1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Trauma-Informed Care in Corrections is presented by Nicole Bartholomew, PhD. 

This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts toward a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards the Correctional Mental Health Certificate and share your new digital credentials.

This program focuses on understanding the prevalence of trauma experiences in incarcerated populations, and participants learn about the significance of using a trauma-informed care approach in carceral settings. Specific implications of trauma-informed care on routine correctional practices and the provision of mental health services to incarcerated adults are explored. Trauma-informed care principles are also discussed within the context of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model to understand how trauma experiences relate to criminogenic risk. 

This program also highlights special population groups, focusing on multicultural factors to understand how the intersecting identities of incarcerated adults affect their experience of and recovery from trauma, particularly when in the correctional environment. 

Lastly, this program provides a review of the literature related to trauma-informed care, and participants learn how they can use their role in the correctional environment to have both macro- (system/institution) and micro-level (client, staff) impacts. This includes understanding the effect of trauma on correctional staff and the importance of self and staff wellness. Correctional mental health providers work in one of the most stressful environments with high rates of burnout and compassion fatigue, so it is important to use trauma-informed care practices to maintain competence and effectiveness. 

This program is geared toward mental health and other allied professionals at all levels of training who work in carceral settings or with clients involved in the criminal justice system. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the prevalence and impact of trauma in incarcerated populations
  • 2 Describe diversity and cultural factors that affect one's experience of trauma
  • 3 Describe how trauma-informed care relates to the Risk-Need-Responsivity model
  • 4 Describe the core components of trauma-informed care and how they can be applied to the correctional environment and the provision of mental health services
  • 5 Describe how trauma-informed care practices also relate to correctional staff and mental health providers

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who work in carceral settings or with justice-involved individuals. It is especially relevant for those specializing in correctional or forensic mental health, social work, or counseling, with an emphasis on trauma-informed care and understanding the effects of trauma on both clients and staff. The program is suitable for professionals at all stages of their careers, from entry-level to advanced practitioners, and is applicable to those working in prisons, jails, or community corrections programs.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

  • Practice Setting

    • Mental health professionals (psychologists, counselors, therapists)

    • Social workers

    • Allied professionals (e.g., case managers, psychiatric nurses)

    • Professionals specializing in correctional or forensic mental health

    • Staff working in prisons, jails, or community corrections programs

    • Those providing services to justice-involved clients

Presented By

Nicole Bartholomew, PhD, PhD

Dr. Nicole Bartholomew is a licensed psychologist who obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Texas Tech University and has over 10 years of experience providing mental health services to incarcerated adults in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Dr. Bartholomew is currently the Internship Program Coordinator at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Fort Worth, Texas where she supervises doctoral psychology interns and provides a variety of mental health services, including trauma-focused individual and group treatment, to incarcerated adults. Prior to her current role, Dr. Bartholomew was the coordinator of an intensive trauma treatment program at the only female medical center in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, FMC Carswell.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Nicole Bartholomew, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction

  • Trauma

  • Trauma experiences of incarcerated populations.

  • Risk-Need-Responsivity Model

  • Trauma Informed Care (TIC) - The Four R's

  • Trauma Informed Care - Principles

  • Application of TIC for assessment and intervention with incarcerated populations.

  • Applications of TIC for correctional practices and environments.

  • TIC as it applies to correctional staff.

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
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CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.