Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between trust and burnout among mental health professionals working within a forensic psychiatric setting. The association between these factors and boundary violations was also examined. Design/methodology/approach – Mental health professionals (n=117) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a measure of their trust in co-workers. A series of 12 vignettes was also designed to assess the frequency and impact of boundary violations by clients. Findings – Propensity to trust was found to be predictive of personal accomplishment. A higher propensity to trust others was associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. It was also associated with greater cooperative behaviour. Higher frequency of boundary violations reported by professionals was associated with lower levels of perceived trust and cooperative behaviours among colleagues, and increased depersonalisation. In addition, professionals reporting more of a perceived impact of boundary violations, reported higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The results also indicate that younger professionals reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, whereas older professionals were more positive regarding their competence and sense of accomplishment. Research limitations/implications – The results are discussed in terms of the development of trust within teams as an effective strategy to reduce the development of burnout. Implications are made for the importance of reflective practice and clinical supervision in developing positive working relationships with clients, and providing a safe environment to discuss professional conflict. The importance of supporting younger professionals has also been highlighted. Originality/value – This is the first research paper to explore the relationship between trust within teams and the development of burnout within forensic psychiatric services.

Traditionally, the focus in psychology has been to relieve suffering in matters such as mental illness. In forensic interventions, the focus has been similar, with an emphasis on the removal of offence‐related behaviours and thinking. That is, therapy has focused on ‘fixing’ what appears to be broken. More recent thinking in the positive psychology literature focuses on the importance of enhancing well‐being and happiness in clients and enhancing the client's own strengths and positive experiences. In turn, positive psychology adopts a strengths‐based approach to working therapeutically with clients. Positive psychology has a number of potential implications for working with forensic clients and the delivery of therapy and relapse prevention blocks. This paper will explores the potential application of positive psychology literature to offending behaviour interventions. Specifically, it focuses on the process of relapse‐prevention and self‐management, within the framework of the Self‐Regulation Model of the Relapse Process (SRM‐RP).

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to understand the constructions of female-perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) among postgraduate (PG) students studying and preparing for a career in forensic psychology. A social constructionist methodological framework was adopted in order to explore students' dominant discourses surrounding gender and IPV. Of particular interest was how female perpetrators of IPV within heterosexual relationships were constructed and subsequently positioned by students in terms of social and gender identity. Implications regarding future practice for graduates in relation to risk assessment and treatment interventions are discussed. Design/methodology/approach-Six female PG forensic students took part in a qualitative focus group and discussed their understanding of IPV and views regarding perpetration. Focus group members were also asked to discuss details of a vignette depicting a violent relationship where gender identity was purposefully removed. The focus group interview data were analysed using Foucauldian discourse analysis. Findings-The students constructed IPV as a behaviour that was predominantly perpetrated by men towards women. Students acknowledged that female-perpetrated IPV occurred; however, such behaviour was constructed as non-threatening, and subsequently, less serious than male-perpetrated IPV. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the overall discourses drawn on by the students projected a feminine representation of female IPV that positioned women as emotionally unstable, vulnerable and acting in self-defence. Research limitations/implications-Students' constructions of female-perpetrated IPV appeared to minimise aggression. It is argued that the positioning of women in terms of vulnerability serves to undermine any responsibility for perpetrating violence among this group of students. In terms of implications for practice, oversimplified assumptions in relation to gendered constructions have the potential to inhibit female IPV from being recognised as a serious form of aggression, and it is argued that this could potentially bias assessments of risk leading to an underestimation of threat. Female perpetrators of IPV may subsequently receive inadequate supervision and intervention and inadequate levels of victim safety planning may occur. These gendered constructions may also inhibit male victims from seeking help and help being offered. Originality/value-This paper highlights the importance of understanding constructions of IPV among students who are preparing for careers as a forensic psychology practitioner. Female IPV is clearly challenging. With respect to the social construction of IPV, the students in this study made many assumptions about female identity by linking this to feminine and essentialist ideas that constrain women as emotionally and biologically vulnerable. Such findings raise questions about whether future training and study programmes are equipped to critically challenge the dominant discourses and subsequent constructions of gender and IPV....

PurposeThe current study aims to examine staff‐prisoner relationships through an exploration of interpersonal style. It was predicted that the interpersonal style of prison officers would impact on their perception of their ability to work with prisoners, dependent on the specific interpersonal style of prisoners.Design/methodology/approachPrison officers (n=128) completed a measure of interpersonal style (Check List of Interpersonal Transactions‐Revised: CLOIT‐R) and a series of eight vignettes designed to assess their perceived ability to positively engage with prisoners of differing interpersonal styles.FindingsPrison officers with a friendly interpersonal style were found to be positive about their perceived ability to work with all prisoners whereas hostile prison officers were negative. Dominant officers were found to be positive about their perceived ability to work with submissive prisoners, whilst submissive officers were not positive in their judgments about working with dominant prisoners.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are discussed with regards to issues of role assignment within forensic settings and the application of interpersonal theory. The study highlights the need to examine a range of factors in order to understand the interpersonal relationships experienced between staff and prisoners. Future research could examine relationships between the attitudes that prison officers hold towards prisoners and rehabilitation and interpersonal behaviours.Practical implicationsThe findings are considered in terms of the prison officer role and the provision of support and training to prison officers.Originality/valueThis paper is original in its application of interpersonal theory to staff‐prisoner relationships.