Welcome to the Fall 2008 Issue of "In the Loop"

In this issue

• Featured Story: Cost-Saving Redirection Project Recognized for Exemplary Results
• MST in the News Spotlight: Talk That Works - Baltimore Sun
• MST Network Partners Converge in South Carolina for 2008 Network Partner Conference
• Announcements from MST Services
• MST Community Updates and Announcements
• New MST-related Publications and Articles

Cost-Saving Redirection Project Recognized for Exemplary Results

Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) has been recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as a Science and Service Award winner for its Redirection project. Redirection is a statewide, evidence-based program for Florida's at-risk youth and their families that is an effective alternative treatment option to residential commitment for many children.

"This national recognition is a testament to the progress DJJ is making in targeting programs more effectively to our children's needs," said DJJ Secretary Frank Peterman Jr. "Our agency is maximizing our resources to provide solid investments for our youth and taxpayers, and this is one of the ways in which we are able to provide intensive help to kids for whom commitment to a secure facility is an unnecessary expense."

The project "redirects" troubled youth away from residential placements to more cost-effective, family-focused, evidence-based mental health and substance abuse treatment options that allow the kids to live at home. Redirection focuses on two community-based, model programs that have shown strong positive outcomes in treating delinquent youth and their families: Multisystemic Therapy and Functional Family Therapy. By helping parents to be more effective with their children and improving communication between family members and those outside the family, Redirection promotes a more functional family system.

"Families and individuals expect the best services possible for the prevention and treatment of health conditions. This includes an expectation for the best services for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and mental illnesses," said SAMHSA acting administrator Eric Broderick, DDS, MPH. "These award winners are blazing the trail to show how it can be done."

SAMHSA created the Science and Service Awards as a national program to acknowledge community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions. Award nominees were evaluated on the following criteria: community need, sustainability, accurate implementation and results. To be awarded, an organization had to demonstrate successful implementation of a recognized evidence-based intervention, including interventions that have been published in the scientific literature and/or appear on a federal or state registry.

According to a recent OPPAGA report, Redirection has achieved a cost savings of $14.4 million, and resulted in an additional estimated cost avoidance of $2.5 million for the state of Florida. It also achieved significantly better outcomes than residential programs, lowering by 24 percent the probability of subsequent arrest for a violent felony offense among youth who completed the program. Since its inception in 2004, when 218 youth were served in three Florida circuits, Redirection has expanded to 18 circuits, providing alternative, effective treatments for more than 3,000 troubled youth and their families.

"Evidence-based programs, when well managed and implemented with strict fidelity to the model, deliver strong, positive outcomes and are extremely cost effective," explained Dan Edwards, director of operations for Evidence-Based Associates, the organization providing management services to the project. "The legislature and Department of Juvenile Justice collaborated to develop a model that is having a tremendously positive impact."

For more information about the Redirection project, please visit:
http://www.djj.state.fl.us/Probation/redirection.html
http://www.evidencebasedassociates.com/what_we_do/redirection/index.html

MST in the News Spotlight: Talk That Works - Baltimore Sun

On November 9, 2008, MST was featured on the front page of the Baltimore Sun. The youth and family featured in the article were served through Community Solutions Inc.'s Baltimore County MST team. Congratulations to all those involved in making this a positive story. Read the entire article.

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MST Network Partners Converge in South Carolina for 2008 Network Partner Conference

Close to 100 MST professionals met at The Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, South Carolina, for the annual MST Network Partner Conference. During the three-day event, attendees enjoyed networking opportunities, as well as hands-on workshops and seminars regarding the latest in MST trends and research. This conference is held each year exclusively for organizations that have achieved the Network Partner status.

There are three different types of Network Partners within the greater MST community. They include:

Type 1:
Provider organizations that implement MST and choose to develop MST "training capabilities"

Type 2:
Provider organizations or centers that want to participate in the dissemination of MST

Type 3:
Systems (DJJ, DCF, etc.) that established Network Partner organizations for the purpose of developing, supporting and providing quality assurance oversight of their network of MST teams

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Announcements from MST Services

New Hires

Bunch-Sanfilippo joins MST Services
On September 8, 2008, Jamie Bunch-Sanfilippo joined MST Services in the role of MST consultant. Jamie graduated from the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a master's degree in community counseling with a focus on family therapy with at-risk youth. Jamie began her career with MST in August 2002, when she was trained to be an MST therapist in Los Angeles, California. She worked as a therapist for nearly three years before she became an MST supervisor. In August 2007, she relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where she and her husband are closer to their families.

MST Resources

• The 2008 MST Data Report, summarizing two years of data covering more than 16,000 cases, is available online



• STI and the MSTI call center will begin offering a follow-up interview in early 2009. The follow-up service will use research-validated measures including FACES and the Loeber Parental Monitoring Scale.



