Implementing psychological formulation into complex needs homeless hostels to develop a psychologically informed environment

This study explored the implementation of psychological team formulation in two single-gender hostels for homeless individuals experiencing multiple complex needs. Nine hostel staff took part in two semi-structured interviews, before and after attending up to eight formulation meetings. Thematic analysis identified that staff perceived team formulation to increase their understanding of service users, led to some developments within the team, and encouraged staff to take a different approach to their work, perceiving themselves and service users more positively; however, the usefulness of formulation was restricted by the systemic limitations. Results suggest team formulation has notable benefits for staff in hostels supporting individuals with multiple complex needs.