DWCO was founded in 2003 by a handful of caring citizens in Florence, CO, a city whose county housed 12 prisons – four federal and eight state, and a county jail. These citizens became aware of how psychologically and spiritually toxic the correctional work environment could be when Caterina Spinaris, Ph.D., LPC, began to offer professional counseling to corrections staff and their families in 2000. It became evident that staff health and functioning could be harmed due to: repeated exposure to work-related incidents of violence, injury and death; mistrust of and conflict with other employees; a culture of “toughness;” understaffing; and a negative public image. It also appeared that, on the whole, neither staff nor their adult family members received coping-skills and other wellness training to handle the impact of traumatic and other high-stress work conditions on their professional and personal lives. DWCO staff felt called to respond to this glaring need, and began to develop and offer trauma-specific wellness trainings and other resources for staff and families, and to conduct research in correctional agency wellness. Thankfully, these efforts continue to expand today both nationally and internationally. 

If you are experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime, 24/7, by phone, text, or chat.