Welcome to the Fall 2010 Issue of "In the Loop"

In this issue

• Featured Story: Three MST Providers Receive 2010 SAMHSA Science and Service Awards
• 2009 Annual WIT Award Winners Announced
• Announcements from MST Services and MST Institute
• MST Community Updates and Announcements
• Update from Family Services Research Center
• New MST-related Publications and Articles

Three MST Providers Receive 2010 SAMHSA Science and Service Awards

Hundreds of teams and individuals around the globe work diligently every day to break the cycle of criminal behavior in our youth. It is extremely important to the leadership of MST that we share in our successes and national recognition as this supports the evidence that the hard work being done each day is truly making a noticeable impact in our communities.

Every year, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, recognizes the top organizations across the nation for their efforts in reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on communities. This year, SAMHSA announced that 28 organizations were awarded for "exemplary implementation of evidence-based interventions that have been shown to prevent and/or treat mental illnesses and substance abuse".

Out of the Science and Service Awards' five categories, agencies implementing MST received top recognition in three: substance abuse prevention, treatment of mental illness and recovery support services, and treatment of substance abuse and recovery support services.

Wheeler Clinic in Plainville, Connecticut, was recognized in the treatment of mental illness and recovery support services category for its success in treating youth with problem sexual behavior. The clinic has implemented MST for Problem Sexual Behavior (MST PSB) since 2005, and has consistently gone above and beyond the targeted outcome levels.

North American Family Institute (NAFI) in Farmington, Connecticut, was awarded in the substance abuse prevention category. NAFI CT has implemented MST since 2000, and now operates 10 teams across the state that promote natural behavior change in youth by utilizing the unique strengths of the individual, family and extra-familial systems.

Lastly, Synergy, Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS), an MST treatment provider within the University of Colorado, Denver's School of Medicine, was awarded in the treatment of substance abuse and recovery support services category. Synergy is the continuum of treatment services within ARTS for adolescents and their families and has repeatedly achieved high average or above scores for its 636 clients who combat significant substance abuse problems.

In the words of SAMHSA's Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., "These award winners deserve to be commended for blazing new trails in providing such cutting-edge, effective services in their communities." We are proud to recognize these three agencies and wish each of them continued success in 2011. View the announcement here or learn more about the 2010 winners here.

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2009 Annual WIT Award Winners Announced

Hundreds of teams and individuals across the globe work diligently every day to break the cycle of criminal behavior in our youth. It is extremely important to the leadership of MST that we pause each year to recognize those who have made a great impact and committed themselves to serving families in their respective communities.

Solid evidence has shown that MST is highly effective if followed with strict fidelity and with strong therapist, team and supervisor adherence to each step of the process. Short cuts must be avoided in order to continue the program's solid success rate. MST Services' quality-assurance system provides multiple layers of clinical and program support and ongoing feedback to ensure effective implementation. We congratulate the following therapists, teams and supervisors for their dedication to the MST treatment model and extend heartfelt appreciation for making positive changes last year in the lives of youth and their families served by MST all across the globe!

Therapist Adherence

Name	Organization	Team
Lucretia Andrews	Community Solutions, Inc. - GA	Region 5
Aida Mendez	Louisiana Methodist Children's Home	MST Shreveport
Heidi Lindner	Human Services Associates, Inc.	H.S.A.
Dana Garofalini	Ulster County Coordinated Children's Services	A-Team
Katie Watts	KS Consultants	KS Bucks Team 2
Lucia Contreras	Los Angeles County MST	SHIELDS for Families MST
Zendrea Govan	Orangeburg Area Mental Health Center	Orangeburg Family Preservation- MST
Jason Roberts	Connecticut Junior Republic	Torrington
Gira Valentin	Connecticut Junior Republic	Waterbury 1
Maritza Rios-Colon	Wheeler Clinic CSSD Program	New Britain
Theo Watson	Teambuilders Counseling Services	The Varsity Squad
Angela DeFalco	Community Solutions, Inc.- RI	Johnston
Amy Reed	Hempfield Behavioral Health	HBH Dauphin 1
Dan Iachini	Hempfield Behavioral Health	HBH Dauphin 1

Zendrea Govan from South Carolina receives
Sustained Excellence Award for Therapist Adherence:
Sarah Thomas, Michelle Dean, and Zendrea Govan


Heidi Lindner from The H.S.A. Team in Florida receives
Sustained Excellence Award for Therapist Adherence:
Wendy Fannin, Sandy Pietrewicz, Heidi Lindner, Lori Tomlin, Barbara Byrnes, Concepcion Perez Ebrahimi


Theo Watson from New Mexico receives a
Sustained Excellence Award for Therapist Adherence:
Theo Watson and Bill Crockett

Team Adherence

Team	Organization
RHD Tea	Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority
JAFCO Team	Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options
SHIELDS for Families MST Team	Los Angeles County MST
A-Team	Ulster County Coordinated Children's Services
Henry & Rilla White Foundation	Henry & Rilla White Foundation

The White Foundation Circuit 8 Team from Florida receives a
Sustained Excellence Award for Overall Adherence:
Elisabeth Edwards, Matt Birt, Lisa Taebel, and Katie Rodgers

Supervisor of Team Adherence

Name	Team	Organization
Alexis Geller	JAFCO Team	Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options
Cynthia Kline	A-Team	Ulster County Coordinated Children's Services
Manuela Gutierrez	SHIELDS for Families MST Team	Los Angeles County MST
Matthew Birt	White Foundation Circuit 8 Team	Henry & Rilla White Foundation

Each quarter, we also pause to recognize individuals, families and teams who have demonstrated creative, out-of-the-box thinking, persistence and dedication to doing "whatever it takes" to accomplish positive outcomes for youth and their families undergoing multisystemic therapy. At the end of the year, we then reflect back to select the top individuals from various categories and a single team to be honored. We congratulate the following individuals and MST Team for earning the 2009 WIT Awards!

