Forensic psychotherapy is a specialist therapy field that sits at the intersection of mental health and the justice system. It’s a term that’s sometimes misunderstood — often associated only with courtrooms or criminal profiling — but in practice it’s about something far more human: helping people who have offended, with their mental health and life struggles. Those we work with could be struggling to adapt to the prison regime, their sentence or pre-existing struggles and unsupported these can worsen and many of our case load consider self harm and/or suicide.
At Atrium Clinic, our forensic therapist team has been working in this field for over 25 years, historically across nine prison and youth offending institutions. We are proud partners to the NHS and work with them as part of an integrated mental health team but we also clinically supervise or offer reflective practice in other prisons or with other agencies who are supporting those in prison. All our therapists are highly experienced and professionally registered with our own specialist training provided. Our training team can also support with bespoke courses for colleagues working supportively in prisons and within the justice community sector.
What does forensic psychotherapy involve?
Therapies used in forensic settings include foundational person centred counselling, CBT, trauma-focused CBT, EMDR, STAIR narrative therapy for childhood abuse and neglect, solution-focused therapy, and psychodynamic approaches. The right model depends on the individual, their history, and what they are working towards.
Who benefits from forensic mental health support?
The people our forensic teams work with are some of the most underserved in our society. They include:
- People in prison, including those serving long sentences or experiencing their first period of custody
- Individuals returning to the community after release, navigating the enormous challenges of reintegration
- Women who have experienced domestic abuse or trauma within the justice system
- People with neurodivergent conditions such as ABI, ADHD or autism, who are significantly overrepresented in prison populations and we bring our knowledge as specialist service provider into our justice work
- Young people in youth offending services
- Those struggling with bereavement, suicide ideation, self-harm, anxiety or low mood in custodial settings
Many of these individuals have never had access to good quality mental health support before. Our work often begins with building trust — something that takes time and expertise.
Support for professionals and organisations too
Atrium’s forensic services extend beyond direct client work. We offer clinical supervision for prison, probation officers and support workers, accredited mental health training for professionals working in custodial and community settings, and reflective practice sessions to help staff manage the emotional demands of this work.
Working in forensic environments is demanding. The teams who do it need support too — and that’s something we take seriously and we provide our own specialist clinical support too.
Why specialist forensic expertise matters
General counselling and therapy services are not always well-equipped to work with people who have complex histories and are in prison. The risk assessment skills, trauma frameworks, and ethical considerations in this field require dedicated training and experience.
Our team of degree and masters-level practitioners — including counselling psychologists (doctorate level) and specialist therapists — brings exactly that. We work within a trauma-informed framework and monitor clinical outcomes rigorously, reporting on wellbeing measures and risk indicators to ensure our interventions are making a real difference. Publishing our outcomes regularly, we monitor and improve our services through the voice of the individuals we support too- contributing to wider academic studies and journals that disseminate our learning into wider practice.
Bringing new evidence to share
Traditional therapies don’t work for everyone and we have been working and publishing in the area of gaming therapies which resonates with the younger community in youth Offending institutions and the under 25s in prison in particular. We would love to bring this therapeutic approach to more people who could benefit but you can see more on our Gaming therapies pages. www.gamingtherapies.atriumclinic.co.uk
Working with Atrium’s therapy team
Whether you are a commissioner, a probation service, an NHS partner, or a community organisation looking for specialist forensic mental health provision, we’d welcome a conversation.
Find out more about our specialist forensic services or get in touch directly:
Call: 01702 332857
Email: info@atriumclinic.co.uk
