Though much faith was invested in the psychological/psychiatric approach for several decades, a disillusioned reaction has set in, severely critical of the medical model and its lack of effectiveness. Yet agencies continue referrals to psychiatrists and encouraged the latter to train probation and parole officers to understand the classical Freudian psychodynamics of behavior and to sharpen their treatment skills because psychotherapy is useful in corrections. Psychotherapy and the basic dynamic concepts underlying it can be applied in the three basic phases of probation namely, presentence investigation, supervision, and intake--as well as in the precommitment, prerelease, and postcommitment phases of placement on parole. There are various levels of psychotherapy: educating a client about vital facts, such as sex and hygiene information; counseling in family matters and job situations; encouraging a client to ventilate stressful feelings; and lending support. Moreover, psychotherapeutic techniques are useful when the probation or parole officers act in the roles of community resource manager, advocate, and community worker. Sixteen references are supplied. (Author abstract modified).