Andreas Vossler & Catriona Havard 
Mad or Bad?: A Critical Approach to Counselling and Forensic Psychology 

A cutting-edge text that provides a comprehensive introduction to mental health problems and criminal behaviour, this book explores the link between mental health and criminality and considers the most common and effective therapeutic approaches for working with offenders and victims of crime.

·           Part 1 explores the predominant tensions between forensic and therapeutic agendas;

·           Part 2 considers how criminal and ‘insane’ identities and careers may be considered gendered, classed, culturally and age-dependent experiences, and be related to power and oppression;

·           Part 3 examines issues around sex and sexuality in forensic and therapeutic settings;

·           Part 4 introduces a range of therapeutic approaches for working with offenders and victims of crime;

·           Part 5 covers forensic and therapeutic practices, including programmes for the prevention of both mental health issues and offending.

Edited by an expert team from the Open University and written by a broad range of contributors, this book draws on a wealth of experience in this popular subject area. It will be a key text for students of forensic psychology, counselling and psychotherapy, and for health and social care professionals working in therapeutic and forensic settings.

Table of Content

Part I: Mad or bad? – Setting the scene

Working therapeutically in forensic settings – Andreas Vossler, Catriona Havard, Meg-John Barker, Graham Pike, Bianca Raabe and Zoe Walkington

Historical overview – Catriona Havard and Katherine D. Watson

Media representations – Troy Cooper and Simon Cross

Diagnosis and categorisation – David Pilgrim

Part II: Mad/bad identities

Race – Hári Sewell

Gender – Jane E.M. Callaghan and Joanne H. Alexander

Age – Emily Glorney

Class – Daniel Holman

Part III: Sex and sexuality in mental health and crime

Sexual assault and abuse – Tara N. Richards and Joan A. Reid

Sex and sexuality in the therapy room – Amanda O′Donovan

‘Paraphilias’ – Jemma Tosh

Sex work – Allan Tyler

Part IV: Treatment

Attachment-based approaches – Mary Haley

Cognitive behavioural therapy – Matt Bruce

Systemic approaches – Andreas Vossler, Brigitte Squire and Clare Bingham

Mindfulness – Meg-John Barker and Troy Cooper

Part V: Dichotomies in forensic and therapeutic practice

Memory – Nadia Wager

Self-harm and suicide – Andrew Reeves and Paul Taylor

Contexts – Henry Strick van Linschoten

Prevention – Nadia Wager and Graham Pike

About the author

Bianca Raabe is an academic with interests in Social, Developmental and Counselling psychology, whose research interests have focused on young people’s constructions of citizenship and identity, and is currently interested in ‘wild’ therapy, and therapy in open spaces.  In maintaining her therapeutic practice Bianca is involved in both short term (3 session counselling) and long term psychotherapy.  She is a Staff Tutor based in the North East of England, at The Open University, Gateshead. In her role as a Staff Tutor she has particular interest in collaborative teaching and learning and working with complex group dynamics.