Promoting cognitive complexity in corrections practice: Clinical supervision processes with psychotherapist trainees

Practicing psychotherapy with inmates in correctional settings is challenging. Psychotherapists may be asked to address multiple treatment targets including severe mental illness and disruptive behaviors, alongside other recidivism-related factors such as substance abuse, criminal thinking errors, and deviant peer networks. In addition, the practice occurs with the secure confines of the correctional facility where an appreciation of culture, including cultures of staff from nonpsychology disciplines, is paramount. These are just a few of the factors highlighting the importance of sound clinical supervision. Unfortunately, clinical supervision processes in this realm have not been systematically explored. Using the therapist's cognitive complexity model elucidated by Owen and Lindley (2010), two clinical supervision processes are described. Each demonstrates an opportunity for psychotherapist trainees to build cognitive complexity into their correctional psychotherapy practices and repertoire. With supervisor-led framework development, better student engagement with corrections practice and higher quality psychological services for inmates may emerge.