The course will introduce participants to psychoanalytic thinking about violent and sexual offending and ways in which a psychodynamic perspective can assist with the task of assessing and managing risk.
Organising tutors
Stephen Blumenthal and Heather Wood
Course aims
• Provides an introduction to different models of assessing and evaluating risk.
• Provides an introduction to psychoanalytic ideas about what leads people to act, and, specifically to act out in violent or destructive ways.
• Explores the processes occurring in the relationship between disturbed people and the staff caring for them which may distort clinical judgement.
• Addresses the following issues:
- The way in which we make decisions about the management of difficult and challenging individuals in forensic and mental health settings.
- The processes which can influence, and sometimes distort, clinical judgment.
- The impact of on staff working with people with histories of violence, deception and sexual offending.
- Factors influencing clinical judgement will be explored, with the aim of assisting professionals to be more accurate in their assessments.
- The course will provide a framework for considering psychodynamic factors in assessing risk.
Is this course for you?
• Topics:
- Clinical, actuarial and psychoanalytic assessment of risk.
- Psychodynamic processes underlying symptoms and behaviour, particularly violent and sexual enactment.
- Cycles of violence and abuse, the impact of childhood development and attachment.
- Psychodynamic processes between patient and clinician and within teams and organisations that can lead to distortions of judgement.
• Designed for clinical and forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, probations officers and mental health workers who assess risk of harm to others in secure or community settings.
• Applications welcome from those with little or no previous experience of a psychoanalytic model who might later consider the Portman Diploma Course in Forensic Psychotherapeutic Studies.
Time commitment
Short course. Eight, three hour sessions. Includes talk/discussion
of published papers and work discussion group.
How to apply
Contact the course administrator for an application form.
Contact details for further information
020 8938 2650
portman@tavi-port.org
Download Reference Request Form
Information on fees can be found here
