'Into the Wild': A meta-synthesis of talking therapy in natural outdoor spaces.

Time spent in natural outdoor spaces has physiological and psychological benefits, such as reduced stress responses and improved mood. Mental health practitioners have begun to harness nature's restorative capacity by challenging convention and taking talking therapies outdoors. This review synthesises the experiences of these practitioners and their clients, with the aim of establishing a framework for best practice.

'Everything contradicts in your mind': a qualitative study of experiences of forensic mental health staff in two contrasting services.

Background:  In the theoretical literature, there is growing recognition of the psychological impact on staff of working in challenging healthcare settings. In forensic mental health (FMH) services, powerful transference and counter-transference reactions in staff-patient relationships may emerge and may even play a role in contributing to incidents of malpractice, but there is little empirical research here.

Aim:  The exploration of the experiences of FMH staff in two contrasting services.

An exploratory study of the needs of staff who care for offenders with a diagnosis of personality disorder.

People with a diagnosis of personality disorder who are considered a risk to others are a current concern for public services, government and society. Healthcare provision for this group has recently increased, making it important to begin to learn about the needs of staff working in such a challenging area. An exploratory interview study with staff working in a medium secure unit for offenders with a diagnosis of personality disorder (Unit Z) is presented.

A psychoanalytic view of two forensic mental health services.

The work of forensic mental health practitioners is particularly challenging because of the pervasive and long-term difficulties of mentally disordered offenders and the combined therapeutic and custodial duties of forensic services. Despite this, little has been written about the psychological impact of this type of work on staff and the organization of forensic services. The focus in this article is on two services where the author worked: a regional secure unit (RSU) and community forensic mental health service.