About the Book
Trauma-Informed Forensic Interventions explores the innovative wave of trauma-informed practices in forensic settings, addressing the unique challenges of implementation in environments that are often ill-suited to such approaches. Written collaboratively by forensic practitioners and service users across prison, forensic mental health, youth justice, and social care settings, this book provides practical guidance for professionals working with justice-involved individuals who commonly have extensive trauma histories.
The text establishes core principles for best practice by examining diverse settings including male and female prisons, high security hospitals, and secure children's homes, while addressing complex needs related to personality disorders, self-injury, sexual violence, and neonaticide. It offers practical approaches to overcome institutional barriers and reconcile SAMHSA's trauma-informed care guidelines with established forensic structures and culture.
This essential reference for forensic practitioners and students builds upon Trauma-Informed Forensic Practice, inspiring further development of trauma-informed approaches as a crucial focus in contemporary forensic work across prisons, community services, youth justice, and forensic mental health settings.
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents
Introduction. 1. The Challenges of Trauma-Informed Forensic Interventions. 2. Trauma-Informed Forensic Mental Health Assessment: Contextual Perspectives. 3. Dying to Survive: Insights from EMDR Trauma Treatment with Men in High Security Hospital. 4. Echoes of the Past – A Trauma Informed Approach to working with Psychosis & Risk in a High Secure Hospital. 5. Trauma-Focused Interventions in a High Secure Offending Personality Disordered Service. 6. Lived Experience Views of "Trauma-Informed Interventions" for People who are on Probation. 7. Trauma-Related Altered States of Consciousness and Offending: Assessment and Intervention. 8. Clinical Approaches to Autogenic PTSD. 9. Reflections on the Implementation of Psychologically and Trauma Informed Practice with People Experiencing Homelessness. 10. A Trauma-Sensitive and Trauma-Informed Treatment Intervention Addressing Problematic Substance Use for Forensic Patients. 11. A Multimodal Approach to Shame-Based Trauma. 12. Trauma-Informed Accredited Programmes in His Majesty's Prison & Probation Service. 13. Can Trauma-Informed Practice be Achieved in Mainstream Male Prison Settings? 14. Trauma Treatment with Young People in Secure Care. 15. Working with Women in Prison who have Histories of Interpersonal Trauma: Lessons from two Compassion-Focused Interventions, Ultimate Self and CRANE. 16. Working with Mothers who Commit Filicide: A Trauma-Informed Neonaticide Case Study. 17. Understanding and managing harmful sexual interests through the lens of traumatic sexuality, loss of intimacy and acceptance of solitude. 18. Holistic Mind-Body Therapies in the Treatment of Trauma in Forensic Settings. 19. Building the Strengths of Justice-Involved People: A Dual-Continua Model of Trauma-Informed Interventions. 20. Nature Based Initiative in Forensic Settings: A Salutogenic and Holistic Approach to Rehabilitation and Wellbeing. 21. Trauma-informed physical healthcare for women in secure inpatient services. 22. Integrating the Art and Science of Trauma-Informed Care: Balancing Processes with Relationships. 23. Working with Traumatised Teams. Conclusions. 24. Future Directions in Trauma-Informed Forensic Interventions.
About the Author :
Dr Phil Willmot is a Consultant Forensic and Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years’ experience of working with men with a diagnosis of personality disorder in prison and forensic mental health services. He is also a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Lincoln.
Lawrence Jones is Head of Clinical and Forensic psychology at Rampton Hospital and a former chair of the Division of Forensic psychology in the BPS. He also teaches on the Leicester and Sheffield clinical doctorates and the Nottingham Forensic doctorate.
Hon. Professor, Dr. Geraldine Akerman is a Consultant Forensic Psychologist who has worked in prisons for many years both for HMPPS and the NHS. Geraldine is a Visiting lecturer at the Universities of Birmingham and Buckingham, and Cardiff Metropolitan University and Director of Forensic Psychology Network.
Adam Mahoney is an Associate Professor in Forensic and Applied Psychology at Edinburgh Napier University as well as a Consultant Chartered Forensic Psychologist. Dr Mahoney has approximately 24 years’ experience working in various forensic settings including working in the Scottish Prison Service’s women's estate.
Review :
"A very timely collection of important clinical, environmental and systems-based considerations that describe in detail the application of trauma approaches to a forensic population. Taking in both prison and secure hospital settings this book is essential reading for both commissioners and leaders of services, alongside clinicians working with trauma. "
Sarah Skett, Head of Health and Care Partnerships, Clinical Strategic Lead OPD Pathway, HMPPS
"People who work in prisons and forensic mental health hospitals are increasingly seeking ways to support those with prior experience of trauma. This book brings much needed light and hope to understand this critical issue, providing insight into explanatory theories, and examples of successful approaches. The breadth of client groups, settings, and clinical approaches which the authors reference, make this a must-read book for all practitioners working in forensic settings."
Dr Sally Tilt, Chair of British Psychological Society Division of Forensic Psychology
"Trauma-informed Forensic Interventions builds on the ground-breaking Trauma-informed Forensic Practice (Willmot & Jones, Routledge, 2022) by taking a deeper dive into the nuts and bolts of trauma-informed interventions in forensic settings – ranging from hospitals to juvenile treatment facilities, traditional prisons and probation. Special issues are addressed from a trauma perspective with considerable care, such as working with mothers who killed their infants, ‘autogenic’ PTSD (caused by their own offences), mind-body trauma approaches, shame and psychotic symptoms. The challenges and opportunities of adopting a trauma-informed approach to working with offenders is presented with tremendous sensitivity, skill and wisdom. Trauma-informed Forensic Interventions is timely and important, and deserves to be widely read; it certainly should be taught in all relevant academic, training and forensic settings and will be added to my syllabus the next time I teach the course Trauma in Forensic Populations. Let’s hope that both of these books will contribute to transforming prisons, jails and forensic psychiatric settings into more humane and compassionate places, where people can safely face their traumas, leave their criminal past behind, and learn to contribute to society in pro-social and beneficial ways."
Andrew Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director, Forensic Psychology Master’s Program, The George Washington University; Former President, European Society for Trauma and Dissociation
"Traumatic experiences figure large in the histories of many people who go on to perpetrate serious crimes. Professionals working in criminal justice settings need to understand the impact on many levels of trauma on an individual, and work with that knowledge to avoid causing further harm and to maximise the benefits of rehabilitation efforts. How to work with trauma and do so safely is complicated, and in forensic settings the consequences of getting it wrong are potentially hazardous. This volume offers an examination of the challenges faced in forensic trauma work, gives specific examples of interventions and their adaptations to fit with trauma, and holistic approaches to consolidation of gains after intervention. Teams, services, and service users’ perspectives are also included. Written by practitioners and academics with impressive knowledge of theory, research and evidence-based practice in this specialist field, this book is an unmissable guide for any professional working clinically with people whose behaviour can be harmful to both themselves and others."
Professor Mary McMurran, Visiting Professor, Cardiff Metropolitan University
