Contribution of forensic psychotherapy to the care of forensic patients

Gill McGauley is a consultant forensic psychotherapist with the West London Mental Health NHS Trust and a senior lecturer in forensic psychotherapy at St George’s Hospital Medical School (Department of Psychiatry, St George’s Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 ORE, UK; e-mail: gmcgaule{at}sghms.ac.uk). She is also the forensic psychotherapy representative on the Psychotherapy and Forensic Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Committees of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Martin Humphrey is a specialist registrar in forensic psychotherapy with South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, London. He is a dual-accreditation trainee in psychotherapy and forensic psychiatry and has a particular interest in medical education.

This article outlines the current provision and describes the role of forensic psychotherapy in the management of forensic patients. The authors maintain that the contribution of forensic psychotherapy is not limited solely to treatment provision. The forensic psychotherapist has a supervisory role, which can help staff and institutions to understand the dynamic processes that arise from the effects of managing forensic patients. The article outlines how forensic psychotherapy can contribute towards risk assessment and highlights some particular areas of concern for the forensic psychotherapist.