Understanding the

Psychological Dynamics of

Women and Reentry

Patricia Millar, PhD

CoachThink

Fellow, Institute of Social Innovation

Fielding Graduate University

Gender-Specific Reentry Conference

February 4, 2014

Gender-Informed Policy & Practice

There are gender-based differences in the …

◦ Type of offense

◦ Pathway into crime

◦ Background experience

◦ Threat of violence across settings

Females are more likely to …

◦ Have victimization, substance abuse, and mental illness

as part of their life history

◦ Be socially and economically marginalized

◦ Experience relationship difficulties and invest effort

toward resolving them

Patricia Millar, PhD

She is devoted to reducing the negative effects of trauma and is an

advocate of trauma-informed care. As a trauma survivor and

developmental psychologist, Patti is trained in strengths-based change,

emotional self-regulation, post-traumatic stress, and attachment.

As a coach and educator, Patti helps people to plan tough transitions,

try new approaches, and achieve important outcomes. She works with

clients to increase resilience and rebuild relationships. Her clients come

to appreciate their own personal strengths and style as they take up

new identities and navigate unfamiliar social settings.

Dr. Millar helps people who are moving on

from relationships and social settings

characterized by control, coercion, abuse,

fear and violence—including DV survivors,

formerly incarcerated women, and people

rebuilding their lives after a “cult” experience.

www.CoachThink.compatti@CoachThink.com

How are reentry women similar to people that I’ve worked with and

studied? My research participants—domestic violence survivors and

people leaving “cultic” groups—have also gone through a difficult life

transition that involves leaving and reentry.

These findings cut across groups:

◦ Histories include neglect, victimization, exposure to

drugs/sex/violence.

◦ Populations tend to have higher levels of complex developmental

trauma, along with co-occurring conditions like mental illness and

substance abuse

◦ All three groups are going through “reentry.” Many are entering new,

unfamiliar contexts for the first time (e.g., school, employment, new

expectations, unfamiliar roles)

4

“Reentry” Populations?

Similar developmental opportunities in all three groups:

Lack self-esteem and a sense of self-efficacy

Trust is an issue, insufficient communication skills

Inadequately developed self-regulation, self-care, positive coping

Difficulties with interpersonal attachments and intimacy

Reality testing—need to develop realistic appraisal, planning, and

problem-solving skills

Difficulties discerning the difference between love versus “use-based”

relationships, may not expect to be treated respectfully

Lack of adequate or “good enough” parents or parental role models

Positive social support networks need to be developed

Not “ready” to take on the practical demands of everyday adult life

High levels of poverty, lack of education, job skills, and job experience

5

Cross-cutting Issues

• Women in all three groups have experienced themselves

as socially and economically marginalized—deemed

insignificant

• Women are aware of relationship challenges, e.g., family

reunification; gender roles in intimate relationships—but

they are ill-prepared to resolve these during reentry

• Social support systems in general are lacking, as is

practical support

• Many obstacles exist; these are real, not abstract

• Reentry women experience a general lack of clarity /

actionable plan to take on the overwhelming task of

“moving on” and “moving forward”

6

Disadvantaged and Distressed

Focus of My Research & Practice

Difficult life transitions

Positive adult development

Post-Traumatic Growth

Identity Distress

Psycho-social view of the person-in-context

These areas of expertise appear relevant to all three

populations: DV survivors, reentry citizens, and people

leaving “cultic” groups

How do people undertaking a difficult transition

into a new social context learn, grow, and thrive?

What Level of Change?

How does empowerment work in a system of control and punishment?

Systems within systems, each needing adaptation and alignment

Where is there readiness for change?

Psychological

Involves internal

representations,

reflection & learning

• Depends upon being honest with

yourself

• Willing to learn and consider a

different possibility

Relational

Requires engaged

interaction

• Involves developed skill

• Requires being seen, seeing the other,

and discernment

• Intention and action produce learning

Socio-

Cultural

Creates an

environment that

facilitates growth

• Assumes people can develop and grow

• Assumptions are embodied in policy

and law

• Funding / programs aligned to

development agenda

Evidence at Multiple Levels

Psychological Relational Cultural

Awareness Recognition Caring

Self-Esteem Respect Opportunities

Individuation Connection Community

A systems perspective is concerned with noticing alignment and

interdependence between all levels of the living system.

Today, our focus in on the individual, on psychology.

What are the psycho-social dynamics of women during reentry?

Will the same knowledge, skills & attitudes that enabled them to survive

before prison and in prison enable them to flourish outside??

How does empowerment work during incarceration and supervision?

What does successful reentry look like?

Internal Resources External Resources

What Creates

Resilience?

Education / Training

Safe Housing

Drug Treatment

Mental Health Support

Welfare Benefits

Transportation Funds

Job Assistance

Transition Plan

Able to Reach Out

Connect & Get Help

Form Attachments

Personality, Optimism

Positive Self-Regard

Transition Plan

Relational ResourcesFamily / Social Support

Friendships

People Who Believe in Me

Mattering & Belonging

Reunification w. Children

Positive New Identity

Ten Skills that Increase Resilience

1. Able to communicate well and solve problems, individually and with others.

Connected.

