Rockwall County, Texas – Through its innovative intern program, which seeks to improve the mental health treatments provided to prisoners through the use of real-world exposure to aspirant Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office is making progress in the field of inmate care. Under the direction of Sheriff Garrett and Kelley Akins, LPC-S, Director of Behavioral Health, this program focuses on the two advantages of helping prisoners and raising the future generation of mental health professionals.
Starting with 12 committed interns who coordinate their schedules to guarantee that every one of the 50 prisoners in the program receives at least one weekly counseling session, the campaign attempts to solve the frequently neglected element of mental health inside the correctional system. This arrangement not only provides regular mental health support for the prisoners but also enhances the intern learning process.
One of the interns, Riley Brickey, offered observations on the particular learning environment the detention center provides, emphasizing the first-hand experience—that differs from the experience in private practice environments.
“Working with incarcerated individuals has provided me with a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between addiction and trauma, as these experiences are often deeply intertwined. This exposure has developed my cultural competency and fostered collaborative relationships with other mental health professionals within the detention center,” Brickey said.
The advantages of the approach go beyond only giving the prisoners instant psychological help. Since Rockwall County recently received money from the Opioid Settlement Fund, there is chance to improve the intern training even further. With this money, interns are taught evidence-based treatments specifically meant to treat drug misuse problems, which decrease recidivism rates by arming prisoners with the tools to control their conditions upon release.
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The economic value of the intern program was underlined by Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office Captain Alexander Gray. The office forecasts annual savings for the county of about $360,000 by offering $7,500 worth of counseling services weekly at no additional cost to taxpayers. This large financial save emphasizes the importance of the program not just as a rehabilitative tool but also as a cost-effective solution to a usually costly issue.
The accomplishment of the Rockwall County intern program is evidence of the possibilities of creative ideas in prisons nationwide. The program not only helps those with mental health problems and addiction recover but also gets interns ready to be sympathetic, competent counselors knowledgeable in the complexity of mental health issues inside the legal system.
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This innovative program not only shows a progressive change in how inmate care is handled but also provides a great model for other counties to examine comprehensive, instructional, and economically viable approaches to handle the relationship of mental health and correctional services. The good knock-on effects of this program are probably going to go well beyond the boundaries of Rockwall County Detention Center as it grows, therefore benefiting society more generally.
