The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities Research & Development Group is hosting a research afternoon focusing on therapeutic communities (TC) and enabling environments (EE).  Come and hear about ongoing and recently completed research, discuss ideas, contribute suggestions.  The afternoon is free and open to all with an interest in TC and EE research.

Date: 26 September 2013

Time: 12:30pm (lunch and refreshment) for 1-4pm

Location: Community of Communities offices at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London

Confirmed presenters include:
Robin Johnson and Peter Cockersell
Robin Johnson and Peter Cockersell will outline recent progress in the application of Enabling Environments thinking in UK homelessness resettlement services ( hostels, refuges, night shelters, foyers) - where it goes by the name of "Psychologically Informed Environments" (note that, by contrast to parallel developments in Criminal Justice, the "planned" in a "PIPE" is dropped, in order to accentuate continuous evolution.)

Official guidance recommending adoption of the PIE approach specifically commends "evidence-generating practice"; yet the stress in PIEs on reflective practice already begins to echo earlier debates in the TC movement over highly specified definitions of the TC, versus encouragement of a less teleological "culture of inquiry".

Elizabeth Bickford-Smith and Megan Wingfield
Elizabeth Bickford-Smith will present on her recently published paper in the Mental Health Review Journal about evaluating the usefulness of the step-down group run for members who have completed 18 months at Winterbourne House, Reading.  In conjunction with Elizabeth, Megan Wingfield will discuss a paper the support system at Winterbourne House.

Zoneera Akther
Zoneera Akther will be presenting her MSc thesis findings from the only prison-based DTC for female offenders.  Her thesis title is: An Exploratory Study of the Effectiveness of a Democratic Therapeutic Community for Female Offenders.

Jenelle Clarke
Jenelle Clarke will present an ongoing doctoral research project that explores everyday social encounters within TCs as an opportunity for social learning and the potential to experience positive change. The study adopts ritual theory as first suggested by Mead, Durkheim and Goffman, to address how, and to what extent, individuals use social interactions to facilitate self-transformation. These everyday interaction rituals are where social norms, social capital and power dynamics between clients and staff members are both explained and lived out.  The research utilises narrative ethnography involving participant observation of two therapeutic communities coupled with in-depth narrative interviews.

Nick Manning will provide concluding comments and discussion.

If you would like more information or to book a slot, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..