Book review: Trust and Change: Thinking Points on Therapeutic Communities
| Author | Francis B Cowe |
| Published date | 01 March 2020 |
| Date | 01 March 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0264550520908154 |
| Subject Matter | Book review |
Book review
Book review
Trust and Change: Thinking Points on Therapeutic
Communities
Judy Mackenzie and Rosemary Anthony
Waterside Press; 2018, pp. 153; £16.5; pbk
ISBN: 978-1-909976-58-0
Reviewed by: Francis B Cowe, University of South Wales, UK
This is a welcome edition that sits alongside an existing canon of research, policy,
and guidance manuals on therapeutic communities (TCs). The authors share their
lived experience of working in TCs. The book is neither a ‘how-to’ nor a summary of
research findings, it is a refreshing, well-structured text, designed to share wisdom
derived from practice and provoke questions, personal reflections and improve
policy and practice. The work is structured around 10 chapters with helpful intro-
duction and scene-setting. The reader is signposted throughout to a range of in-
depth resources from textbooks to films and literature. The book targets the person
who is open to learn and reflect and who in time will build their own personal
resources and supports – each chapter concludes with summary and reflection
points, written up in a structured and accessible way.
Chapter 1 provides a clear introduction to the bedrock of all TCs; the community
meeting. For seasoned professionals and those new to the field, we are reminded of
the role and function of these for all staff and residents.Process, purpose,content, and
form are exploredalongside the prerequisite of gettingto know residents and yourself.
The community meeting is set alongside the staff meetingwith gentle reminders to self
about the rangeof viewpoints and standpointsthat both silence and contribution add.
Chapter 2 exploresthe four pillars of a TC; democratisation,tolerance, communality,
and realityconfrontation are consideredin relation to both staff-to-resident andstaff-to-
staff dynamics including the wider relationship with the hostregime.
Chapter 3 is central to the text and to the reader’s ability to engage with and
benefit from the purpose of this work. It focuses on a culture of enquiry and how
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2020, Vol. 67(1) 74–76
ªThe Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0264550520908154
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