Our work·Evidence and evaluation
Some sessions changed lives. Some did not. Nobody knew why.
With the University of Plymouth, for Plymouth Crown Court Service: a conversation analysis study of the problem-solving sessions held during court procedures, and whether they surface the wider life concerns that lead people to reoffend.
Problem solving in court. Research and dissemination consultancy.
What happened, and what came of it.
Many people repeatedly offend for petty offences, minor theft or drug-related, and often face extreme life challenges. Adding a session to identify those challenges and signpost people to support made sense.
But some sessions were far more helpful than others, and beyond the idea, nobody knew what actually made the difference.
Data was collected by an experienced team at the University of Plymouth. We brought in specialist support to finalise the analysis, then transformed the learning into accessible workshops.
The training ran with police and charity workers, with guidance on how best to interact and manage the challenges that come up in these sessions.
A worked example of research-based learning turned into training the professionals involved could use.
The published record
1 peer-reviewed paper.
The work behind this project, in the journals that reviewed it. Each one carries its DOI, so you can read it rather than take our word for it.
More of the work
Related cases.
A selection from the same strand. The wider archive is on the our work page.
From the same strand
Dorset Whole Schools Approach
Dorset Public Health
A county-wide evaluation of the Whole Schools Approach innovation funding strategy taken by Dorset Public Health. A full-scale evaluation process, a learning guide, and a regional webinar delivered back to every stakeholder, so the learning stayed in the county.
Risk communication in neurology
NIHR and the University of Exeter
An 18-month NIHR-funded project with the University of Exeter, exploring how clinicians and people with epilepsy talk about risk in NHS clinics. It applies conversation analysis, a specialist method for revealing how communication actually works, to show how different phrasings change what a patient hears.
SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist
SUDEP Action and the checklist development group
A free, evidence-based tool that helps UK clinicians hold a real conversation about epilepsy risk in the clinic. Craig sits on the Adult Checklist Development Group, and our research team published the case-control validation of the risk factors it asks about, and the studies of what happens when clinicians actually use it.
Start the conversation
Something like this on your desk?
Tell us what you are trying to land and we will say honestly whether we have done something close to it before, and what we would formulate first.
30 minutes · Senior psychologist · No preparation needed