• MST Overview & Adaptation Handout
  
  
• An "MST Adaptations" section has been added to the MST Services web site. New sections include Adaptations Overview, MST-CAN, MST-CM, MST-PSB and MST-Psychiatric.

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MST Community Updates & Announcements

Touchstone CEO Receives Leadership Award
Mr. Timothy Dunst, president and CEO of Touchstone Behavioral Health, has received the Arizona Behavioral Health Leadership in Services Award for 2008. The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy at Arizona State University honored Dunst with the prestigious award on July 17 in Sedona. The organization recognizes individuals who have made a difference in the development of policies and programs within Arizona.
Download article


Community Solutions Inc. MST Team Receives Program of the Year Award
The Lycoming County MST program, operated by Community Solutions Inc., received the 2008 Community-based Program of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission and Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers.


New MST Teams
The MST community of providers welcomes the following new MST teams:

Organization	Team Name	Location
Youth Villages	Dothan1	AL
Intensive Supervision Program	Geraldton	Australia
NAFI CSSD	Hartford A CSSD	CT
NAFI CSSD	Hartford B CSSD	CT
NAFI CSSD	Norwalk/Stamford CSSD	CT
NAFI CSSD	Rockville CSSD	CT
NAFI CSSD	Willimantic CSSD	CT
Youth Villages	HICK2	NC
Community Solutions, Inc.- NJ	Hudson County	NJ
Community Solutions, Inc.- NJ	Essex County	NJ
Center for Family Services	Camden1	NJ
Center for Family Services	Camden2	NJ
Southwest Family Guidance Center & Institute	Southwest Family 2	NM
Carlsbad Mental Health Center- Carlsbad	CMHC Carlsbad	NM
Counseling Associates, Inc.	Roswell	NM
Mesilla Valley Hospital	Mesilla Team C	NM
SCO Family of Services- Brooklyn	Team SCO-Brooklyn	NY
Cuyahoga County Justice Affairs- Division of Treatment Services	Cuyahoga Justice Affairs Team 1	OH
Family & Community Services, Inc.	F&CS MST	OH
Family Services of NW PA	Family Services of NW PA-Erie MST-PSB1	PA
Community Solutions, Inc.-Allentown, PA	Chester County MST	PA
Greenville Mental Health Center	Team Greenville	SC
MST Sheffield England	Sheffield England	United Kingdom
MST Barnsley	MST Barnsley Team A	United Kingdom
East London NHS Trust	England- Hackney	United Kingdom
Merton and Kingston	Merton and Kingston Team 1	United Kingdom
Trafford England	Trafford Team A	United Kingdom

Quarterly "Whatever It Takes" Recipients
The following individuals received "Whatever It Takes" recognition this past quarter. These individuals, teams, or programs have demonstrated creative, out-of-the-box thinking, persistence and dedication to do "whatever-it-takes" to accomplish a positive MST outcome for MST youth and their families. Congratulations to the following recipients!

MST Musketeers
Richmond Christchurch MST Team
New Zealand

Michelle Wright
Henry and Rilla White Foundation
Florida

Reginald McLean
Henry and Rilla White Foundation
Florida

Paula Balser
Savio House
Colorado

Julia Roguski
Savio House
Colorado

Savio MST-CAN
Savio House
Colorado

Shirley Johnson
Rehabilitation Support Services
New York

Each of these nominees received a letter of recognition and a Certificate of In addition, each will be considered for the Annual "Whatever It Takes" Award that will be presented in March at the 2009 International Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.

Nominate Someone for Whatever It Takes


MST Jobs
Please remember to utilize the free MST jobs Web site, http://www.mstjobs.com/, as a part of your agency's staff recruitment strategy. You can post positions as well as review resumes of staff, who are looking for MST-related opportunities and who have posted their resumes on the site.

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New Publications

The following MST-related publications are available:

Highlighted articles:

• Multisystemic Therapy for Problem Sexual Behavior (MST-PSB): Dissemination and Research Update - Chuck Borduin
• Terje rebutting Littell/Campbell
• Ogden on Norway MST implementiaon

Other articles:

