Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR)

What is MHTR?

• An MHTR is an option for your sentence if you have mental health difficulties. This can include anxiety or depression.
• You do not have to have seen a doctor for this or be diagnosed.
• An MHTR would be part of a community or suspended sentence. This means to get a MHTR your crime must fall within this range.
• People on an MHTR would get around 12 sessions with a mental health practitioner where you can talk about ways to help your mental health.
• This might include relaxation, mindfulness, noticing thoughts and how these are linked to what you feel.
• There are similar options for drugs and alcohol - called a ‘Drug Rehabilitation Requirement’ (DRR) or ‘Alcohol Treatment Requirement’ (ATR). 
• You can get an MHTR and one for drugs or alcohol.

Can I get a MHTR?

An MHTR might be right for you if:

• You are over 18 years old
• You have anxiety or depression or another mental health problem
• You are happy to have sessions
• You agree to do the MHTR
• The judge in court agrees

The steps to getting a MHTR

Referral in

• Probation or Liaison and Diversion speaks with the MHTR team.
• Then you are assessed to decide if MHTR will speak to you.

MHTR assessment

• MHTR will come to have a conversation with you either on the phone or in person in order to gain consent.
• You will be asked about mental and physical health as well as your mood, sleep and emotions.

Court sentencing

• Probation will share recommendations with the court.
• The judge on the day will decide for or against MHTR.

After court

• The probation practitioner will meet you within 14 days of the sentencing.
• You will meet with your probation practitioner and MHTR practitioner to plan your MHTR order.
• If you have been given an Alcohol Treatment Requirement or a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement, a meeting will be held first.

How does probation fit in?

Before the first MHTR session, you will have a meeting with your probation practitioner and your MHTR practitioner within 14 days. This meeting will plan what will happen and how they will both support you. After each session the MHTR practitioner will tell your probation practitioner that you did the session and they will not tell them what you discussed unless there is a clear reason to do this. Things that would be helpful for your probation practitioner to know may be shared such as appointment reminders.

Breaches or breaching

MHTR is a sentence given by the court. This means if you did not attend sessions without a good reason like being ill, then you may have to go back to court. This would be a breach of the sentence. The judge would decide what happens.

Agreeing to do the MHTR

To do a MHTR you have to be happy to do this and agree to do it. You might hear this called consent. You can decide at any point that you do not want to do the MHTR but if you have been given a MHTR by the court and decide you do not want to do it, then you may have to go back to court.

What will your MHTR look like?

• You agree with your probation practitioner and MHTR practitioner on how to best support the MHTR.
• You meet once a week with your MHTR practitioner.
• You decide on goals and what you might need to talk about and how to support you best.
• You will be offered 12-16 sessions looking at thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
• You might be asked to do things outside of your sessions.
• We will talk about how best to support you and what needs putting in place to help you succeed.
• This can include things like adjusting sessions for any differences such as neurodiversity.

How do I get referred?

To be referred please speak with your probation practitioner or legal aid.

Or you can contact us on the details below:

lpft.mhtr@nhs.net