The first comprehensive account of forensic nursing and its role within the wider professional team, the aim of this book is to provide a multidisciplinary perspective on the training needed to work with mentally disordered patients, as well as to examine the key characteristics of the forensic nursing role. An international group of contributors, from a wide range of disciplines, provides a well-rounded, comparative view of the forensic nursing profession. The chapters are a rich contribution of cross-cultural thinking on the many dilemmas and challenges facing nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and other health care practitioners, working with specific client groups. Each contributor has utilised empirical data to analyse relevant issues, such as: professional standards; effectiveness of preparation for nurses working within secure environments; day to day and long term challenges facing nurses; clinical effectiveness; the dilemma of security versus practice; how forensic nursing differs from other kinds of nursing; and what forensic nurses can contribute to other mental health care disciplines. Examples of how research findings may be integrated into practice, will be of interest not only to forensic nurses, but also to significant sectors of the mental health care field.

This book provides a practical guide to the establishment of effective multidisciplinary working methods in the care of mentally disordered offenders and others. It examines the theoretical basis of multidisciplinary working in a mental health context, provides a practical guide to establishing multidisciplinary working, considers training needs, team building, risk assessment, and gives an overview of research in the field [Ed.].

Forensic Mental Health Nursing illustrates contemporary forensic mental health nursing practice within and beyond secure clinical environments. This multi-authored book demonstrates the evolution of the nurse's role from its in-patient, secure-services origins to the diverse sub-specialism of mental health nursing that exists today. Specific practice-based issues, such as the care and management of sex offenders and personality disordered individuals, are addressed, together with an exploration of topics including the skills and knowledge base of forensic mental health nursing, the development of the forensic nurse's role and the challenges of community services provision. Individual chapters are devoted to issues such as psychosocial interventions, the assessment and management of risk, diversion from the Criminal Justice System, ethnicity and the ethical aspects of practice. This book will be of interest to forensic mental health nurses, those who may be contemplating a career in this area, and to members of the other professional groups involved in the management and provision of care and treatment within forensic mental health settings. It will provide a primary resource text for students studying in this area.

In the past forensic psychiatry has been a sub-speciality of general psychiatry without its own, separate identity. However, since the mid-1980s there has been a growing in terest in the application of community care principles to mentally disordered offenders. A new set of attitudes have developed which have enabled the mentally disordered offender to emerge from relative institutional obscurity to a much higher profile in the community. Although numerically small in relation to the general psychiatric population, forensic patients tend to attract the public' s attention by virtue of their greater propensity for troublesome behaviour. Such a group needs expert community support in order to maintain an accepta bie public face. Unfortunately these developments have outstripped the creation of training opportunities for community staff charged with their support and supervision. Most community practi tioners have had to learn 'on the job' with inadequate support and supervision from senior staff, who of ten have less direct experience of working with this client group than themselves. Just such a situation prompted the authors, in 1990, to establish a module on 'Working with Mentally Disordered Offenders in the Community' as part of an MA in Social W ork at the University of Reading. As the course developed it became clear that the topic and content had equal application to other community professionals working in the field.

This book explores current and emerging interventions in forensic nursing and the care of the mentally disordered offender, with an emphasis on clinical practice and clinical competence. It explores the practical issues facing forensic nurses, such as environment and safety issues, as well as the possible emotional trauma of such a role.

This revised and updated edition of Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community provides a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to theory and practice. The social and clinical context within which mental health care is provided to offenders in community settings has changed significantly in recent years. An increasing proportion of all mental health care is provided in the community and our knowledge of the links between violence and mental illness has advanced. Existing psychological and pharmacological treatments have been refined and new treatments have been introduced. Epidemiological and intervention-based research has evaluated these changes and suggested new avenues for clinical development. Over three sections, the second edition of Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community explores the key areas of the field. Part 1 describes the social, administrative and clinical context within which care is now given. Part 2 discusses treatment and the evaluation of violence risk when determining the most appropriate treatment. Part 3 explores psychiatric services and their relationship with other agencies. The text has been updated to cover recent developments in theory and practice. New chapters have been added that cover US provision for people with mental disorders leaving prison, the community management of sexual offenders, the relationship between care and coercion and the treatment of personality disorders. Written by a global team of experts, the book provides critical insights into the social, clinical, and institutional aspects of an increasingly important part of psychiatric community care.

Care planning and delivery are essential parts of everyday practice for all mental health practitioners. This new edition of Care Planning in Mental Health: Promoting Recovery moves away from a professionally-oriented model of care planning towards the active promotion of the personal narrative as being central to planning effective mental health care. It outlines essential concepts linked to the recovery process which is carried out in partnership with people with mental health problems and those closest to them. New to this edition: A stronger, more explicit focus on recovery A unique interpretation and explication of the recovery process A greater promotion of the centrality of personhood Examples drawing on a range of international perspectives and experiences Enhanced user-friendly pedagogy, including practical case illustrations and first-hand accounts throughout Care Planning in Mental Health: Promoting Recovery is an ideal resource for anyone involved in the field of mental health care. It is also a valuable learning resource for students studying mental health care and the qualified and experienced practitioner wishing to gain a fresh approach to planning recovery-focused care.