title: Multisystemic treatment of violent and chronic juvenile offenders: bridging the gap between research and practice.
abstract: The lack of communication between researchers and practitioners has hindered the development of effective interventions for children and adolescents. Recently, however, significant headway in bridging this researcher-practitioner gap has been made due to the emergence of multisystemic therapy (MST) as a treatment approach that combines the rigor of science and the "real world" aspects of clinical practice in treating violent and chronic juvenile offenders and their families in community-based settings. MST addresses the multiple known determinants of delinquency and delivers services in the family's natural environment, with considerable emphasis on treatment fidelity. This article describes MST and provides a case example of how MST treatment principles are applied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Swenson
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Henggeler
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Schoenwald
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Rowland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003142:Communication; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*