Therapeutic Milieu Research Paper

A therapeutic relationship is a key component in the nursing profession. Without therapeutic relationships, the best possible care can never be provided. The foundation in which trust is built upon is created from the nurse’s ability to truly listen and respond appropriately. Listening creates the base in developing a strong, trusting relationship. Sometimes it is simply hearing what a patient says that makes all the difference, empowering them to open up and become more comfortable with the nurse (Hawkins-Walsh, 2000).

For numerous years, prison officials applied the same type of treatment for men and women. In the last decade with the increasing number of women incarcerated, research shows that women have different physical and emotional needs. For example, women are more attached to their children that they are leaving behind, and some have histories of physical and mental abuse. The creation of two programs, Key Crest and Forever Free were created to help with women specific issues. Recent studies done by National Institute of Justice studies found that participants in these two programs stayed drug and arrest free for over three years. Participants were tested and interviewed once a year for three years. The studies also showed that the programs provided aftercare and treatment in areas that were not addressed in previous years. Even though both varied in their approach, they both recognized the many ways there were to treat the needs of women and how they differ from men. The studies also show that gender specific programs do help inmates reenter into society.

women has increased significantly, increasing at a rate double to the rate of male incarceration since 1980 (Covington & Bloom, 2006). Braithwaite, Treadwell and Arriola note that incarcerated women have historically been a forgotten population, and despite the rapid growth of the population, their needs have continued to be ignored (2005). In addition to the stigma that comes with being or having been incarcerated,

It is no secret that the United States’ criminal justice system is majorly flawed in more ways than one. We hear of all of the injustice that many civilians face on a day to day basis, which mostly surrounds the problems related to men, but what about women? Why don’t we hear about the tribulations and sufferings that our women undergo on a day to day basis within our criminal justice system? As mentioned in an article from the American Jail Association, investigation in fields ranging from subjects of general and mental health, substance abuse and addiction relating to drugs and prescriptions, and physical violence against women combined with examination and practice in the criminal justice field, have discovered that women offenders experience challenges that are not only different from their male counterparts, but also greatly influence their involvement in criminal justice systems, including jails and prisons (Ney, 2014). This information alone provides a basis to why imprisoned women should be more of a topic. This literature review will examine the several ways in which women who are incarcerated experience emotional trauma; and in some ways, abuse. My hypothesis is that most of the trauma encountered by incarcerated women majorly branches from preceding events and occurrences that happened prior to becoming imprisoned, and that they worsen as a result of improper treatment and resources within

With general lack of appropriate mental health treatment available to women in correctional treatment programs, as well to the risk of recidivism associated with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse

When individuals are sent to prison, many are forgotten, disregarded, and deemed worthy of being there. The high-stress environment is simply unlivable for many Americans and the exploitation of the prison system is used to steer many in the right direction. However, the mental health of these prisoners, especially female prisoners, is more ignored than ever. Research findings reveal the need for advocating and help to these women.

Research has identified that prison based substance abuse treatment for offenders differs greatly for males and females. Female offenders tend to have numerous triggers for their substance abuse with the research showing female offenders being significantly disadvantaged compared with male offenders when entering treatment programs (Messina, Grella, Cartier, & Torres, 2010). The following essay will summarise research conducted on the topic of substance abuse treatments for incarcerated females, looking at the research conducted by Messina et al. (2010), and how this research fits in with the available literature, and the contribution it has made to the field of research on the topic.

Due to the vast amount of women who encounter mental health and substance abuse related problems, it is something that should be considered and looked at more seriously. Mignon (2016) indicated that failing to address these issues of neglecting mental health and substance abuse afflictions of imprisoned women will result in the problems continuing following their release and could have disadvantageous effects on their lives such as joblessness, homelessness, and the potential for loss of custody of children. Priority in health for women in prisons are usually dependent on their sentencing, as in if a woman is given a life sentence, her health needs aren’t necessarily a priority in comparison to women with shorter and lesser sentences. Mignon (2016) discovered that substance abuse is a serious issue for women in correctional facilities, and that even though trauma and addition are intertwined, they are usually treated as separate complications. Mignon (2016) also mentioned that poor health and mental health services should be of special concern when it comes to elderly women in prison.

The growing rate of women in prison has spawned widespread awareness in our society; leading people to question why the percentage multiplied exponentially over the past three decades. In the past, female offenders have not only been compared to their male counterparts, but to society’s view on the role of women; the roles that labeled them as housewives and mothers. But how did these housewives and mothers go from the home to the prisons? The subject of women’s issues has sporadically been discussed in our society, and it has just recently being uncovered that women operate differently than men in situations; and those differences are now starting to effect the growth rate in the population of women in

For many Americans, there comes a time when people are in need of therapeutic services and need help finding the right treatment for them and or loved one. Often times therapy is very beneficial to people, but is not always offered with their insurance. Therapeutic services should be provided to all patients as a non-evasive treatment option because these services provide nontraditional alternatives that enhance patient care and therefore, insurance companies should cover these services.

Research has shown that a strong therapeutic alliance is necessary for establishing a beneficial contact between the therapist and the client. If the therapist does not encourage the creation of a reliable therapeutic alliance from the beginning of the treatment, it will be hard to develop a constructive relationship with the client later. Establishing the therapeutic alliance will increase the chances of achieving the goal of the treatment because the clients will be willing to cooperate if they trust and respect the therapist. Clients are not likely to cooperate with therapists who impose their authority aggressively. Instead of imposing their authority on the patient, therapists should develop work with their patients by

Milieu therapy can be applied to individuals and groups. Typically, families are involved in the planning process when considering to place their loved ones in a setting that practices Milieu therapy. This involvement occurs so that families can be inclusive with the planning and treatment services as well as formulating a discharge plan when considering the appropriate next levels of care.

Mental illness accounts for six to nine percent of emergency room visits in the United State (Zeller, Calma & Stone, 2014). Working in an emergency room this author has seen what boarding in the emergency room and not having a therapeutic environment can do to a pscyharitic patient. Having a therapeutic environment would be having more than just a bed in a room with a television that is behind a screen. Patients state that having a nontherapeutic environment is like being in a jail cell (McKellar, 2015). The environment that the patient his in has to do with his or her experience of recovery and healing process (Donald, Duff, Lee, Kroschel, & Kulkarni, 2015). Patients are sometimes staying as long as seven days in the emergency room waiting for an inpatient bed to become available (Vierheller & Denton, 2014). Having patient that can be boarding up to seven days it is crucial that the environment that the patient is in is therapeutic so the patient could possibly start his or her healing process in the emergency room, and possibly prevent an inpatient hospitalization.

Family therapy What is family therapy? Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that is done to minimize the stress and incompatibility by upgrading the type of communication among the family members. It is designed to locate the problems and factors that are affecting the overall functioning of the family. It can be used with the families who are going through a difficult period of time, major transition or any mental or behavioral problem with the family members.

As you stated a therapeutic environment is different for each patient. Most of the psychiatric patients like having a television in the room, this way it gives the patient something to do while he or she is waiting for psychiatric bed to become available. The televisions that we have are behind a screen high up on the wall, and the patient only gets the remote control if we as the nurse feel that they will be safe with it.