The use of psychological interventions in tertiary prevention programs for individuals engaged in violent extremism: a scoping review and interviews

Abstract

Abstract Psychological interventions are used as part of tertiary countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts throughout the world, but it remains unclear the type of psychological treatments commonly used as part of such interventions. This study combines a scoping literature review with interviews to identify and describe the type of psychological treatments used, as well as their structure, and implementation. The scoping review identified 34 tertiary prevention programs that include a psychological intervention spanning 22 countries. Additionally, 18 interviews with mental health providers and other practitioners directly involved in delivering tertiary prevention programs allowed us to complement the results of the literature review.

Keywords

• Terrorism
• Extremism
• Deradicalization
• Reintegration
• Tertiary Interventions
• Psychological Intervention