Regaining power through construction of identity? Experience of Multisystemic Therapy from a Youth’s Perspective

Abstract

Literature and studies exist on how to create services in the best interest of the client or how these services have an impact on individuals. They are however mainly from a social work professional stand point and rarely from how clients would develop and create the services that can imply a life change for them. Especially when working with children under 18 years old issues of agency and age that can result in the disregard of the Convention on the Right of the Child (UNCRC). The target group of this study is therefore youth between the ages of 15 to 17 years old in three cities across Sweden to allow them to voice their opinion and experience of being in treatment. Resulting from that is the aim of this study – to investigate how an intensive treatment method like Multisystemic Therapy is described from a client’s point of view. Does the fact of being treated within the social service system influence the client’s self-perception, creation of identity or relationships? Finding out how intervention methods influence the social world and social being of individuals and how this can be used to improve social work practice is in centre. Throughout qualitative interviews with three male persons in Sweden an in-depth understanding had been able to be obtained by a combination of narrative and thematic analysis. Major results had been that the construction of identity is influenced by the fact that they are currently in treatment and even more by the expectations of their surroundings and the society. Even though the treatment process is shaped by power hierarchies the youth had been able to develop own mechanisms to regain power of the identities they were assigned to from outside or society. Interestingly enough the youth described the close relationship with the therapist and the intensive attendance by the social worker through setting up rules for example as positive and guiding for their family life. The findings within this study have an implication on how to further develop the client-social worker relationship in youth and family welfare settings.