Dr. Henggeler received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia in 1977. Currently, he is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Family Services Research Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has published more than 170 journal articles, book chapters, and books; and he is on the editorial boards of nine journals. Recent volumes include Innovative Approaches for Difficult to Treat Populations (with A. B. Santos) and Multisystemic Treatment of Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents (with several colleagues).

Much of Dr. Henggeler’s research concerns serious antisocial behavior in adolescents and the development of clinically effective and cost-effective treatments for such behavior. In collaboration with several colleagues, he has developed the theoretical rationale and intervention procedures for multisystemic therapy (MST), a family- and home-based treatment that has demonstrated long-term reductions in recidivism and out-of-home placements in several studies of youths presenting serious problems and their families. Currently, Dr. Henggeler is conducting a NIDA-funded evaluation of the long-term effectiveness of MST with substance-abusing delinquents; an NIMH-funded evaluation of MST as a family-based alternative to psychiatric hospitalization of youth in crisis; an NIAAA- and NIDA-funded evaluation of MST and juvenile drug court; and several other studies examining the integration of evidence-based mental health treatments into neighborhood and school settings and the viability of MST-based continua of care. His social policy interests include the development and validation of innovative methods of mental health services for disadvantaged children and their families as well as efforts for redistributing mental health resources to services that are clinically effective and cost-effective and preserve family integrity.

Back to Top