2. Able to adjust emotionally and try something new, able to let go of rigid

thinking. Flexible.

3. Able to make realistic plans and take action to carry them out. Proactive.

4. Able to manage strong feelings, recognize and express them. Being able to

self-regulate.

5. To confront fear and anxiety, people need positive self-regard. Being self-

confident.

6. Able to find purpose and meaning. Make sense out of what is happening.

Act on your own values and beliefs.

7. See the big picture. Hold yourself and others accountable, but avoid the

blame game. Believe change is possible.

8. Able to appreciate humor and use it appropriately.

9. Self-care. Able to invest energy in activities to create health and wellbeing,

that are in your own best interest.

10. Being able to care for others, both physically and emotionally.

Adapted from “Ten Skills and Attitudes that can Increase Resistance,” posted by the Ability Coach,

Ron Breazeale, at www.abilitycoach.com

Post Traumatic Growth

“Positive psychological change

experienced as a result of the struggle

with highly challenging life circumstances”

L. Calhoun & R. Tedeschi

Post-Traumatic Growth

New Possibilities◦ Making choices in a more conscious manner according to a plan

◦ More likely to change things that need changing

Relating to Others◦ Developing stronger bonds with loved ones, reestablishing relationships

◦ Gaining compassion, especially those who suffered in similar situations

Personal Strength◦ Expressing greater self-reliance

◦ Feeling more able to accept how things turn out

Spiritual Change◦ Reevaluating spiritual beliefs or joining a new faith community

Appreciation of Life◦ Trying to live each day more fully

◦ Rethinking values and ideas about what is most important

Survey can be found on the APA website at http://cust-cf.apa.org/ptgi/

Thirty-nine different studies documenting positive change following

trauma and adversity were reviewed

The review revealed inconsistent associations between adversarial

growth and socio-demographic variables (gender, age, education,

and income)

Also inconsistent associations with psychological distress variables

(e.g., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder)

These factors were consistently associated with adversarial growth:

◦ cognitive appraisal variables (threat, harm, and controllability)

◦ problem-focused cognitive processing

◦ acceptance and positive reinterpretation coping

◦ Religion, finding meaning and purpose

◦ optimism, positive affect

The evidence showed that people who reported adversarial growth

over time experienced decreased stress levels later in life

Growth after Adversity

What do reentry women need?

What? How? Why?

Qualities

Skills

Knowledge

Actions

Support

Relationships

Motivators

Purpose

Passion

People in transition have needs

• Practical

• Relational

• Professional / performance

• Social / community

How do women describe leaving prison and

developing an identity outside the group?

What helped or hindered them to find a place in

society?

Questions

16

How can we help?

How do we know we are

successful?

What indicators of success are

most relevant to each of us?

To the women themselves?

ReferencesArditti, J. A., & Parkman, T. (2011). Young men's reentry after incarceration: A developmental

paradox. Family Relations, 60(2), 205-220.

Baer, J., & Maschi, T. (2003). Random Acts of Delinquency: Trauma and Self-Destructiveness in

Juvenile Offenders. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 20(2), 85-98.

Bloom, B., Owen, B., & Covington, S. (2004). Women offenders and the gendered effects of

public policy. Review of Policy Research, 21(1), 31-48.

Brown, M., & Bloom, B. (2009). Reentry and renegotiating motherhood: Maternal identity

and success on parole. Crime & Deliquency, 55(2), 313-336.

Kelman, H. C. (2006). Interests, relationships, identities: Three central issues for individuals

and groups in negotiating their social environment. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 1-26.

Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2004). Positive change following trauma and adversity: A review.

Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17(1), 11-21.

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the

positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455-471.

Wright, E. M., DeHart, D. D., Koons-Witt, B. A., & Crittenden, C. A. (2013). ‘Buffers’ against

crime? Exploring the roles and limitations of positive relationships among women in

prison. Punishment & Society, 15(1), 71-95.

Wright, E. M., Voorhis, P. V., Salisbury, E. J., & Bauman, A. (2012). Gender-responsive lessons

learned and policy implications for women in prison: A review. Criminal Justice and

Behavior, 39(12), 1612-1632.

Patricia Millar, PhD

She is devoted to reducing the negative effects of trauma and is an

advocate of trauma-informed care. As a trauma survivor and

developmental psychologist, Patti is trained in strengths-based change,

emotional self-regulation, post-traumatic stress, and attachment.

As a coach and educator, Patti helps people to plan tough transitions,

try new approaches, and achieve important outcomes. She works with

clients to increase resilience and rebuild relationships. Her clients come

to appreciate their own personal strengths and style as they take up

new identities and navigate unfamiliar social settings.

