In 2018, APA accredited the first program in the United States to offer postdoctoral residency training in the correctional setting. Each year, four psychology residents hired by the Florida Department of Corrections have an opportunity to learn how to:
- Conduct psychological assessments and group and individual therapy.
- Lead a multidisciplinary treatment team that includes psychiatrists, nurses, security personnel and case managers.
- Complete a psychological autopsy for an inmate who has died from suicide to determine the psychological factors that contributed to the death.
- Conduct research about a psychological assessment instrument that could be adapted for the corrections environment.
The residency program, which opened in 2012, fulfills the licensure requirement for one year of supervision and gives trainees experience in research, leadership and consultation roles.
The program’s success has been marked not only by the high volume of applicants but also by the quality of the jobs participants are securing after they graduate from the program. “Many have been hired directly into supervisory roles, which is what I was aiming for when I started the program,” says Dean Aufderheide, PhD, president of the residency program and director of mental health services for the Florida Department of Corrections.
