Welcome to the Winter 2009 Issue of "In the Loop"

In this issue

• Featured Story: MST Professionals From Around the World to Converge in Charleston
• Announcements from MST Services and MST Institute
• MST Community Updates and Announcements
• Update from FSRC
• New MST-related Publications and Articles

MST Professionals From Around the World to Converge in Charleston

More than 300 MST professionals are expected to attend this year's MST International Conference. The conference will take place in North Charleston, South Carolina, and is being held at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

"Our conference has grown tremendously over the years due largely in part to the growth of MST teams around the world," explains Joe Boggs, chief operating officer of MST Services and head of the conference planning efforts. "With more than 400 MST teams, it is critical that we provide opportunities to learn about emerging evidence-based applications, research and dissemination about Multisystemic Therapy. Attendees will be able to learn from the experts in the field, discuss current issues and trends, and network with fellow MST colleagues."

This year marks the fourth anniversary for the biennial MST conference. Previous conferences have been held in Savannah, Georgia, and in conjunction with the Blueprints Conference in Denver, Colorado and Charleston, respectively. Registration is currently open. Early registration ends on February 12. Attendees are encouraged to register today and to make their hotel reservations in advance to receive the special conference discount. Space is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information about the conference and to register, visit www.mstconference.com/2009.

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Announcements from MST Services and MST Institute

New Team Members Join MST Services

Pam Gilligan has joined MST Services as office manager. Originally from Washington State, she has traveled and worked throughout the world. She is a graduate from the University of Hawaii in Investigative Social Work. Pam has had many adventures as an office manager, secretary, research writer, recruiter, and consultant for the federal government and private sector, both in the states and overseas in Africa. Pam can be seen spending time with her family traveling and discovering new cultures, playing volleyball and softball. Pam and her husband enjoy the ambiance of South Carolina and are planning on making it their permanent residence.

Diane Kooser has joined MST Services as MST consultant. Prior to joining MST Services, Kooser worked as an MST expert and obtained a masters degree in community agency counseling from California University of Pennsylvania. Diane began her career in MST in October 2000 as an MST therapist for Adelphoi Village and was promoted to an MST supervisor in 2001 and a system supervisor in 2006. Prior to her MST experience, Diane was a family-based mental health therapist. She authored a children's book, Potter Pig in Control, that teaches anger management skills for grade-school children. Diane resides in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania with her husband, is active in marriage preparation for engaged couples, and enjoys various outdoor activities.

Benton Promoted to Training Coordinator
Courtney Benton has been promoted to a newly-created position at MST Services. Benton will be responsible for all non-Charleston-based trainings in her role as training coordinator. She will be responsible for planning Network Partner conferences, participation in the Blueprints Conference, the International Conference and MST Services' staff boosters.

Changes to 5-Day Orientation Trainings
The fee for the Charleston-based 5-day orientation training will be raised from $750 to $850 per participant effective July 1, 2009. This is the first increase in this fee since 1996!

In addition, six additional weeks have been added to the Charleston-based 5-day orientation training schedule, bringing the total number of these training sessions to 18 weeks.

Institute Web Site Upgrade
A major programming project, known as EW 2.0, is underway to upgrade the technology platform of the MST Institute Enhanced Web site. This project includes building capability for the Web site to produce MST Dashboard reports as well as other enhanced reports. The entire project should be completed by mid-2009.

MST Institute Follow-up Interview Available
The MSTI Follow-up Interview has been finalized and MST programs can now sign up for this follow-up service with MSTI. The follow-up interview protocol utilizes a group of validated measures. The MSTI follow-up service offers three interview options: a 2-interview, 12-month follow-up option; a 3-interview, 18-month follow-up option; and a 4-interview, 24-month follow-up. Pricing is based upon the option chosen and volume, and can be as low as $24.38 per interview. If you would like information about this follow-up services from MSTI, please contact Molly Brunk at molly.brunk@mstservices.com.

