Full Description
Individuals who have personality disorder and commit serious, violent offences present a particular challenge in terms of rehabilitation and risk management. Drawing from the experiences of those working within the Millfields Unit specialist service for high-risk male offenders with personality disorder, this book provides readers working in forensic personality disorder services, whether in hospital or in prison, with a primer on the theory underpinning a successful treatment model and demonstrates how to put it into practice.
Written by staff in dialogue with their patients, the innovative approach explored within this book brings together psychodynamic thinking and offending behaviour theory to create a more holistic way of addressing the suffering caused, both to themselves and others, by these complex individuals. Chapters explore:
the rationale and theoretical underpinnings of the psychodynamically informed therapeutic community approach
the process of selecting, assessing and admitting a patient
how to form a therapeutic alliance in the face of challenging presentations
the potentially volatile process of change
the importance of transitions and aftercare
staff selection and training at beginner and higher levels
working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
An essential read for forensic mental health clinicians and allied health professionals, this book will be instrumental for those already dedicated to working with this target population. It will challenge certain stigmas by demonstrating that an informed treatment approach carries with it a good chance of successful rehabilitation and can also be highly rewarding.
Contents
1. The origin and nature of the patient's difficulties 2. Personality disorder and serious offending 3. Rationale and theoretical underpinnings of the adapted Therapeutic Community approach 4. Community meetings 5. Small Groups 6. How do you spell forgiveness? Finding a shared language of expression through art psychotherapy 7. Offence-focussed work 8. Substance misuse 9. Individual work and how it is managed within a Therapeutic Community 10. Pavilion, unstructured spaces, and the role of nurses and Social Therapists 11. Occupational Therapy, Education, Work and Community Leave 12. Assessment and selection for treatment 13. Assessing personality and risk 14. Formulation 15. How to form a therapeutic alliance 16. The process of change 17. The importance of transitions and aftercare 18. Staff selection, supervision, training and reflective practice 19. The impact of the work on individuals, teams and organisations 20. Common but complex pitfalls
