ABSTRACT
Qualitative methods are particularly useful to illuminate how individuals perceive social systems and how those social systems function in a natural context. It might be argued that this is particularly important in the multidisciplinary setting and way of working. This chapter explores how participants as members of a multidisciplinary team make sense of working in a forensic setting with mentally disordered offenders. By taking account of the specific context in which events occur, it seeks to explore the perspectives of the participants as clinicians; how they organise their thinking and communication about their work, training, and patients; and to what extent the clinical management and the organisational structures foster communication and support. A small group qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview format and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology for data analysis developed by Smith and Smith, Flowers, and Larkin. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
