Dr. Alicia Irvin, Ph.D., is TK Health's Director of Psychological Services. Before joining the TK Health team in 2016, she worked for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. She graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2008 with a doctorate in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed psychologist in Oklahoma, and her specialty areas include corrections, forensics, juvenile offenders, severe mental illness, and geriatrics.
Many people who end up in jail have undiagnosed or untreated mental health conditions. People who don’t receive the professional help they need often attempt to manage mental health issues through unhealthy or harmful behaviors, like consuming substances. This ineffective coping results in legal issues… Read More »How Ineffective Coping Can Lead to Addiction
Mental health issues are common in jails. About 20% of people in jails have a mental illness, according to one survey. While other research shows that about 44% of people in jails have a history of mental illness. Mental illness and incarceration seem to go… Read More »Most Common Mental Health Issues in Jails
It’s difficult to deny the intersection between mental health and incarceration. In the United States, jails and prisons have, by default, become some of the largest providers of mental healthcare. Every year, thousands of people living with untreated mental illnesses are arrested, often for behaviors… Read More »Incarceration and Mental Health
Working in correctional healthcare requires clinical expertise and emotional resilience. Healthcare professionals in jails provide care to people with complex medical and mental concerns, often in high-stress environments. Over time, the emotional toll of this work can lead to compassion fatigue, or physical and emotional… Read More »Guarding Against Compassion Fatigue in Correctional Healthcare
Are you ready to become a correctional counselor but not sure where to find jobs? Correctional counselors can work in many settings, which can make a job search confusing at first. This post aims to eliminate some of that uncertainty by explaining where to find… Read More »Where Do You Find Correctional Counselor Jobs?
An estimated 44% of people in jail have a mental illness, making caring for inmates with mental health issues a critical role in correctional healthcare. A correctional counselor is one of the people who care for these patients and their mental health needs. What is… Read More »What is a Correctional Counselor?
No one wants to be in jail — doing the same things, talking to the same people, eating the same food, and staring at the same walls day in and day out. Being jailed means the person just waits for time to pass so they can… Read More »Dealing with Depression in Jail
Did you know that jails and prisons are considered the largest providers of mental health services in the U.S.? About 2-in-5 jailed people have a history of mental illness, making mental health care a necessity at correctional centers. But, many people think more can be… Read More »Caring for Inmates with Mental Health Issues