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Using Data-Driven Methods to Design Workforce Wellbeing Programs: Methods, Results, and Action Steps from an Agency-wide Wellbeing Assessment
SESSION INFO
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Session Type: Workshop
Studies show that adult corrections staff, including institutions and community supervision, face a high prevalence of negative health outcomes due to stressors associated with their position. Chronic stress, vicarious trauma, and exposure to workplace assault and other incidents can contribute to negative physical and mental health outcomes, create challenges with job performance and turnover, and ultimately impact rapport with supervisees and the implementation of effective supervision practices. Consequently, agencies are turning their focus to workforce well being and implementing programs to support staff. This workshop will show how data-driven survey methods were used to inform the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s action plan for expanding wellness services. Presenters will describe the study, how the findings influence programmatic decisions, and real-world feasibility considerations.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Stephanie Freeman
Probation & Parole Officer, MO Department of Corrections Division of Probation and Parole
Stephanie Freeman’s career has spanned higher education, state government and local government. As the Senior Director of Workforce Management at the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, Freeman oversees the Office of Staff Development and Training, S.H.I.E.L.D., Employee Engagement, the Office of Partnerships and Outreach, and Victim Support Services. She most recently served as the Director of the Office of Staff Development and Training since July 2017. She has over 27 years of experience as an instructor, including teaching undergraduate courses at NC Wesleyan College and Sandhills Community College.
Dr. Tonya Van Deinse, PhD
Research Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Van Deinse and her lab – Health Interventions in the Legal System (HILS Lab) – focus on intervention design, implementation, and evaluation at the interface of behavioral health and legal systems. Dr. Van Deinse started her work in mental health 21 years ago in residential treatment with adults with severe mental illnesses and then later worked in mental health at the systems level (i.e., managed care organization) where she began to focus on people with severe mental illnesses in the criminal justice system. Dr. Van Deinse is the principal investigator and implementation science researcher on a number of research studies and program evaluations. Examples of studies in the legal system include: (1) developing and testing tailored implementation strategies to improve collaboration and coordinator between mental health probation officers and community resource providers, (2) testing clinical case consultation and network building effort to improve implementation of specialized mental health supervision, (3) evaluating an expansion model of a county’s mental health court. Dr. Van Deinse has her BA in Public Policy and Master’s and PhD in Social Work.
Janis Wilson
Clinical Services Manager, NC Department of Adult Correction
Janis Wilson, MSW, is the S.H.I.E.L.D. Clinical Services Manager for the NC Department of Adult Correction. SHIELD offers confidential mental health counseling, peer support, and outreach services to all NCDAC employees. Wilson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, Certified Clinical Supervisor, and Qualified Supervisor. Wilson has previously served with the Department as a Substance Abuse Program Manager for the Black Mountain Treatment Center and as Clinical Director for October Road.
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