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.
It’s common in correctional settings to encounter people with both mental illness and substance use disorder. This combination presents unique challenges for treatment and recovery. Many incarcerated people have lived with undiagnosed or untreated conditions for years, often using drugs or alcohol to cope with… Read More »What Is Dual Diagnosis? Understanding Mental Illness and Addiction Together.
An estimated 63% of people in jail have a substance use disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Jail may be the first time in a long time that many of these people are without substances, and it also may be their initial exposure… Read More »Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Jail
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?