Thinking or acting: Physical aggression in a therapeutic community: How best to manage it?

© Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of a rare phenomenon of physical aggression in a Therapeutic Community (TC) and the clinical results of its management.Design/methodology/approach - The case vignette illustrates the psychodynamic and socio-therapy elements of the treatment model worked within the service prior to, during and after the incident. The information demonstrates how the TC model finds significant value in the living-learning experience that is possible in physical aggression and its management.Findings - The dynamic administration at the interface between TC with preparation groups has a potential pitfall which might increases the risk of aggression in TC.Originality/value - It is an original study focusing on the interface between new notion of preparation groups and TC following a case of Physical aggression. Physical aggression is a rare incident in TCs and there are very limited literature about it. The paper has a distinctive feature of being prepared in collaboration with TC service users.