Editorial

We hope that when you receive this issue of the International Journal of Forensic Psychotherapy, our planet will have begun to recover from the global trauma of the pandemic and that you and yours are recovering from the innumerable ways it will have affected you all personally. The preparation of this issue was in full swing when the world went into lockdown, and although the contents of the articles agreed beforehand did not alter, we think you will find their meanings imbibed with further associations. It is not only a virus that is contagious. In the words of the late Leslie Sohn, “Be careful, certain mental disorders can be highly contagious”. In other words, states of mind can be “caught” by one person from another. This is especially apparent at times of great stress and worry.

The emphasis during this unravelling pandemic has, of course, been on physical health, with extraordinary systems in place globally to reduce the “R” factor and manage the reality of a surge in serious physical illness and deaths. Whilst those of us working in the various mental health settings are familiar with mental health not having parity of esteem with physical health, perhaps the unbelievably huge psychological impact of this global disaster will provide an opportunity for mental health issues to be considered equally to those of physical health. They are both inevitably intertwined and never has this been more obvious than now.

Those of us working from various disciplines and within different modalities of psychotherapies take for granted the usefulness of expressing verbally or creatively the feelings that lie behind fantasies, dreams, memories, and thoughts; that we can help ourselves and others to stay with difficult feelings and reduce the likelihood of resorting to denial, disavowal, splitting and projecting, and therefore acting out. During the time of this global crisis, all people are asked to socially distance from outside of their homes, meaning there is a surge of phys