Circles of support and accountability : an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the nature of the relationship between volunteers and the core member

Introduction: The rehabilitation and management of mentally ill offenders represents a significant challenge for secure facilities and is an important issue for public safety. Considering the high financial costs associated with secure care and the complex clinical presentations of forensic patients, the importance of ensuring that the most effective and evidence-based treatment practices are in place is both an issue of ethical and fiscal concern. Over the past decade, there has been a shift within psychology to a 'third wave' of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The aim of this systematic review is to review the current evidence for the use of this third wave CBT in forensic mental health settings, with a view to assessing its current impact as well as discussing the potential benefits such an approach might bring Method: A systematic search for studies involving third wave CBT in forensic mental health settings was conducted Results: A total of nine papers were included in the review. The review focussed on Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Meta Cognitive Therapy, and Compassion Focussed Therapy. Overall, the quality of the studies that met the inclusion criteria was assessed as 'fair'. Conclusion: The findings across the nine studies evaluated, suggest that third wave therapies may be effective in forensic settings, however the evidence base is in its infancy and therefore further research is required before this can be concluded with more confidence.