The document summarizes the roles and responsibilities of a correctional mental health clinician. Key duties include risk management like suicide screenings, mental health assessments, referring inmates to medical practitioners, providing counseling and classes, and assisting with mental health commitments. It also discusses evaluating inmates, setting boundaries, collaborating with other staff, and providing training to officers. The overall role is to help inmates work through problems while prioritizing safety and following correctional procedures.

1. Correctional Counseling
The Mental Health Clinician
Roles
And
Responsibilities

2. You Are Different

3. Inmates/Staff Opinion?
• “The counselor is there to listen and spend
time with the inmates to help them work
through their problems”. Nurse BCJ
• “Assessing and determining the true mental
deficit of the inmate”. Nurse BCJ.

6. Roles of the Mental Health Clinician
• Risk Management
• Mental Health Assessments
• Referral to Medical Practitioner
• Counseling/Classes
• Mental Commitments
• Officer Training and Education

7. Favorite “MH” Complaints
10. I need a second mattress and medical would not give me one.
9. I would rather be in the hospital.
8. I have been having problems for years and I am ready to change now.
Change Me!
7. I need to be on a bottom bunk in the corner, it would help my mental
health.
6. I don’t like being around a lot of people, can you give me my own room.
5. I have been off meds for 5 years and I need to get back on them.
4. People are pissing me off so bad, I need to get on meds or I am going to get
a new charge for fighting. It’s your fault if I get in a fight.
3. I am having terrible nightmares and PTSD.
2. I can’t focus or concentrate
1. I can’t sleep!

8. Risk Management Priorities
• Suicide Screenings
• Referrals from Deputies
• Practitioner/Medical Staff
• Family or Friends
• Other inmates
• Inmates in Special Housing Areas

9. Mental Health Evaluations
• What is the purpose of the evaluation?
• “Provisional Diagnosis”
• What is "normal" in a jail environment?
• What are community standards?
• How long the inmate waits prior to
evaluation?

11. Referral to Medical Practitioner
• MH Clinician the “Gatekeeper” for Patients
to get into medical clinic.
• Documentation/Communication are vital
for the Practitioner and Mental Health.
• COR EMR Rocks!

12. The Why
• Wait for the Pt. to be incarcerated at least 30
days before changing, starting, or assessing for
medication. (some exceptions)
• Patients should be seen at least 2 times, and 2
weeks apart for the diagnosis.
• It is very helpful to spend time monitoring
Patients in the Pod during those 2 weeks.
• It is helpful to get staff opinion about the
Patient.

14. Group and Individual Counseling
• Giving assignments to inmates
• Educational material
• Groups and Individual Counseling
• You must treat the Antisocial first

15. The Why
• I love Cognitive material which will focus
on treating the Antisocial.
• Don’t open up a can of worms if you can’t
put them back in.
• Dismissing a Participant from class every
once in awhile is very effective for the
group.
• Have Class Mon, Tues, Wed., Thurs…
• Set up boundaries.

16. Mental Commitments
• Process varies State to State, even County
to County
• Alert the legal system of concerns of
Gravely, Danger to self or others, lack
ability to make informed decisions.
• Consider length of stay prior to starting
process?
• Other housing issues to consider-
Malingering

17. Lessons Learned
• Don’t get into a hurry.
• What will they do in a hospital that we can
do here? They will keep an eye on them
and get them on medication…we can do
that.
• The truly SPMI Patients are like cream,
they always rise to the top.

18. Officer Training and Education
• On the job training in Mental Health.
• Emotional Survival and Wellness
• Referral to EAP Provider or Admin.

19. Lessons Learned
• Don’t do role plays with correctional
officers…they ALWAYS go bad.
• There are a lot of “Teaching Moments” in a
day if we take the opportunity.
• Don’t be afraid to be “brutally honest”.

20. Team Player
• Corrections Staff, Medical and Mental
Health Staff must communicate effectively.
We are a Team.
• “If mental health providers can maintain the perspective
that provisions of services in correctional settings is
subordinate to the primary missions of safety and security,
then it will be easier for them to communicate effectively
about therapeutic concepts such as mental illness,
voluntary disruptive behavior by antisocial offenders, and
least restrictive alternatives for those who are genuinely
mentally ill.” (Fagan and Ax, 2003)