Background: The number of justice-involved women in Canada is rising, yet little is known about the mental health journeys of women on probation and parole. Using a qualitative research design, we explored this population’s psychological service use experiences. Our two research objectives were 1) to understand the types of mental health services accessed, factors shaping service use, service content and modality preferences, and coping strategies among women on probation and parole, and 2) to explore the impacts of criminal legal involvement on participants’ mental health and decisions to (not) access psychological support. We sought to understand how intersecting identities, particularly gender and parenting status, shaped women’s experiences.
Method: Women on probation and parole in Canada were asked to complete a 30-minute online survey in Qualtrics, which included questions about their demographics and psychological service use. In total, nine women completed the survey. Quantitative data concerning service use were analyzed descriptively, while responses to open-ended questions were analyzed by two researchers using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results: All participants reported accessing mental health services in the past year, with the most common supports being therapists, psychologists, family doctors, and Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers. Although many participants were mandated to receive treatment as part of their sentence or by Child and Family Services, nearly half of our participants believed that seeking psychological support would be helpful. We developed three main themes from the qualitative analysis: Complex impacts of criminal legal involvement on well-being (subthemes: “Back on track,” “Availability and wait lists,” “Just surviving,” and “I do not like having my name in the system”), Forming help-seeking intentions (subthemes: “Face the problems,” “It is not really my decision,” “Finding the right person,” and “I want to get my life back”), and Caring for my well-being (subthemes: Self-care, “Keeping busy with programs”). Discussion & Implications: Findings may guide correctional officers in collaboratively developing treatment plans that meet their clients’ needs and preferences. Women in our sample described long wait times and limited transportation as impeding service use, which suggests a need for greater and more accessible psychological services within the community and during incarceration.