Miss Rachel Binns1,2, Dr Ashley Batastini1,2, Dr Michael Daffern1,2
1Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Melbourne, Australia, 2Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Rachel Binns is a Doctoral Candidate in the Clinical and Forensic Psychology program at Swinburne University. Throughout her undergraduate training in her homeland of Canada, Rachel won several awards for her research. Rachel is currently examining how trauma-informed practices can enhance the validity of forensic assessments. She is particularly focusing on the comparison of psychometric characteristics of in-person versus online assessments.
Abstract:
Trauma-informed care (TIC) has proliferated in health care contexts since the early 2000s; however, its adoption within forensic mental health services has been comparatively slower. Only recently have scholars in the field begun to discuss the relevance of taking a trauma-informed approach to conducting forensic assessments. TIC integrates knowledge regarding the widespread effects of trauma into organisational procedures and policies to foster an environment where individuals feel safer, more respected, and understood. Central to creating a psychologically and physically safe environment is the need to recognize symptoms of trauma, have an awareness about the diverse impacts of trauma, reduce the risk of re-traumatisation, and establish trusting relationships. Given the high prevalence of exposure to traumatic events and adverse experiences among forensic populations, these components are arguably crucial to conducting valid forensic assessments. This presentation will discuss the application of TIC to forensic mental health assessments, focusing on existing practice recommendations, professional and ethical challenges, limitations in the literature, and how the field can better refine our implementation of TIC in the forensic context. Within this discussion, participants will also learn about basic TIC strategies that can be used during an evaluation and how TIC differs from trauma focused therapy, which centers on treating an individual’s post-traumatic symptoms. Despite the need for more work in this area, implementing TIC in forensic assessments has the potential to enhance the accuracy and impact of these evaluations on legal outcomes and the quality of care provided to individuals within the criminal justice system.