ABSTRACT
The idea of working in a forensic setting can appeal and repel in equal measure: people can be excited at the idea of working with criminals or be appalled by their offences. It can be easy to see the criminal solely in terms of their crime, rather than considering the context of the crime. The person is seen as a drug dealer and thief, for example, and not as someone from a background of poverty whose parents were drug addicts. I do not excuse the actions of criminals, but point out a frequent response to working with offenders. It is one example of the extreme responses one ®nds in relation to forensic work, and is one example of the splitting which occurs in order for professionals to be able to do this work. This chapter looks at issues arising from supervising dramatherapists working in forensic settings. I describe some of the settings and the issues that are particular to prison or hospital setting. I discuss the patient group and give a brief outline of the issues in providing dramatherapy in these settings. I examine the role of the supervisor who works in the organisation and the role of the one who is external to the organisation, but paid on a freelance basis to undertake the clinical supervision of an employee.
