ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the history-taking of the client to construct a formulation of the therapeutic work, using the case-study as a frame of reference. Thorough history-taking over many weeks, in addition to any psychological assessments and tools, allows the therapist to formulate the important issues in the client’s life that needs to be addressed in therapy. The assessment, being trauma-informed, focuses on what issues to look for in the client’s history to get an understanding of their modus operandi in the potential offending behaviour. In the case study, the client’s first antagonistic response to the therapist is discussed in supervision. The client uses attack as the best form of defence, a pattern he developed to cope with his own childhood abuse, which makes it a challenging process for the therapist in the light of his violent history. For the first time this offender has found someone who wanted to listen to his own victimisation, rather than focusing on his victims and his offending behaviour. It was this process that opened up the person’s willingness to change.
