Multisystemic Therapy®: Clinical Overview, Outcomes, and Implementation Research

• Author: Scott W. Henggeler,Cindy M. Schaeffer
• Published date: 01 September 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12232
• Date: 01 September 2016

Multisystemic Therapy

â

: Clinical Overview,

Outcomes, and Implementation Research

SCOTT W. HENGGELER*

CINDY M. SCHAEFFER

†

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an evidence-based treatment originally developed for

youth with serious antisocial behavior who are at high risk for out-of-home placement and

their families; and subsequently adapted to address other challenging clinical problems

experience by youths and their families. The social-ecological theoretical framework of

MST is presented as well as its home-based model of treatment delivery, defining clinical

intervention strategies, and ongoing quality assurance/quality improvement system . With

more than 100 peer-reviewed outcome and implementation journal articles published as of

January 2016, the majority by independent investigators, MST is one of the most exten-

sively evaluated family based treatments. Outcome research has yielded almost uniforml y

favorable results for youths and families, and implementation research has demonstrated

the importance of treatment and program fidelity in achieving such outcomes.

Keywords: Delinquency; Multisystemic therapy; Outcomes; Implementation research

Fam Proc 55:514–528, 2016

INTRODUCTION

Multisystemic therapy (MST

â

; Henggeler, Schoenwald, Borduin, Rowland, &

Cunningham, 2009) is a comprehensive family and community-based treatment

originally designed for youth with serious conduct problems who are at imminent risk of

out-of-home placement (e.g., incarceration, residential treatment). Adapted versions of the

original MST model have since evolved and been successfully applied to youth and families

with other serious clinical problems, including child maltreatment, psychiatric disturbance,

problem sexual behavior, and pediatric chronic illness. The initial section of this paper outli-

nes the theoretical and empirical foundations of MST, provides an overview of the MST

treatmentmodel, and describes its quality assurance procedures. The remainder of the paper

summarizes the extensive evidence base for the clinical effectiveness of MST as well as the

growing literature on thetransport and implementation of MSTin community settings.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MST MODEL

Empirical and Theoretical Foundation

Multisystemic therapy is designed to comprehensively address the array of risk factors

that lead to the clinical problem being addressed. In the case of serious conduct problems,

*Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.

†

Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Scott W. Henggeler, Psychiatry and

Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 176 Croghan Spur Rd. Suite 104, 29407 Char-

leston, SC. E-mail: henggesw@musc.edu

514

Family Process, Vol. 55, No. 3, 2016 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12232