Threateners and Complainers - A One Day Workshop by Professor Paul Mullen
Friday 26 June 2009
St Andrew's Healthcare, Northampton
One of the most common sources of referrals to mental health services, forensic or otherwise, involves requests for evaluation and advice on individuals who have made threats. At the same time, the largest amount of clinical and administrative time within mental health services is now spent responding to grievances and complaints from the vexatious litigiant. This is a growing trend not only with mental health, but also within criminal justice services.
This topical area was covered in a one day workshop, the first joint academic seminar organised by the new partnership between St Andrew's Healthcare and the Institute of Psychiatry. The workshop was led by Professor Paul Mullen, a leading academic forensic psychiatrist.
The morning seminar was devoted to 'Threats and Threateners'. This examined the relationships between threats and acts of violence, and formulating a clinical approach to assessing and managing threateners.
The afternoon seminar covered 'Complainers, Difficult Complainers and Querulant Complainers'. Referring to the research base, Professor Mullen developed a clinical picture of the querulant, outlining the role of the clinical professional in ameliorating the damage wrought by querulant behaviour.
This workshop was offered at the Institute of Psychiatry in January of this year, and generated a great deal of interest. It was of considerable interest not only to mental health professionals but also to service managers and professionals in the crimincal justice field.
Download the workshop flyer and booking form here