Improving Forensic Clinical Practice:  Leveraging Concepts from Counselling and Counselling Psychology

Pasyk, Victoria Summer

Improving Forensic Clinical Practice: Leveraging Concepts from Counselling and Counselling Psychology

dc.contributor.advisor	Domene, José F.
dc.contributor.author	Pasyk, Victoria Summer
dc.contributor.committeemember	Cornell, Dewey G.
dc.contributor.committeemember	Friesen, Sharon L.
dc.date	2023-11
dc.date.accessioned	2023-07-27T19:01:11Z
dc.date.available	2023-07-27T19:01:11Z
dc.date.issued	2023-07-24
dc.description.abstract	The purpose of this research is to improve the practices of mental health professionals engaged in forensic practice by leveraging ideas and perspectives from counselling and counselling psychology. Counselling and counselling psychology are defined by their holistic, strength-based, and multiculturally competent ways of addressing mental health concerns and facilitating change. Despite both professions offering unique benefits for a variety of populations and needs, clinicians from these areas of practice are under-represented in a number of mental health work settings, one, in particular, being forensic. Additionally, there is also very limited research on how the practice of counselling and counselling psychology can benefit or enhance the area of forensic psychology. This knowledge gap is particularly evident in the areas of supervision, assessment, and psychotherapy. In this dissertation, I close some of these gaps by contributing three manuscripts that leverage ideas and perspectives from these related disciplines. Specifically, Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the potential benefits that counselling and counselling psychology could offer to the field of forensic mental health practice. Chapter 2/Manuscript 1 examines readiness to change as a key component to the working alliance with clients who have offended. The working alliance is a construct elaborated on by a counselling psychologist and is related to successful outcomes for both community and correctional populations. Chapter 3/Manuscript 2 draws upon existing literature from the field to provide recommendations to improve clinical supervision in forensic practice. Chapter 4/Manuscript 3 is a data-based research project that examines the application of a counselling perspective to forensic practice. Chapter 5 integrates themes across the three manuscripts and provides suggestions for forensic clinical practice. This chapter also considers the state of current forensic practice in Canada and its implications for counselling psychologists.
dc.identifier.citation	Pasyk, V. S. (2023). Improving forensic clinical practice: leveraging concepts from counselling and counselling psychology (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/116801
dc.identifier.uri	https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41643
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject.classification	Psychology
dc.title	Improving Forensic Clinical Practice: Leveraging Concepts from Counselling and Counselling Psychology
dc.type	doctoral thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Education Graduate Program – Educational Psychology
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I require a thesis withhold – I need to delay the release of my thesis due to a patent application, and other reasons outlined in the link above. I have/will need to submit a thesis withhold application.