Jamie Kirkland

Working in forensic services requires clinicians to deal with complex trauma on both a professional and personal basis. Professionally, they must care for and rehabilitate people who have not only experienced trauma but also behaved in traumatic ways toward others. And on a personal level, they are inevitably touched by this trauma – by reliving it in dialogue, or by observing its effects. A key challenge they face is to build strong therapeutic relationships with those for whom past relationships have faltered and often become incendiary. Innovative Practice in Forensic Settings explores issues of how to simultaneously hold in mind risk, safety and vulnerability, and how to maintain a capacity to think alongside a capacity to feel. Focusing on a relational and contextual understanding of trauma and offending, the chapters explore how to make use of a CAT approach across different forensic settings, clinical presentations and services.

Working in forensic settings with clients who have histories of damage and abuse can be a demanding, disturbing, thrilling and unique experience. It means building connections and instilling the capacity to think before acting - far more than just providing therapy. At a service level, it requires a compassionate culture that promotes the ability to reflect on complex interpersonal dynamics at all levels of the organization. Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is an accessible model for understanding human relationships that offers a common language for teams and organizations. Reflective Practice in Forensic Settings brings together a range of clinicians to share their experience and approaches, exploring ways in which the CAT model can be applied to develop reflective practice in secure contexts. Together, they also offer valuable guidance for any practitioner seeking ways in which to develop a more relationally informed and reflective therapeutic service.