Mandated Clients Research Articles

Synchronous Online Cognitive-Behavioral Group Intervention: 12-month Evaluation for Substance Use Mandated Clients

Far less prevalent in intervention research for justice involved or other mandated clients is the advent of synchronous online cognitive-behavioral group intervention (SOC-BGI). Purpose: The purpose of the study was to provide an effectiveness-oriented evaluation regarding the feasibility of SOC-BGI facilitated by licensed clinical social workers. Method: The study used a pre-experimental design ( N = 41) with four observations including a 12-month follow-up. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate longitudinal comparisons. Results: On the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Contemplation subscale, from Baseline to posttest, the participants had a significant improvement ( p = .004) and a moderate Hedge’s g effect size of -.54. From baseline to 12-month follow-up, there was a significant reduction in self-reported Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5 substance use symptoms ( t = 4.68, df = 29, p < .001) and a large effect (Hedges’ g = .84). Discussion: Study applications, limitations, and strengths are discussed.

On the Two-sided Assessment of the Working Alliance: Development of the Working Alliance of Mandated Clients Inventory

ABSTRACT This study presents the development of the Working Alliance of Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMCI). The goal of the WAMCI is to measure positive and negative factors of the working alliance from two perspectives: the probationer and the probation officer (PO) in the Dutch context. Data from 302 probationers and 267 POs of all three probation services in the Netherlands were used. Based on two existing and validated instruments and with the addition of supplemental items specific for the Dutch probation context, this new inventory was developed to capture the Dutch and European practice. An initial psychometric evaluation was conducted with this new inventory. A principal components analysis and a structural equation analysis led to a four-factor solution that provided the best fit for the PO and the probationer versions of the WAMCI. The internal consistency of the established scales Trust, Bond and Goal-Restrictions was sufficient, but the internal consistency of the established scale Reactance was not satisfactory. The construct validity of the WAMCI was supported by correlations with other constructs. Higher scores on the WAMCI were related to higher scores on general relationship satisfaction. The Goals-Restrictions subscale was moderately associated with a measure of internal motivation.

Measuring the quality of the Working Alliance in Flemish community supervision practice: A validation study of the Working Alliance for Mandated Clients Inventory

This article describes the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Working Alliance for Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMC-I). First, we explain how, in contrast to other European jurisdictions such as England and Wales, community supervision in Belgium remains a specific form of social work practice, which is referred to as “social work under judicial mandate” (Devos, 2009: 18). Just as in general social work practice, the professional relationship between practitioners and clients1 is considered to be of paramount importance in community supervision practice. To capture the essence of this professional relationship, we draw on the pan-theoretical concept of the Working Alliance (WA) (Bordin, 1979) and a theoretical adaptation of this concept for the field of community supervision (Menger, 2018). Building on this theoretical adaptation, an instrument to measure the WA was developed for the Dutch context of community supervision: the WAMC-I. The objective of the present study is to assess the psychometric properties and factor structure of the WAMC-I with a sample of justice assistants2 and clients in the Flemish Houses of Justice. This study offers an elaborated conceptualization and operationalization of the concept of the WA. Preliminary tests on the psychometric properties and factor structure of the WAMC-I show that three factors on the WAMC-I for professionals proved valid and reliable: trust, clarity of rules and regulations and reactance. However, tests on the WAMC-I for clients showed no factor solution. Based on the theoretical framework of the WA and scientific-methodological arguments we express our reservations about the use of the WAMC-I and offer suggestions for improvement.

Changes in offender-rated working alliance in probation supervision as predictors of recidivism

ABSTRACT Although the association between working alliance and outcome is a consistent finding in voluntary psychotherapy research, there is a lack of knowledge of the significance of this concept in mandated treatment. This study examined the relationship between the offender-rated working alliance and recidivism in a sample of 199 offenders mandated to community supervision. Working alliance was disentangled in trait-like and state-like components. Cox regression analysis was used. The working alliance subscales were measured by the Working Alliance with Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMCI). When controlling for crime history or risk level, the state-like change patterns of the working alliance subscale Trust predicted general and serious recidivism during the four year follow-up period. When controlling for crime history, the trait-like early alliance subscales Trust and Reactance predicted serious recidivism. These findings imply that the concept of the working alliance and specifically the facet Trust deserves more attention in the training of Probation Officers.

Predictors of Change of Working Alliance Over the Course of Probation Supervision: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The body of evidence that the working alliance is associated with positive outcomes for mandated clients is growing. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of several characteristics of probation officers (POs) and offenders on the course of the working alliance during probation supervision. This study examined the patterns on the four alliance subscales: Trust, Bond, Goals-Restrictions, and Reactance of the Working Alliance With Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMCI) in 201 offenders and their 137 POs. Three patterns on each alliance subscale were found: deteriorating, improving, and stable. Multinomial logistic analysis revealed that change of POs and the preference of the PO to maintain rules were associated with a deteriorating Trust pattern. From the perspective of the offenders, being motivated to take part in supervision was associated with a stable pattern on every alliance subscale, but having problems with substance use increased the likelihood of a deteriorating pattern on every alliance subscale.

