Introduction

Controversy abounds in areas of social policy, psychiatric definition, potential for and appropriateness of treatment. At the heart of this conflict is a debate about the nature of evidence and this goes back to the dispute between psychoanalysis and behaviourism. Psychological therapies are being manualised and sold for profit and this has an impact on availability of information and the quality of academic debate. Even managing a tolerant, therapeutically oriented setting can be difficult and wearing for staff because of the attritional nature of these relationships and the inevitable boundary-pushing which raises the anxiety of all, but particularly outside observers. For most people who work in the field of forensic psychotherapy it clear that the work is very difficult and that it is unworthy to make extravagant claims of success, particularly when they are made at the expense of colleagues. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.