Application of Schema Therapy in forensic contexts

Personality disorders are frequent among forensic populations. Cluster B disorders are generally associated with an increased risk of re-offending and even more so if, in addition, the criteria for psychopathy are fulfilled. There are few evidence based methods for the reduction of this risk. In the present article the forensic adaptation of schema-focused therapy (Bernstein et al. 2007) and the schema therapeutic group manual by Beckley and Gordon (2004, 2010a) are presented. Preliminary evaluation results, which point to the usefulness of the schema therapeutic approach with forensic patients, are discussed and practical experiences with its implementation in a prison setting are reported.