Correctional professionals work at the intersection of public safety, public health and human crisis. Every day, they manage high-risk environments, respond to trauma and maintain order in systems under chronic strain. Yet, despite the complexity and intensity of their roles, correctional professionals are often excluded from mainstream conversations about workplace mental wellbeing.
For Pamela Valera, PhD, MSW, this gap is not an abstract concern. It is the central question that has shaped her career: Who is taking care of the people holding these systems together?
A public health social worker, professor and nationally recognized researcher and social scientist, Dr. Valera’s work sits at the juncture of mental health, health justice and fairness. Her career, informed by professional training and personal experience, began with a focus on the health needs of incarcerated populations and the structural imbalances within the justice system. Over time, her research led to a critical realization: There is no path to improving the health outcomes of incarcerated people without addressing the wellbeing of the professionals who work there.
That insight brought Dr. Valera to Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and, ultimately, to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing as a MHFA Instructor and research advisor. By applying a public health lens to corrections, she has helped advance MHFA as a practical, prevention-focused tool designed for the realities of correctional work.
Mental Health Challenges Facing Correctional Professionals
In the U.S., correctional professionals are increasingly affected by stress-related illnesses, burnout and depression. Studies indicate that suicide rates among correctional officers have also climbed in recent years. Factors such as chronic understaffing, mandatory overtime, exposure to violence and the emotional strain of working in confined, high-pressure environments increase these risks. Correctional staff also face distinct stressors, including exposure to death, managing individuals in crisis, navigating rigid hierarchies and disconnecting from work.
Dr. Valera views these challenges from a public health perspective. Although correctional facilities are often seen as “closed systems,” the effects of mental health and substance use challenges inside prisons and jails extend well beyond their walls.
Unlike many high-stress fields, correctional work also involves profound social isolation. Staff may feel misunderstood by the public, stigmatized for their profession or discouraged from discussing emotional strain due to industry norms. As incarcerated people with complex mental health needs move through facilities, correctional professionals must support them while managing their operational duties, often without sufficient support systems.
Building a Corrections-specific MHFA Course
Through her research in prisons and jails across the country, Dr. Valera saw a pattern repeating itself. Correctional staff were expected to handle increasing mental health crises among incarcerated people, often with little preparation, and limited resources and space to recognize the personal toll the work took on them. While existing mental health trainings offered a strong foundation, their examples and assumptions did not always reflect the realities of correctional environments.
In 2022, Dr. Valera reached out to the National Council with a clear goal: to help create a new MHFA course designed specifically for corrections. This course would teach corrections professionals how to support one another, aligning the core principles of Adult MHFA with the lived experiences, risks and responsibilities of working in a correctional facility.
The course creation required more than surface-level adjustments. “We wanted to make sure that the scenarios and examples were tailored to the needs of all people working in corrections,” said Dr. Valera. With this in mind, the National Council redesigned course scenarios, videos and learning objectives to reflect real situations corrections staff face every day, including peer distress, suicide risk, exposure to violence and the long-term impact of cumulative trauma.
For several months, the National Council and Dr. Valera’s research team developed and tested the new course, a process that included conducting focus groups with correctional officers to inform the course content. The training, MHFA for Corrections Professionals, launched in 2023, focusing on:
- Improving mental wellbeing and preventing burnout. The course teaches strategies corrections staff can use to manage stressful situations that may cause burnout.
- Building trusting relationships. Facility conditions, violence and breakdowns in trust can heighten stress and anxiety. Corrections staff learn to approach others with empathy and professionalism.
- Reducing stigma and unfair treatment. The course aims to break down stigma and promote compassion and respect within jails.
- Increasing mental health literacy. Many corrections staff lack training in working with individuals who have mental illnesses. With MHFA, they learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression, PTSD, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
- Responding effectively. Corrections officers have a higher risk of dying by suicide than other law enforcement professionals. They learn the 5-step MHFA Action Plan (ALGEE) so they know what steps to take when someone shows signs of a mental health or substance use challenge.
- Supporting recovery. Corrections staff learn that recovery is possible and that it promotes overall mental wellbeing.
Launching MHFA for Corrections Professionals in Essex County
The belief that correctional professionals deserve training built for the realities of their work became the driving force behind MHFA for Corrections Professionals and set the stage for its first large-scale implementation. With support from the New Jersey Health Foundation, Dr. Valera and her research team tested the course and eventually piloted it within correctional facilities in Essex County, New Jersey, in 2025. The timing was critical. The COVID-19 pandemic had intensified staffing shortages, burnout and mental health challenges across corrections, creating both urgency and openness to new solutions.
The response from correctional professionals was immediate. “The officers were saying, ‘This was amazing. We really wanted this,’” Dr. Valera recalled. “This was the first time they felt they could actually talk about mental health.”
That feedback guided expansion. Since 2025, more than 550 correctional officers in Essex County have been trained and certified in MHFA for Corrections Professionals. Amid a series of administrative changes, Essex County leadership has embraced the initiative — even offering comp time to officers and supervisors who participated in any of the 38 training sessions.
One of the most significant outcomes of the Essex County training was not captured in certification numbers alone. According to Dr. Valera, the training rollout created space for conversations that had rarely occurred before. Officers began to recognize signs of distress in their peers. Some sought mental health referrals for themselves. Others described feeling a sense of permission to acknowledge stress without fear of judgment.
Even symbolic elements carried unexpected impact. ALGEE, the plush koala representing the MHFA Action Plan, became a surprising point of connection. “Everybody wanted a koala,” Dr. Valera said. “It was like that koala became their best friend.” In an environment where vulnerability is often discouraged, ALGEE served as a reminder that care, structure, and support can coexist with professionalism and strength.
The success of MHFA for Corrections Professionals in Essex County also helped catalyze a broader approach to correctional staff wellbeing. Building on the foundation of mental health literacy, county leaders are now working toward a more comprehensive wellness program addressing mental health, financial health, nutrition, physical wellbeing and family support.
For Dr. Valera, sustainability is the true measure of success. “What I love about this is that it’s sustainable,” she said. “It’s not a one-time thing where we check it off a list. It’s institutionalized.”
Mental Health Support for Correctional Officers Is a National Imperative
Dr. Valera’s work, a model for how tailored mental health programs can address an industry-wide challenge, reflects a broader national opportunity. As correctional and county leaders increasingly acknowledge the mental health and/or substance use challenges within their workforce, there is growing recognition that solutions must be evidence-based, tailored and aligned with the realities of corrections.
“My dream is to have MHFA for Corrections Professionals implemented in all jails. It should just be part of the standard of care,” said Dr. Valera.
By centering correctional staff mental wellbeing as a public health priority, and by helping develop and launch MHFA designed specifically for their needs, Dr. Pamela Valera is helping move corrections toward a future where mental wellbeing is not an afterthought, but a standard.
Interested in implementing MHFA for Corrections Professionals? Learn how evidence-based, corrections-specific training can support staff wellbeing, reduce stigma and strengthen safety across your facility.
