Delivering effective therapeutic interventions for men with severe personality disorder within a high secure prison

Abstract

The Fens Unit is a government-initiated facility for male prisoners reaching criteria for Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD). Prisoners are assessed using a standardised process; those meeting criteria engage in a five-year treatment programme using a cognitive interpersonal model. Personality disorder is seen as a combination of coping strategies, developed in response to experience, which results in dysfunctions of thinking, feeling, behaviour and interpersonal relationships. These dysfunctions are linked to offending. Therefore, in order to reduce risk, multiphasic interventions – individual and group therapies – specifically target each dysfunction area, focusing on the developmental experiences that generated them. Each man's individual risk factors become treatment targets that are addressed in every aspect of the programme. All staff on the unit, clinical and operational, attempt to improve the quality of interpersonal relationships the prisoner has access to in order to create remedial experiences that are necessary to attain the capacity to develop socially adaptive cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses. This paper describes the treatment provided to these prisoners and the outcomes for the first cohort to have completed treatment (n=18). Results indicate that there is a reduction in violent behaviour, a higher than expected attendance at therapy, a decrease in actuarial risk measures and the majority of men are successfully managed in lower security after programme completion.     

On a clear day you can see forever: Integrating values and skills in sex offender treatment

Abstract

The topic of sex offender rehabilitation frequently evokes fierce reactions, ranging from strident demands for harsher sentences contrasted with calls for more imaginative and compassionate sentencing options. There seems to be a polarization of positions centred on the question of offenders’ moral standing: are they moral strangers or fellow travellers? This fundamental disagreement about offenders’ moral status is at the core of a number of independent, although related current practice and research issues confronting the field, namely: (1) risk management versus strength-based treatment approaches; (2) the utility of utilizing individually tailored versus manual-based programmes for offenders; (3) focusing on the technical aspects or therapy as opposed to relationship and therapist factors (what has been called process issues); and (4) the conflict between protecting the community versus promoting the interests of offenders. In this paper I suggest that an approach to sex offender treatment based on a combination of human rights theory (an ethical resource) and strengths-based approaches can help us navigate our way through the above dilemmas in a way that addressees both the needs of offenders and those of the community.     

Narrative Therapy and Peacebuilding

Dealing with trauma and loss in a post-conflict environment demands nuanced responses that take into account individual-level healing work and avoid standardized, statist, institutionalized solutions which tend to prioritize national unity by subordinating disparate individual memories. This article explores how narrative therapy advances the use of local initiatives, skills and values, challenges notions of therapeutic governance and generates possibilities of experiencing an increased sense of agency. Further, it introduces a range of collective narrative methodologies that open up the space for diverse meanings and alternative stories that can contribute to peacebuilding and recovery from the effects of trauma.     

Assessing the Health Behaviors of African American Emerging Adults

The purpose of this article was to assess the overall health behaviors of African American emerging adults who live in a Midwestern city. Two hundred participants, ages 18–25, completed a 129-item survey. Results indicate that African American emerging adults are engaged in relatively healthy behaviors (i.e., physical activity, low substance use). The results also showed that within the emerging adult developmental period, there are differences in behavior for those who are in the younger (18–20) versus those that are older (21–25) in the developmental period. Limitations, future research, and implications for practice will also be discussed.     

儿童精神分析学的主要方法及其应用

儿童精神分析的出现被视为是精神分析"新范式的开始".儿童精神分析学的方法主要来自并运用于临床实践与临床发现,迥异于学院心理学的方法,有其自身的特色与优势.其方法主要包括两个方面,一是研究方法,二是治疗方法.儿童精神分析学最主要的方法包括重构法、观察法、实验法、测验法以及游戏疗法.纵观儿童精神分析学的主要方法,我们会发现它们与发展心理学的研究方法有某些共同之处,但发展心理学则更多地是进行标准化研究和对发展过程的详细描绘,而儿童精神分析学者更多研究心理发展动力与潜意识的影响.二者在研究结果与研究内容方面出现了逐渐融合的趋势,越来越多的儿童精神分析学的研究主题,如母婴关系、自我功能、自我发展、分离与剥夺、受挫与攻击性等逐渐纳入发展心理学的视野.     

我国工伤保险程序存在的问题及完善

工伤保险自诞生以来就具有强大的影响力,原因之一在于其程序简便易行。然而在我国,劳动者申请工伤保险待遇却要历经多重程序,耗时之长、过程之艰难已经成为工伤保险制度优越性发挥的障碍,为此,应以法律人本主义理念改革我国的工伤保险程序。     

浅谈高职法律院校体育教学改革

高职法律院校体育教学改革,应采用文献资料研究调查及问卷调查等方法,对高职法律院校体育教育现状及教学内容、方法、组织形式和教学评价进行客观研究,并探索当前高职法律院校体育教育的不足和影响体育教学的相关因素。在此基础上,体育教学应以健康第一为指导思想,以育人为目标,以终身体育为主线,推进当前体育教学改革。     

法医物证中常用的基因分型技术

现在我们普遍认为 ,理解了人类基因组的遗传变异就可以揭示人类疾病的易感性以及疗效差异的原回。本文将主要讨论几种不同的确认和探测遗传变异的方法。不同的等位基因识别方法在形式上可以分为以下几种 :1、酶学方法 ;2、电泳的方法 ;3、遗传变异的固相识别方法 ;4、层析法 ;5、其他的识别等位基因变异的物理学方法。本文主要介绍那些曾被广泛使用的技术方法 ,同时也涉及到几种虽然没有广泛使用但却具有极大潜在价值的方法 ,是对近几年来在法医物证领域中常用基因分型方法的总结。     

Physical Aggression and Sexual Behavior Among Siblings: A Retrospective Study

Retrospective recall of physical aggression and sexual behavior among siblings was investigated. Participants described behaviors between themselves and siblings in the family, their estimation of the appropriateness of the behavior, and their current relationship with their siblings. Additionally, participants completed measures of family structure and stress. Results indicated that rates of physical aggression among siblings was high, with varying severity. Rates of sexual behavior were lower. For both physical and sexual behaviors, participants were more likely to believe that the behaviors were abusive in retrospect than when they actually occurred. No differences were found in family structure among abusive and nonabusive siblings, but siblings who reported physical or sexual behaviors also reported higher levels of intrafamilial stress. Certain types of stressors may predict particular sibling relationships.