The Treatment Pathway - Help is Available

For as long as people have been arrested or investigated for offending, the police and court system has focussed treatment needs on the highest risk offenders after they have been convicted and sentenced in court.   Investigations can now take months or years to complete.  A court process will take longer still.  This means that if you wait until a case has been finished before getting help, you will be waiting for months or years.

But for those who have committed offences, especially for those who have no other previous convictions, and who want professional help and support, the options for expert therapeutic support have traditionally been very limited.  Where they are available are often very difficult to access or difficult to find. But rehabilitation is crucial. In the words of the sentencing guidelines, “Where there is sufficient prospect of rehabilitation, a community order with a treatment program requirement … can be a proper alternative to a short or medium length custodial sentence.”

As leading defence specialists, our team have taken steps to ensure clients who want it can get access to the very best specialist therapy available. By offering a staged Treatment Pathway, and through our close links with the very best experts in this evolving field, we can offer a unique program of therapy that will deliver the very best outcomes available, tailored for every individual.

An Introduction to Therapy and Rehabilitation for those accused, this is a module to inform and empower the individual about what Therapy and Rehabilitation means and the therapeutic options available. We will explore the importance and role of therapy and treatment in the criminal justice system, the impact on sentence and the approaches available during any investigation or prosecution. A participant will be provided with specialist written material. You will learn about what therapy involves, how and why it will help you and your case, understand and discuss risk and the risk management procedures you are likely to face and more. This will either be a foundation for the assessment and therapy to come or will be a stand-alone session to facilitate a self-help program going forward.  Stage one can also be thought to encompass crucial self-help work.  We will discuss this with you, to make sure you have access to the right support points.

For those who wish to undertake treatment, stage two is an entirely independent Psychological Treatment Needs Assessment. Undertaken by leading independent forensic psychology specialists, this bespoke assessment will identify the central treatment needs in relation to offending risk and your wellbeing. This will lead to recommendations for the most effective program of therapy. It is a unique opportunity. The Psychological Treatment Needs Assessment will then inform the individual and therapist about appropriate treatment topics and modules, and draws on the most innovative and leading thinking on the treatment of offenders, able to operate significantly ahead of statutory or probation-based programs.

The main phase of treatment, delivery of the Treatment Plan. This may be delivered through your existing or own choice of therapist using the Psychological Treatment Needs Assessment to inform their work, or you may wish to undertake the therapy offered by the expert service who conducted your assessment. It may be that we will have identified the right point of support together through our own collaborations with experts in this field, so that you know you are working with someone who has appropriate experience with dealing with those in the criminal justice system.  The work may include participation in other group programs, individual therapy sessions, one-to one psychologist appointments, or a combination of options. The Treatment Plan is likely to be delivered over a six -12 month period, or in some cases longer, although every case is different and your treatment needs’ assessor will make recommendations as to what would be the most appropriate pathway in your specific case. The experts we work with operate on a non-judgmental basis. They have vast experience in working with people facing allegations, convictions or risky behaviour, and will consider your case as an individual and a person. This is crucial, as the factors contributing to behaviour will be different for every person and in addressing these factors each person has different needs. The expert provider knows that this may be one of the most stressful situations you have found yourself in, and they will work to help you as a whole person.