A psychotherapeutic service for women in an independent approved premise: a case study

Working psychotherapeutically with residents in a female-only Independent Approved Premises (IAP) necessitates understanding their needs to strengthen its efficacy. This case study explored, through a reflexive lens, what providing an on-site psychotherapeutic service means to residents who have not previously engaged with the service and for the staff who refer residents. To date, there are limited studies of this phenomenon in a woman-only IAP and on what support women need from a psychotherapeutic perspective.

There are 100 Approved Premises (APs) within the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales, mostly run by the Probation Service (PS). Twelve APs are provided by independent organisations and nine are women-only. A women-only AP houses between 15 and 26 women (residents), who have been released from custody, are on licence, bail, or community sentences.

Women are frequently referred toward APs/IAPs to support their reintegration into the broader community. The main goal is to foster women’s self-sufficiency, discourage criminal behaviour and prevent recall to prison. Communities like APs/IAPs often go unnoticed yet play an integral role in the CJS by supporting women in the latter stages of their sentences.

Five residents took part in two separate focus groups using an unstructured interview process and three staff took part in individual semi-structured interviews. To support a social constructionist-interpretative paradigm, Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was used to analyse the data. This led to four overall themes: focus group theme one: the therapeutic encounter in prison; focus group theme two: inhabiting an IAP; individual interviews: theme one: IAP – clarity and purpose; and individual interviews theme two: the tsunami at the door.

The research findings highlighted the importance of relational connectedness, fostering feelings of safety, value and affirmation within the therapeutic relationships, that supports working from a trauma-informed approach. This study emphasised the increasing importance of conducting comprehensive assessments before female offenders are released from prison. This is especially crucial considering the rising number of referrals to APs/IAPs with medium-to-high risk levels, prompting substantial inquiries into the potential implications for safety and risk management. This study also draws attention to the positive impact of IAP staff working with residents and raises awareness about the potential effects of vicarious trauma and burnout on them, whilst also suggesting strategies to address these challenges. Furthermore, the research emphasises the role of psychotherapy in supporting resident placements at the IAP, contributing to a reduction in prison recalls. These findings hold implications for counselling psychologists/psychotherapists, and other clinical practitioners, working within APs/IAPs, particularly those employing a non-offence-based approach.