This is an edited extract from Forensic Music Therapy: A Treatment for Men and Women in Secure Hospital Settings edited by Stella Compton Dickinson, Helen Odell-Miller and John Adlam. This case study comes from Chapter 7, ‘Working with Conflict: A Summary of Developments in the Long-term Treatment of a Man Suffering with Paranoid Schizophrenia Who Committed…

The impressive BMA House in Tavistock Square, London, served as an excellent backdrop to an illuminating ceremony last night for the 2012 BMA Medical Book and Patient Information Awards. We are thrilled to announce that first prize in the Health and Social Care category was awarded to the JKP title, Risk Assessment and Management for…

Andrew Green, co-editor of Sleep: Multi-Professional Perspectives writes on how ideas about sleep have changed over time, and how sleep has been historically regarded in different ways. Despite centuries of speculation and research, we still do not know what sleep really is, or exactly what it is for. Allan Rechtschaffen suggested that ‘If sleep does not…

By Dr. Anne Aiyegbusi and Gillian Kelly, editors of the new volume in the Forensic Focus Series, Professional and Therapeutic Boundaries in Forensic Mental Health Practice. The word ‘boundaries’ is used a lot in forensic mental health practice. This is not surprising given that by definition the offender populations who constitute the client groups in…

In his new book, school counsellor, teacher, youth worker, Psychodrama psychotherapist, trainer and author Nick Luxmoore explores the problems that arise when death is not openly discussed with young people and offers invaluable advice about how best to allay concerns without having to pretend that there are easy answers. He covers all of the key…

By John Adlam, Anne Aiyegbusi, Pam Kleinot, Anna Motz and Christopher Scanlon, editors of the new volume, The Therapeutic Milieu Under Fire. What therapy can be offered to people with forensic histories and how might it work? What can we learn about the minds of offenders from observing our own reactions to working with them?…

By Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, a licensed clinical psychologist, board-certified senior fellow in biofeedback, certified yoga instructor, nutrition coach, and the Director of Feed Your Mind Wellness Programs. A former panic sufferer, Dr. Scheinbaum has practiced mind-body medicine for over 30 years, successfully teaching hundreds of clients to overcome panic. She is the author of the new book, How to…

By Dr Bruce Perry, adapted from the Foreword to the new book, Life Story Therapy with Traumatized Children, by Richard Rose. A fundamental and permeating strength of humankind is the capacity to form and maintain relationships – the capacity to belong. It is in the context of our clan, community and culture that we are born…

In this article, Dr. Peter Ladd, co-author of the new book, Person-Centered Diagnosis and Treatment in Mental Health: A Model for Empowering Clients, asks some important questions relating to traditional mental health diagnosis, and shares his own thoughts about where he believes it is heading in the future. Does the Semantics found in the DSM IV…

Richard Rose, child trauma intervention specialist and author of Life Story Therapy with Traumatized Children: A Model for Practice, shares some of his experiences of using life story work with traumatised children. The unique concept of the life story approach is that it has a defined process: The beginning (stage 1) requires the Therapeutic Worker to…