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Building a therapeutic relationship between probation officers and probationers with serious mental illnesses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2020

Matthew W. Epperson Open the ORCID record for Matthew W. Epperson [Opens in a new window] ,
Leon Sawh  and
Sophia P. Sarantakos
Matthew W. Epperson*
Affiliation:
School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Leon Sawh
Affiliation:
School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Sophia P. Sarantakos
Affiliation:
School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: M. W. Epperson, Associate Professor, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, 969 East 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637, USA. (Email: mepperson@uchicago.edu)
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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to engage in a collaborative process with a variety of stakeholders to develop the Brief Intervention to Promote Service Engagement (BIPSE), which aims to enhance the therapeutic relationship between probation officers and probationers with serious mental illnesses (SMI).

Methods

The BIPSE intervention was developed through a multistage “design for implementation” process, including a series of stakeholder meetings, observations of probation supervision sessions, incorporating existing intervention approaches, and workshopping initial BIPSE components with three randomly selected officers from a specialized mental health probation unit. Acceptability and feasibility of BIPSE components were assessed through focus groups with probation officers, additional observations of probation sessions, and qualitative interviews with probationers with SMI.

Results

Two foundational components of the BIPSE intervention were identified during the stakeholder meetings and observations: (1) engagement and (2) shared decision-making. These two components inform and undergird the intervention’s third component, strategic case management. During focus groups, probation officers expressed interest in using the modified tools they were given and also saw the benefit of structuring their sessions. Probationers expressed their appreciation for the caring and collaborative nature with which their probation officers approached their sessions.

Conclusion

Building a therapeutic relationship between probation officers and probationers with SMI is an essential task toward improving mental health and criminal justice outcomes. The BIPSE development and refinement process demonstrates that interventions targeting the therapeutic relationship are acceptable to officers and clients, and can be tailored and feasibly structured into standard probation practices.

Keywords

Engagementinterventionprobationserious mental illnessshared decision-makingtherapeutic relationship
Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 723 - 733
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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