Papers by Rachael Wheatley
Forensic Update
The Keyworker Scheme was introduced to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to aid ... more The Keyworker Scheme was introduced to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to aid development of rehabilitative culture; promoting constructive relationships between individuals in prison and prison officers. The current research analysed eight participants’ experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three superordinate themes (and subordinate themes) were identified to understand the experiences of men in prison, which were: (a) It’s Personalised (i) Not just a prisoner, (ii) Professional line (iii) Us and Them (b); Provides support (i) Things are dealt with (ii) being heard (iii) Go out their way; (c) Depends on individual differences (i) Works better for some (ii) Staff have a massive impact (iii) Your business. Implications to help inform keyworker scheme developments are discussed.
Journal of Criminal Psychology
Purpose This discussion paper aims to highlight the role of occupational therapy (OT) in understa... more Purpose This discussion paper aims to highlight the role of occupational therapy (OT) in understanding stalking and in interventions designed to assist the perpetrator to lead a more fulfilling life through healthier occupations. Design/methodology/approach This study highlights the role of OT in understanding stalking and in designing interventions to assist the perpetrator by extending discussions, drawing on the authors’ practitioner experiences and upon recent study findings on what drives men who stalk. Findings Stalking is a problem behaviour that is often effort-intense, all-consuming, emotionally driven and psychologically damaging for both victims and perpetrators. It consists of a patterned occupation of time which is overarchingly dysfunctional, yet intrinsically purposeful. As humans, our actions and occupations have meaning to us. Stalking can be conceptualised as a meaningful yet self-defeating and harmful pattern of occupations. This paper illustrates how stalking cou...
Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 2020
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of the repertory grid method with forensi... more The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of the repertory grid method with forensic populations. Three case studies are presented, each using an adapted variation of the repertory grid method with a different forensic clients: an individual maintaining their innocence, an individual convicted of sexual offenses, and an individual convicted of stalking. An analysis of the repertory grid findings is presented for each case study, including a Principal Component Analysis and a Self-Identity Plot. This analysis of subjective meaning and idiosyncratic belief systems proves invaluable ordinarily, but particularly when working with populations who present as suspicious and guarded in research or clinical settings. Relationship and offendingrelated psychological vulnerabilities are explored, with small psychological changes documented and the use of the repertory grid approach as a clinical tool is highlighted. The findings provide a significant contribution to the field of forensic practice, by demonstrating the utility of the repertory grid method when working with forensic populations. This may, in turn, contribute to researchers' and practitioners' consideration of its use within future forensic practice.
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2020
Abstract Background A systematic review of the bespoke psychopathology features of men who stalk ... more Abstract Background A systematic review of the bespoke psychopathology features of men who stalk was necessary for informing clinical practice. The absence of such served to perpetuate conjectured links between psychopathology and stalking. Aim To systematically review and narratively synthesise published empirical work exploring the psychopathology of men who stalk. Method The PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome) model was utilised to determine the scope of the review. Key inclusion criteria were studies with men who had committed stalking offences, drawn from forensic or clinical settings, employing a non-stalking comparator group that explored psychopathology features. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) process guided this systematic review, followed by a narrative synthesis of study findings. Results The systematic review resulted in seven studies, all containing mixed gender samples (typically comprising 90% male) of individuals who had stalked. There were no published men-only comparative studies investigating psychopathology amongst those who stalk. The narrative synthesis highlighted prominent features amongst those who stalk, which were having an insecure (preoccupied) attachment style, and a Personality Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. Previous assumptions about stalkers having higher intelligence levels than other offenders, and higher prevalence of mental disorders, were challenged. Tentative conclusions were made regarding other psychopathology features. Conclusions The links between psychopathology and stalking remain empirically inconclusive. There were few confidently distinct and common psychopathology features amongst stalker samples, unsurprising given study and stalker sample heterogeneity. This systematic review recommended that with the heterogeneity of stalkers as a client group, a case formulation approach to understanding their behaviours is crucial in clinical practice. This is to avoid reliance on limited empirical findings and conjecture surrounding the psychopathology of stalkers as a group. Typology specific, evidence-based literature should underpin clinical and forensic decision-making. Further reviews may benefit from synthesising empirical evidence based on separate typologies, and differentiate between the psychopathology features of males and females who stalk.
Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 2020
ABSTRACT Research exploring the experiences of men who have stalked is lacking, specifically how ... more ABSTRACT Research exploring the experiences of men who have stalked is lacking, specifically how they construe their reality for stalking episodes. Addressing this absence of experiential expert contribution was the pivotal and timely aim of this research, given interventions for stalking are under-developed. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with men convicted of stalking and held in UK prisons. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used with a unique, visually adapted repertory grid technique, derived from Personal Construct psychology (PCP). Both methods allow the researcher to explore the sense-making of experts by experience, hence the combined methodology produced an in-depth assessment of the phenomenon of stalking. This was the first study to capture the constructed realities of men who stalk, and the first study to use repertory grids with stalkers, piloting a visually adapted repertory grid technique for maximizing engagement. High levels of convergence between participants were found, with the analysis leading to the generation of three superordinate themes: (i) Neediness, (ii) “Nothing could stop me”, and (iii) Labeling, which were broadly supported by the repertory grid analyses. The findings contribute to both knowledge and practice gaps by supporting the relational goal pursuit theory for stalking and providing an evidence base to support therapeutic interventions for people who stalk. The effectiveness of deterrence and a need to improve social awareness for stalking are discussed.
Stalking causes immeasurable psychological damage to victims, in some cases leading to physical v... more Stalking causes immeasurable psychological damage to victims, in some cases leading to physical violence. It is a prevalent behaviour with growing public awareness. Practitioners experience those who commit stalking offences as interpersonally complex, and there is a dearth of empirical literature reporting conclusively on their psychopathology, effective treatment and management, and on the idiosyncratic experiences of those who stalk. The systematic review of international literature on psychopathology features of adult males who stalk defines the scope and quality of available publications. The review highlights the relative scarcity of robust comparator research studies, and tentatively concludes on the commonality of Personality Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, and insecure attachment styles, amongst this population. The thesis research study attended to the knowledge-practice gaps regarding what drives stalking behaviours, utilising mixed methods, including a responsive met...
Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 2020
Research exploring the experiences of men who have stalked is lacking, specifically how they cons... more Research exploring the experiences of men who have stalked is lacking, specifically how they construe their reality for stalking episodes. Addressing this absence of experiential expert contribution was the pivotal and timely aim of this research, given interventions for stalking are under-developed. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with men convicted of stalking and held in UK prisons. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used with a unique, visually adapted repertory grid technique, derived from Personal Construct psychology (PCP). Both methods allow the researcher to explore the sense-making of experts by experience, hence the combined methodology produced an in-depth assessment of the phenomenon of stalking. This was the first study to capture the constructed realities of men who stalk, and the first study to use repertory grids with stalkers, piloting a visually adapted repertory grid technique for maximizing engagement. High levels of convergence between ...
The Journal of Forensic Practice
Purpose This paper outlines researcher–practitioner reflections on the use of a visually adapted ... more Purpose This paper outlines researcher–practitioner reflections on the use of a visually adapted repertory grid technique (VARGT) with men convicted of stalking. It draws on and assimilates participant experiences of the VARGT as a research engagement tool. Further, it extends discussion to propose its value as a generic engagement tool for when personal insights and collaborative case formulations may otherwise be difficult to access. Design/methodology/approach The repertory grid technique, developed from Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (1955), was adapted visually for utility in a mixed methods research study with those who commit stalking offences (Wheatley, in preparation). Analytical and reflexivity processes within this original study highlighted rich and recurrent data across the sample pertaining to the positive participant experience of the VARGT, unrelated to its core research question. Findings This paper presents reflections and psychological discussion for experience...
The Journal of Forensic Practice
Purpose This paper aims to provide instructions on how to implement an adapted version of the sta... more Purpose This paper aims to provide instructions on how to implement an adapted version of the standard repertory grid technique (VARGT). The purpose of which is to provide practitioners with a tool, which enables active engagement by participants in research and clinical practice. This tool has been used effectively with people convicted of stalking offences. Design/methodology/approach Repertory grids, developed from Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (1955), had never been used with those who stalk, either clinically or in a research context. Visual and kinaesthetic adaptations were made to standard RGT procedures (Grice, 2002; Tan and Hunter, 2002), for use in a mixed methods research study (Wheatley, 2019, p. 77) due to expected challenges in engaging with this group. This manuscript presents theoretical underpinnings and step-by-step instructions for practical application. Findings The VARGT is easy to administer and produces rich data, in both qualitative and quantitative forma...
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Papers by Rachael Wheatley