Social Work With Groups’ Practice Ethics and Standards

Objective: The purpose of this research was to (a) learn how confident social work students were with social work with groups’ ethics and standards, (b) explore strengths and challenges, (c) examine if group work experience impacts results, and (d) discover if confidence improved when the International Association of Social Work with Groups (IASWG) Standards became required class reading. Method: Social work students ( n = 234) were given the Inventory of Foundation Competencies in Social Work with Groups (IC-SWG) at the beginning and end of 15-week group work classes. Descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, and t tests were conducted. Results: Students’ scores improved from pretest to posttest ( p = .000). They were confident in their ability to respect and highly value diversity (mean = 3.5/4) but were challenged employing special skills with and understanding dynamics of mandated clients (2.99/4). Conclusion: Incorporation of the IASWG Standards and group work experience were associated with greater competencies. The IC-SWG identified challenges that can be addressed in classrooms, field internships, and group work practice settings.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do.

Little is known about the drinking behaviors and perceptions of the peers facilitating campus alcohol interventions. The current study examined these trajectories in peer counselors ( N = 12) providing personalized normative feedback interventions to undergraduates mandated to clinical services. Peer counselors completed four monthly self-assessments. In spite of facilitating interventions to reduce drinking and associated harms, peer drinking behaviors and expectancies did not change, although significant between subjects effects suggest various trajectories. Peer counselors did correct overestimates of binge drinking but progressively underestimated abstinence norms. Despite the lack of change in the peer counselor behaviors, the mandated clients significantly reduced their drinking, suggesting it may be more important to "Do as I Say" rather than as the facilitator does.

Therapist Self-disclosure and Culturally Competent Care with Mexican–American Court Mandated Clients: A Phenomenological Study

Therapist self-disclosure (TSD) is a skill with numerous potential benefits and risks for the therapeutic alliance. While its effects have been established, little empirical research has examined the impact of TSD in cross-cultural treatment settings with court-mandated clients, a context with unique considerations. In an effort to help fill this gap, results of a phenomenological study examining the effects of TSD on Mexican–American men working with Anglo American therapists in a mandated treatment setting are presented. The results of this study indicate that TSD is a culturally competent intervention with several benefits for mandated clients, including strengthening the therapeutic alliance, normalizing client problems, lessening the therapist-client hierarchy, and modeling the acceptability of self-disclosure. Clinical and marriage and family therapy educational implications are also discussed.

From punishment to treatment: a providers’ perspective on the implementation of 2009 Rockefeller Drug Law reforms in New York

BackgroundIn 2009, New York reformed its “Rockefeller Drug Laws”, terminating mandatory imprisonment for many drug charges and expanding the availability of treatment alternatives to incarceration. The reforms occurred in an environment characterized by high incarceration rates, racial/ethnic disparities in drug convictions and incarceration rates, and expanded use of alternatives to incarceration. Early administrative data show a large impact on the criminal justice system. Few studies have considered the reforms from the providers’ perspective and none have sought to understand how providers are experiencing the reforms in their everyday practice.MethodsTo provide a providers’ perspective, we use a qualitative, case-study approach entailing in-depth interviews with drug treatment program leaders and staff in six of the leading New York City drug programs, all with extensive experience treating court-mandated clients. Our goal was to assess treatment providers’ experiences during the reforms’ first years in effect.ResultsThe providers’ reports indicate that no new administrative structures or processes have been developed to foster a changed relationship between the treatment system and the criminal justice system; that the reforms failed to establish an enhanced role for treatment providers in the courts; and that client assessment, decisions on choice of treatment modalities, and program length for mandated clients continue to be dominated by criminal justice rather than clinical concerns. The providers also report some improvements in their communications and relationships with court employees involved in court-mandated cases.ConclusionDespite some positive changes, implementation issues are potentially limiting the reforms’ ability to capitalize fully on the potential cost-savings and improvements in public health and safety that can result from the appropriate use of drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration. What appears to be occurring alongside the evolving shift from punishment to treatment under the terms of the reforms is a growing demand for treatment providers to meet the requirements of the powerful criminal justice system.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2194-7899-2-10) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Three Constructive Interventions for Divorced, Divorcing, or Never-Married Parents

Divorce in the United States affects millions of children and families. Many of these children and families seek individual/family counseling or educational services offered by counselors and, therefore, counselors need to be well-equipped to work with nontraditional families. The purpose of this article is to share three counseling techniques for use with parents undergoing separation and/or divorce. These techniques are primarily constructive and educational. They include a reframing technique for mandated clients, a reframing technique to help parents recognize the difference between their coparenting wishes and goals, and an educational problem-solving strategy for parents who struggle with their children’s postseparation/divorce behaviors. Anecdotes and case examples are used to articulate how these techniques can be used in clinical practice.

