Therapeutic Assessment of a Violent Criminal Offender: Managing the Cultural Narrative of Evil

Therapeutic Assessment (TA) emphasizes the importance of the clinical relationship and the core values of collaboration, respect, humility, compassion, and curiosity, which guide all aspects of the endeavor (Finn, 2007 Finn, S. E. (2007). In our clients' shoes: Theory and techniques of Therapeutic Assessment. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Google Scholar]). Those values are not easy to apply with violent offenders. However, this article explains how TA can significantly contribute to the treatment of those clients by helping the therapist avoid common cultural narratives about evil. We see that these culturally based myths permit us to explain violent behaviors, but also prevent us from treating them because they lead us to a circular countertransference–transference process. Through a clinical case, I show how the TA process can help us to work empathically with violent people while addressing the dangerousness effectively.