Survey Available for TAM-R MSTI will be sponsoring an online survey to assess MST program experiences collecting the TAM-R. We could use some help identifying key people at the organization- and program-level to receive the survey. These people need to be knowledgeable about their TAM-R data collection efforts. If you know of someone, who is not a program supervisor but who would be appropriate, please send his/her name and email address to Kristen Dodd at kristen.dodd@mstinstitute.org.

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MST Community Updates & Announcements

Australian MST Teams Receive Accolades The Southern Metropolitan Area Health Service Multisystemic Therapy Program in Western Australia won two prestigious health awards in November 2008. The Rockingham team and the North team received honors for improved outcomes in child and adolescent mental health, winning the Health Community Award and the Dr. Mark Rooney Award. Winning the Dr. Mark Rooney Award was a particular honor for the MST teams, as Dr. Rooney was a strong supporter of MST.

Call for Applications The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a call for applications for its 2009 Science and Service Awards. Complete information is available on the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov/scienceandservice by clicking on "Application Materials for 2009 Awards." Applications are due on February 27, 2009.

Welcome New MST Teams

Organization	Team Name	Location
Providence Lancaster	PLancaster Team	CA
CHINSUP Youth and Family Services	CHINSUP Team 2008	CO
MST Hovedstaden (HL)	Region Sjaellan	Denmark
Government Agency for Child Protection	MST Reykjavik, Iceland	Iceland
Kids Hope United	Lake County	IL
Cognitive Development Center of Monroe	CDC Monroe	LA
Cognitive Development Center of Monroe	CDC Tallulah	LA
Louisiana Office of Mental Health New Orleans Adolescent Hospital	NOAH H II	LA
Louisiana Office of Mental Health New Orleans Adolescent Hospital	New Orleans Adolescent Hospital MST Team	LA
Youth Villages	Asheville1	NC
The Buckeye Ranch	Buckeye 2	OH
Home Nursing Agency	HR- MST	PA
KS Consultants	K/S-MST Montgomery I	PA
Lourdesmont, Good Shepherd Corporation of Clarks Summit	Lourdesmont-Lackawanna County MST	PA
Tides Family Services	Charism	RI
Harris County	Houston MST 1	TX
Liberty Resources	Nueces County MST	TX
MST Reading England	Reading UK	United Kingdom
The Zone	Plymouth MST Team	United Kingdom
Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health	CWCMH Yakima	WA

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!

Mike Williams, Shani Alexander, Kim Kehoe, and Tricia Busch
Advanced Behavioral Health
Connecticut

Jill Hoch
Community Solutions Inc.
Pennsylvania

Laura Greene
Catholic Charities
New York

Karen Edwards
Intensive Supervision Program
Australia

Mark Nickell
Seneca Center
California

Markishia Webb
Community Solutions Inc.
Louisiana

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

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

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Update from FSRC

Transport Findings Update and Summary
Sonja Schoenwald, PhD

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New Publications

The following MST-related publications are available:

• 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.
• 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.
• Sheidow, A.J. & Henggeler, S.W. (2008). Multisystemic therapy for alcohol and other drug abuse in delinquent adolescents. In O.J. Morgan & C.H. Litzke (Eds.), Family intervention in substance abuse: Current best practices (pp. 125-145). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
• 330 Sundell, K., Hansson, K., Lofholm, C.E., Olsson, T., Gustle, L-H., Kadesjo, C. (2008). The Transportability of Multisystemic Therapy to Sweden: Short-Term Results From a Randomized Trial of Conduct-Disordered Youths. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 550-560.
• 331 Clingempeel, W.G., Britt, S.C., & Henggeler, S.W. (2008). Beyond treatment effects: Comorbid psychopathologies and long-term outcomes among substance-abusing delinquents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78(1), 29-36
• 332 Henggeler, S.W., Sheidow, A.J., Cunningham, P.B., Donohue, B.C., & Ford, J.D. (2008). Promoting the implementation of an evidence-based intervention for adolescent marijuana abuse in community settings: Testing the use of intensive quality assurance. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(3), 682-689.

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.