward achieving targeted outcomes. Regarding outcomes, MST has a strong track record in improving family functioning and decreasing long-term rates of antisocial behavior and out-of-home placement, as demonstrated through numerous randomized clinical trials. Hence, the utility of MST engagement strategies is supported by the effectiveness of interventions used within the MST model; interventions that draw from pragmatic family therapy approaches (Haley, 1976; Minuchin, 1974); evidence-based intervention models such as behavior therapy; and cognitive behavior therapy” (Cunningham, 1999).