Dr. Millar helps people who are moving on

from relationships and social settings

characterized by control, coercion, abuse,

fear and violence—including DV survivors,

formerly incarcerated women, and people

rebuilding their lives after a “cult” experience.

www.CoachThink.compatti@CoachThink.com

BACKUP SLIDES

Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective

Various disciplines explore the mind and its

ability to process information and regulate the

function of the individual in adapting to the

environment.

They consider the mind to emerge from and

also to regulate the self and the physiological

processes from which it emerges.

Daniel J. Siegel, 2002, p. 90

Siegel, D. J. (2002). The developing mind and the resolution of trauma: Some ideas about information processing and an interpersonal neurobiology of psychotherapy. In F. Shapiro (Ed.), EMDR as an integrative psychotherapy approach: Experts of diverse orientations explore the paradigm prism (pp. 85-121). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Rationale for the Study of Trauma

“Childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, is

probably our nation’s single most important public

health challenge” (van der Kolk, 2005, p. 401)

% reporting Type of Adverse Childhood Experience

11% Emotional abuse

30.1% Physical abuse

19.9% Sexual abuse

23.5% Exposure to family alcohol abuse

18.8% Exposure to mental illness

12.5% Witness mothers being battered

4.9% Family drug abuse

In the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study by Kaiser Permanente and

the Center for Disease Control, 17,337 adult HMO members responded to a

questionnaire about adverse childhood experiences, including abuse, neglect,

and family dysfunction (van der Kolk, 2005, p. 402)

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

DISORDER

• Those who physically experience

the sensory realities of

overwhelming life experiences are

at greatest risk

• Quality of life is compromised as

people exist in a state of fear,

aggression or anxiety long after the

originating stressor has become

part of the distant past

• The bimodal nature of the PTSD

response includes hyper-reactivity

and hyper-arousal co-existing with

numbing, avoidance, and amnesia.

COMPLEX DEVELOPMENTAL

TRAUMA

Affective

Somatic

Behavioral

Cognitive

Relational

Self-Attribution

Persistently altered attributions and

expectancies, e.g., distrust protective

caretaker, loss of trust in social agencies

to protect; negative self-attribution; loss

of expectancy of protection by others;

inevitability of future victimization

Symptom Constellations

These adaptive responses are a normal way of coping with

overwhelming traumatic stressors that threaten survival

Integrative Recovery Framework

Body – structureBehavior – patternBecoming – process

Narrative Social

MentalEmotional

Somatic

Breathing, body awareness, HPA axis

Influence autonomic processes

Cognition

Consciousness

Agency

Challenge

Assumptions

Restructure belief

systems

Compassion

Self-awareness

Notice how it

shows up

Mindfulness

Checking-in, not

out

Integration & coherence

Life story – “rut or river”

Making sense of fragments

Stabilize the nervous system

Restore natural resiliency a

Connecting & relating

Situating self in a relational

web, a network of resources

Figure 1. SENSM Model™ – A Systems View of Trauma Recovery

• Recovery work can be seen as an interactive pattern of activities involving the somatic,

emotional, mental, and social domains, reinforced by the creation of an evolving life narrative.

• Premises underlying the conceptual framework include:

• people can become aware of unconscious, embodied learning

• from a state of mindful awareness, people self-regulate with greater competence

• immediate experience is influenced by the stories we tell ourselves and others

• social supports are a necessary component of healthy functioning

• self-efficacy is fundamental to health and well-being

Millar 2008

Pathways to Success

A lot of us, we want to know that somebody cares about us,

that we mean something to somebody. ~ Janey Batiste

Life might still feel like a series of dead ends if it hadn't been for the love of

a foster mother. That relationship motivated her to overcome the odds.

She stopped disappearing for days and earned a high school diploma. She

took classes that teach skills like applying for a job, grocery shopping and

finding child care. Now she is using the extension of foster care to chart a

course to adulthood.

Some youths receive a monthly stipend to live independently. Others

remain in foster homes or transitional housing. They are required to meet

regularly with a social worker who is supposed to act more like a coach

than a case manager.

They learn how to make important life decisions about everything from

household budgeting to applying to schools to living with roommates.

Fostering Connections to Success – program and policy solutions

Build Capacity to Relate Productively

Listen for understanding

Acknowledge and validate

Set and maintain boundaries to create safety

Share stories from the heart to build connection

Be curious

Imagine the other’s perspective

Question assumptions and be willing to change

your own beliefs and perspectives

People want better outcomes but they feel disconnected and in conflict

Often one party initiates contact and invites other parties to engage

People begin to truly see and hear each other

Sense of self in the relationship is diminished and must be restored

People doubt resolution is possible or don’t know how to proceed

People begin to express true feelings and genuine regard

Someone decides to engage—either with a party to the conflict or with someone who can help

People say what they want and believe is possible

People agree on plans and ways to implement them

As people stay open and avoid judging, communication becomes possible

Different perspectives are explored and understood

New skills are incorporated into day-to-day interactions

Recognize Empower Act Learn

R-E-A-L: A Model for Building Relationship and Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Millar 2013