• 281 Sheidow, A. J., & Henggeler, S. W. (in press). Multisystemic Therapy with Substance Using Adolescents: A Synthesis of the Research. In N. Jainchill (Ed.), Understanding and Treating Adolescent Substance Use Disorders. Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.
• 307 Schoenwald, S.K., Kelleher, K., Weisz, J., & The Research Network on Youth Mental Health (2008). Building bridges to evidence-based practice: The MacArthur foundation child system and treatment enhancement projects (child steps). Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 35(1), 66-72.
• 308 Schoenwald, S.K., Chapman, J.E., Kelleher, K., Hoagwood, K.E., Landsverk, J., Stevens, J., Glisson, C., Rolls-Reutz, J., & The Research Network on Youth Mental Health (2008). A survey of the infrastructure for children's mental health services: Implications for the implementation of empirically supported treatments (ESTs). Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 35(1), 84-97.
• 309 Glisson, C., Schoenwald, S.K., Kelleher, K., Landsverk, J., Hoagwood, K.E.,Mayberg, S., Green, P., and The Research Network on Youth Mental Health (2008). Assessing the organizational social context (osc) of mental health services: Implication for research and practice. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 35(2), 124-133.
• 310 Glisson, C., Landsverk, J., Schoenwald, S.K., Kelleher, K., Hoagwood, K.E.,Mayberg, S., Green, P., and The Research Network on Youth Mental Health (2008). Therapist turnover and new program sustainability in mental health clinics as a function of organizational culture, climate, and service structure. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research 35 (1-2), 98-113.
• 311 Hagwood, K.E., Green, E., Kelleher, K., Schoenwald, S. K., Rolls-Reutz, J., Landsverk, C., Glisson, S., Mayberg, S., and The Research Network on Youth Mental Health (2008). Family advocacy, support and education in children's mental health: Results of a national survey. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 35(1), 73-83.
• 315 Sheidow, A.J. & Henggeler, S.W. (2008). Multisystemic therapy for alcohol and other drug abuse in delinquent adolescents. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 26, 125-145.
• 316 Sheidow, A.J. & Henggeler, S.W. (2008). Multisystemic therapy with substance using adolescents: A synthesis of the research. In A. Stevens, Crossing frontiers international developments in the treatment of drug dependence (pp. 11-33). Brighton: Pavillion Publishing.
• 317 Huey, S.J., Jr., Plol, A.J. (2008). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for ethnic minority youth. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(1), 262-301.
• 319 Saldana, L., Henggeler, S.W. (2008). Improving outcomes and transporting evidence-based treatments for youth and families with serious clinical problems. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 1-10.
• 320 Rowland, M.D., Chapman, J.E. & Henggeler, S.W. (2008). Sibling Outcomes from a Randomized Trial of Evidence-Based Treatments with Substance Abusing Juvenile Offenders. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 11-26.
• 321 Schaeffer, C.M., Saldana, L., Rowland, M.D., Henggeler, S.W., & Swenson, C.C. (2008). New Initiatives in Improving Youth and Family Outcomes by Importing Evidence-Based Practices. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 27-45.
• 322 Chapman, J.E., Sheidow, A.J., Henggeler, S.W., Halliday-Boykins, C.A., & Cunningham, P.B. (2008). Developing a Measure of Therapist Adherence to Contingency Management: An Application of the Many -Facet Rasch Model. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 47-68.
• 323 Schoenwald, S.K. (2008). Toward evidence-based transport of evidence-based treatments: MST as an example. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 69-91.
• 324 Ogden, T., Christensen, B., Sheidow, A.J., & Holth, P. (2008). Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice: The Effective Nationwide Transport of MST Programs in Norway. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 93-109.
• 325 Gustle, L-H., Hansson, K., Sundell, K., Lundh, L-G., Lofholm, C.A. (2008). Implementation of Evidence-Based Models in Social Work Practice: Practitioner's Perspectives on an MST Trial in Sweden. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 17(3), 111-125.
• 326 Schoenwald, S. K., Carter, R. E., Chapman, J. E., & Sheidow, A. J. (2008). Therapist adherence and organizational effects on change in youth behavior problems one year after Multisystemic Therapy. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 35, 379-394.
• Schoenwald, S.K., Chapman, J.E., Sheidow, A.J., & Carter, R.E. (in press). Long-term youth criminal outcomes in MST transport: The impact of therapist adherence and organizational climate and structure. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
• Schoenwald, S.K., Sheidow, A.J., & Chapman, J.E. (in press). Clinical supervision in treatment transport: Effects on adherence and outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
• The Colorado data report is now posted at www.centerforeffectiveinterventions.org. It is listed under the Newsroom Tab, in the Resources block, as "Evaluation Brief: Colorado 2008." The New Mexico data report will soon be available for public review at the same location.

All MST-related publications can be located at: www.musc.edu/psychiatry/research/fsrc/pubs.htm

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This newsletter has been developed as a communication tool to keep everyone well informed about news, events and issues that impact the greater MST community. We encourage you to explore the contents of this newsletter and provide us with your feedback. Feel free to make recommendations for what you would like to see in future issues. Suggestions can be directed to intheloop@mstservices.com.