Mandated Clients and Solution-Focused Therapy: “It's Not My Miracle”

The miracle question asked in the traditional way highlights the disparity between the goals of the referring agency and the mandated client, and perhaps it also accentuates the client's perception of powerlessness. This paper demonstrates a variation of the miracle question that is designed specifically for mandated clients that bridges that disparity, engages mandated clients' participation in therapy, and enhances connections between what the clients, referring agency, and therapist each want from therapy. Creating a balance among the many influential perspectives, while giving the client's voice privilege, offers mandated clients the choice for successful therapy.

The Research-Practice Debate in a Qualitative Research Context

I was gratified to see the rebuttals to my article Does the Glove Really Fit? Qualitative Research and Clinical Social Work Practice (Padgett, 1998a). I would have been disappointed if it had not generated a response, and I welcome this opportunity to engage in a dialogue on qualitative methods and work practice. Some of my colleagues - practitioners and researchers alike - have expressed mild surprise that my cautionary tale needed to be told. What is the issue here? they ask. Isn't it obvious that qualitative research methods and work practice are two different endeavors? The critiques of Bein and Allen and of Heineman Pieper and Tyson attest to the continued advocacy of a position that I find troubling. I will address each of these responses separately and then return to my original argument and its viability in the face of these charges. Bein and Allen's rebuttal seems more focused on my characterization of work practice than on the central premise of my argument. Indeed, their final paragraph expresses agreement with my main contention regarding the need to maintain a separation between the clinical role and the role of the qualitative researcher. We are left, then, with their assertions regarding my and sanitized view of work practice. Bein and Allen state that I have equated clinical practice with outdated images of private practice. My response to this is twofold. First, they seem to have ignored my caveat acknowledging the great diversity - theoretical, individual, and regional - in models of work practice. Second, I was referring throughout to direct practice in work, with the full knowledge that this is largely agency-based (with a smaller component of private practice as well). The fact that some work practitioners work with mandated clients, with groups rather than individuals, and in naturalistic settings does not detract from the reality of work practice today. I believe that my characterization is closer to this reality than Bein and Allen's. If anything, the pressures of managed care have placed even further constraints on the type of inductive and narrative approaches they claim are widespread. I do not like the current situation any more than Bein and Allen do, but I think it is misleading to argue that clinical practice takes place primarily in client's homes or other naturalistic settings and that it is stripped of the influence of psychological theories. Although interventions and advocacy are at the heart of work practice, assisting clients with depression and other serious mental disorders requires at least some accommodation with psychiatric treatments. To neglect these treatment options would be tantamount to malpractice. Have we discarded the bio and psycho from the social dimensions of client assessment and intervention? I hope not. Much of Bein and Allen's rebuttal is more of an idealized depiction (and an exhortation) of what work practice should be rather than what it is. Relying on selective citations and anecdotal reports from their own experiences, Bein and Allen offer no convincing evidence to support their assertions. In any case, embracing a strengths- or solution-focused perspective does not diminish the importance of the clinical practice mandate. The movement in work to focus on strengths must be placed in its proper context. Client strengths make sense only when addressed a part of a problem-solving intervention. Whether you believe that the problem is biological, psychological, or in origin (or a combination of all of these etiological factors), work practice derives its raison d'etre from that fact that vulnerable people and communities need help. Otherwise, there is no need for professional assistance. Even if one were willing to accept Bein and Allen's depiction of work practice as the norm, I believe that my basic argument retains its validity. …

Perceived coercion among clients entering substance abuse treatment: structural and psychological determinants

Little is known about the extent to which admission to alcohol and other drug treatment programs is perceived as a coercive imposition. This is because coercion is typically inferred from referral source rather than measured. In this study, clients ( N = 300) entering substance abuse treatment were assessed on structural variables (sociodemographic background, criminal history, current legal status, referral source), psychological variables (personal beliefs about substance abuse, perceived interpersonal pressures), alcohol/drug use, and perceived coercion. Mandated treatment status predicted perceived coercion; however, many mandated clients did not, and many self-referrals did, report being coerced into treatment. Psychological factors accounted for additional variance in perceived coercion, controlling for referral source. Substance dependence did not add to the predictability of perceived coercion beyond structural and psychological variables. These findings are inconsistent with the notion that coercion can be inferred from referral source. Instead, results support self-determination theory ( Deci & Ryan 1985), which proposes that multiple social and psychological events promote perceived coercion by undermining personal autonomy.

Working with mandated clients: A pro-social approach

This paper outlines an approach to routine work with mandated clients using child protection as a case example. It refers to a study undertaken in corrections in Victoria which found that the use of a pro-social approach (i.e. use of skills in modelling and encouraging desirable or pro-social behaviour and challenging anti-social or pro-criminal behaviour) integrated with other casework skills led to a reduction in re-offending of 30 to 50 percent. It is pointed out that a number of research studies have found that this approach is related to improved outcomes with a range of other mandated clients. It is argued that the systematic use of rewards and encouragement and the challenging of anti-social or unacceptable comments and behaviour should be seen as one of a range of key skills in casework with mandated clients. The detail of how such an approach might be used in child protection work is discussed and some possible objections to the approach are considered.