101 Careers in Counseling, Second Edition by Shannon Hodges PhD LMHC NCC ACS

Author:Shannon Hodges, PhD, LMHC, NCC, ACS
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 2018-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

VIII. COUNSELING IN CORRECTIONAL SETTINGS AND THE LEGAL ARENA

53. COUNSELING IN A COUNTY JAIL

Counselors often provide services to inmates in county jails. Although more counselors would likely find employment in state prisons or in juvenile detention centers, counselors employed to work in county correction seems more commonplace today than in previous eras.

Degree Required

A master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling, or addictions counseling is required. Many correctional institutions prefer experience and credentialing in addictions counseling because incarcerated populations tend to have high rates of substance abuse.

Issues to Understand

As a counselor educator who has supervised many counseling interns in correctional settings and a former clinical director who has supervised counselors working in corrections, one critical issue I understand is that many corrections professionals will see mental health work as ancillary to corrections work. Counselors are also likely to view inmates in a very different light than correctional staff. Counselors will view inmates as “clients,” whereas corrections staff will see inmates as criminals. Counselors will need to be diligent to communicate with other jail staff regarding mental health issues of inmates. As the U.S. correctional system was set up to be punitive as opposed to rehabilitative, counselors represent a radical change to prison philosophy. Counselors will need to work hard to gain inmates’ trust. After all, technically, the counselor’s primary client is the prison, not the inmates.

Best Aspects of the Job

The opportunity to assist inmates in breaking the cycle of addiction and recidivism is perhaps the best part of the job. Counselors working in correctional settings must also be people who relish the opportunity to create understanding in an institution not noted for its discernment.

Challenging Aspects of the Job

As one might expect, counseling in a county jail carries with it many challenges. Many of the inmates will be in the jail as a transition to prison and may not be amenable to counseling. Others will be serving shorter sentences (usually less than 6 months) and may be more interested in counseling. Some inmates have little family to visit, and their families, due to shame, may have abandoned others. Any counselor who has worked in correctional settings is likely to express that drug use is rampant. This all adds up to a need for counselors to work to create trust so that inmates will feel comfortable talking to them.

Occupational Outlook and Salary

Though the BLS does not cite figures for counselors in correctional facilities, my own sense is many counselors work in county jails to assess inmates’ mental functioning and provide various types of counseling. Furthermore, most counselors do not aspire to work in corrections settings, meaning that counselors interested in this population will likely have a good opportunity to be hired. Experience and credentialing in addictions counseling is a good idea for counselors interested in a career in corrections. Regarding salary, my experience is that county jails often pay higher-than-average wages to attract counselors. A possible salary range could run from $40,000 to $60,000 depending on the jail size and the counselor’s years of experience.

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