In this issue
Features
The magical mystery cure
Richard Shrubb reports on controversial聽trials using Class A drugs to treat depression聽and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Pre-trial therapy (free article)
Peter Jenkins outlines the reforms needed聽to ensure witnesses and victims of crime聽have access to expert pre-trial therapy.
Working with cult survivors
Gillie Jenkinson reveals how cults take聽over their members鈥� minds and lives.
When parents aren鈥檛 good-enough
Joanna North explores how therapists can聽help children process the knowledge that聽their parents couldn鈥檛 look after them.
Research in practice
Joe Armstrong, Amanda Hawkins and Mhairi聽Thurston discuss the benefits for counselling聽of practice research networks.
Regulars
In practice
Rachel Freeth: Fixing to facilitating
In the client's chair
Angela Smith: A fish out of water
In training
Mel Perry: Learning from my clients
The researcher
Barry McInnes: Compare the market
Talking point
Alain de Botton: Care for the soul
How I became a therapist
Eugene Ellis
Dilemmas
Transgender disclosure
The interview
Scott Miller: Excellence in therapy
香港六合彩精准资料
From the chair
Amanda Hawkins: Direction of travel
香港六合彩精准资料 awards
Walking the talk: Hospice in the Weald
Additional online content
The interview
Colin Feltham talks to Gillie Jenkinson about her personal experience of joining a cult, what defines a 鈥榗ult鈥� and working with cult survivors
Members and subscribers can download the pdf of this issue from the Therapy Today archive.
Editorial
I am grateful to Peter Jenkins for guiding us聽through the complex area of pre-trial therapy,聽an area that we will surely be hearing much聽more about given the number of arrests of聽ageing celebrities currently being made for聽historic sexual abuse following Operation聽Yewtree. As Peter explains, pre-trial therapy聽is viewed in the criminal justice system聽as problematic because of its potential to聽鈥榗ontaminate鈥� evidence.
Despite there being聽clear guidance on pre-trial therapy for child聽and adult witnesses, in practice there seems聽to be much confusion about this. For example,聽in the recent tragic case of Frances Andrade聽who killed herself during the trial of her聽former music teacher, Andrade was allegedly聽warned by the police against having therapy聽even though she was clearly a reluctant and聽vulnerable witness 鈥� her husband has said聽that she had been completely distraught聽at the idea of the past being churned up.聽
In many cases, Peter writes, there is a lack聽of awareness even among therapists as to聽the specific requirements of pre-trial therapy.聽One mother of a six-year-old boy who was聽having nightmares and trouble sleeping聽was told by the police that her son could聽have counselling if he was really 鈥榝alling apart鈥櫬爌rior to the trial. When she tried to engage a聽counsellor to work with him, however, they all聽refused saying that the police would not like it.
From the therapist鈥檚 point of view there is聽the legal context of the therapy to consider,聽not least the issue of confidentiality 鈥� or, rather,聽the lack of it. Not only may the police and聽Crown Prosecution Service need to be kept聽closely informed but both the prosecution聽and defence solicitors have access to the聽therapist鈥檚 records. However difficult and聽alien this work may be to counsellors, it聽would seem also to be terribly important if聽the voices of victims are to come to the fore.
Sarah Browne
Editor