Forensic psychotherapy is the application of psychological knowledge to the assessment, treatment and management of mentally disordered offenders and patients who commit violent or destructive acts against others or themselves. Rooted in a psychoanalytic theoretical framework, its remit has widened to encompass other psychodynamic approaches, including group psychotherapy and therapeutic community approaches, and it is also influenced by the related disciplines of criminology, sociology, ethology, neuroscience, philosophy and ethics.
This workshop will present key principles of forensic psychotherapy, including its focus on the internal world of the offender and unconscious motivation, as well as the concepts of acting out, containment, and countertransference. Contemporary psychoanalytic theories regarding the aetiology and treatment of violent and antisocial behaviour will be explored, illustrated with anonymised case examples of such patients in psychotherapeutic treatment.