ABSTRACT
Within a young person’s medium secure setting, care and treatment is provided within a highly prescribed set of physical, relational and procedural security measures. The young person’s care within this setting will be an individualised, multi-disciplinary and evidence-based treatment package that is explored within this chapter alongside the challenges of this complex role. The secure environment enables urgent treatment for mental health disorders, for high risk and complex young people, through the provision of continual staff supervision. A counselling psychologist is working within the prescribed stringent levels of physical, relational and procedural security. A clinician will have to adjust to a number of challenging situations. The counselling psychologist’s specific therapeutic skills will need to cater for a different range of needs, as the range of influences on young people’s lives means that they are vulnerable to periods of disengagement from interventions. It is through the quality of the relationship formed that real progress can be made in the prevention of future offending. This can be emotionally demanding and stressful. Personal reflections regarding the integration of forensic and counselling psychology have been included, as well as reference to the factors which led to the detention of young people.
