Multisystemic Therapy - Substance Abuse

This is a multisystemic therapy program for adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20 with psychoactive substance dependence and associated disorders.
Therapists work in the home for four months and focus on parenting skills and building social support systems for families, friends, and community members.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies have shown that program participants had a statistically significant reduction in cannabis use, aggressive behavior, and convictions for violent crimes when compared to the young people in the control group, who did not receive the intervention. However, no significant effects were found on theft rates, mental health symptoms, or alcohol or cocaine use [1] [2].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Henggeler, S. W., Clingempeel, W. G., Brondino, M. J. & Pickrel, S. G. (2002). Four-year follow-up of multisystemic therapy with substance-abusing and substance-dependent juvenile offenders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(7), 868–874. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200207000-00021

[2] Henggeler, S. W., Halliday-Boykins, C. A., Cunningham, P. B., Randall, J., Shapiro, S. B. & Chapman, J. E. (2006). Juvenile drug court: Enhancing outcomes by integrating evidence-based treatments. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(1), 42–54. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.74.1.42

Information source

Crime Solutions