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The contribution of treatment outcome research to the reform of children’s mental health services: Multisystemic therapy as an example

  • Special Section: Mental Health Services for Children, Youth and Families
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Abstract

Service system reforms of the past decade have yielded innovations in type, accessibility, and cost of services provided for some children and families with serious problems, but few of the treatments delivered have been empirically evaluated. Rigorous tests of well-conceived treatments are needed to provide a solid foundation for continued reform. Multisystemic therapy has demonstrated efficacy in treating serious clinical problems in adolescents and their multineed families and is an example of the successful blending of rigorous treatment outcome research and service system innovation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Family Services Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, 29425-0742, Charleston, SC

    Scott W. Henggeler Ph.D. (Professor), Sonja K. Schoenwald Ph.D. (a research associate), Susan G. Pickrel M.P.H., M.D. (an assistant professor), Melisa D. Rowland M.D. (a child psychiatry fellow) & Alberto B. Santos M.D. (professor)

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  1. Scott W. Henggeler Ph.D.
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  2. Sonja K. Schoenwald Ph.D.
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  3. Susan G. Pickrel M.P.H., M.D.
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  4. Melisa D. Rowland M.D.
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  5. Alberto B. Santos M.D.
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Additional information

Preparation of this article was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Grant DA-08029 and Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA, Grant MH48136.

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Henggeler, S.W., Schoenwald, S.K., Pickrel, S.G. et al. The contribution of treatment outcome research to the reform of children’s mental health services: Multisystemic therapy as an example. The Journal of Mental Health Administration 21, 229–239 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02521330

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