WIT Awards

Name	Organization	Category
Melina Fazzolari	SCO Family of Services	Supervisor
Jim Hallett	Parents and Children Together	Therapist
Cathy James	Department of Health- England	System Developer
Kimberly Pascucci	MST Services	MST Expert
Kristen Dodd	MST Institute	MSTI Website Management and Tech Support
Jon Lund	Leeds ISP	Champion
MST Thurgau	KJP Weinfelden	MST Team
Patience Sturtz	Youth Villages	Program Director/Manager

The KJPD Weinfelden team from Switzerland receives the
2009 WIT Team Award:
Dirk von Malotki, Gregorio Melendez, PhD, Silvio Conconi, Edith Schramm-Urech, Dr. Ute Fuerstenau, and Ruedi Eigenheer

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Announcements from MST Services and MST Institute

New MSTI Data Report
The 2010 MST Data Report (PDF) is now posted on our Web site. This report details the results of 20,869 youth that participated in a full course of treatment from March 2007 to March 2009. This data compares MST programs to averages for teams in the United States and international locations. The data from this period indicates that 86 percent of youth were living at home at case closure. Thanks to all of you for your hard work!

Change in Leadership at the Family Services Research Center
As many of you know, Dr. Scott Henggeler has been the Director of the Family Services Research Center (FSRC) since 1992. During his tenure, significant research was conducted that supported the efficacy of the MST model. Dr. Henggeler was successful in garnering funds for this research from many important funding organizations, including NIMH, NIDA, NIAAA, OJJDP, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and others.

Dr. Henggeler has announced that he will be stepping down as the Director of the FSRC, and will be replaced by Michael Sweat, Ph.D. Dr. Henggeler will remain a full professor at the FSRC, and an active participant in the dissemination of the MST model by continuing to serve on the Board of Directors at MST Services.

Is your MST team listed correctly?
Please review for accuracy the lists of licensed MST programs at www.mstservices.com/index.php/teams/licensed-teams.

Medicaid Users Group
The next call is scheduled for February 2, 2011 at 1 p.m. (ET). Interested in joining this call? Please contact Melanie Duncan at melanie.duncan@mstservices.com.

Free MSTI Web Site Training
Web site training is available via webinars on several topics. Registration is limited to 15 telephone connections and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to www.mstservices.com and click on "Webinar Registration" to sign up. Access to the Internet and a telephone connection are required to participate.

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 individuals, who are looking for MST-related opportunities and who have posted their resumes on the site.

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MST Community Updates & Announcements

Welcome New MST Teams

Community Solutions Inc.	Dougherty	GA
Amethyst Consulting and Treatment Solutions	ACTSI	NC
Easter Seals UCP North Carolina and Virginia Inc.	Easter Seals UCP Wake Co. 3	NC
Founding Blue Sky	Robinhood Team B	NY
Founding Blue Sky	Robinhood Team A	NY
Comprehensive Solutions of North Carolina Inc.	Onward and Upward	NC
HomeCare Management Corporation	Statesville	NC
Elegant Ladies of the Future Inc.	Rogers Behavioral Health Services	NC
Family Service of Greater New Orleans	Team 1896	LA
Family & Children's Service	Hennepin	MN

Quarterly "Whatever It Takes" Recipients

Timothy Dean	ReStart Human Services	NC
Sandy Pietrewicz	Human Services Associate	FL
Jeff Steves	Connecticut Junior Republic	CT
Vivian Dadzie	Rosemont Center, Inc.	OH
Denise Whetzel	Adelphoi Village	PA
Chris Malcom	NHS Greater Glasgow	Scotland
MST Team Amerfoot	De Waag	Netherlands
Dan Ensor	Community Solutions Inc.	TX
Katherine Mackay	Trafford CYP Services	UK
Garry Blackburn	MST Trafford UK	UK

2010 Science and Service Awards
Congratulations to the following three MST programs for earning 2010 Science and Service Awards from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Organization	Location	Award Category
NAFI Connecticut Inc.	CT	Substance Abuse Prevention
Wheeler Clinic Inc.	CT	Treatment of Mental Illness and Recovery Support Services
Synergy, Addiction Research & Treatment Services (ARTS)	CO	Treatment of Substance Abuse and Recovery Support Services

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News Briefs from Family Services Research Center at MUSC

FSRC and "State of the Research" Updates (PDF)
Presenter: Scott Henggeler, PhD

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New Publications

The following MST-related publications are available:

• 376 Cunningham, P. B., Foster, S. L., Warner, S. E. (2010). Culturally relevant family-based treatment for adolescent delinquency and substance abuse: Understanding within-session processes. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, 66(8), 830-846.
• 378 Letourneau, E. J., Chapman, J. E., Schoenwald, S. K., (2008). Treatment outcome and criminal offending by youth with sexual behavior problems. Child Maltreatment, 13(2), 133-144. doi: 10.1177/1077559507306717
• 380 Ellis, D. A., Naar-King, S., Templin, t., Grey, M. A., Cunningham, P. B., Sheidow, A., Cakan, N. (2008). MST for adolescents with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes: Reduced DKA admissions and related costs over 24 months. Diabetes Care, 31(9), 1746-7.
• 381 Glisson, C., Schoenwald, S. K., Hemmelgarn, A., Green, P., Dukes, D., Armstrong, K. S., Chapman, J. E. (2010). Randomized trial of MST and ARC in a two-level Evidence-Based treatment implementation strategy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(4), 537-550.

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