Therapeutic writing groups with a forensic inpatient population.

Writing groups have been implemented in a variety of inpatient psychiatric settings, with reports that groups contribute to patients' sense of mastery and belonging. However, no published research has examined the impact of writing groups in forensic inpatient populations. Additionally, there is limited quantitative data on the impact of writing groups in adult mental health populations. In this study, 17 patients adjudicated Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity/Mental Health and court-committed to long term treatment at a forensic mental health hospital participated in at least one of four, week writing groups offered by the hospital's psychology department. Groups ran weekly for either 7 or 8 weeks and were either 45 or 55 min long. Overall, participants reported high satisfaction with the writing groups. Participants reported benefiting from having the opportunity to share their writing with their peers, writing about difficult topics, practicing communication and expression, and practicing real-world artistic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]