Self-harm in women's secure services: Reflections and strategies for treatment design

I was asked to contribute to this text due to my recent experience of helping to develop and implement a model of care for a new medium secure and enhanced medium secure service for women at Arnold Lodge, a regional secure hospital. My task within the forensic psychology service was to pay attention to the need for gender sensitivity and to recommend and implement a long-term psychological treatment strategy that acknowledges the risks, needs and `responsivity' of an often marginalised patient group. These include the need for these women to receive adequate care and understanding in relation to their behaviour, including self-harm.