Professional development doesn’t always require airfare, hotel reservations, or days away from work.
The 2026 Virtual Correctional Mental Health Care Conference offers correctional health professionals the opportunity to earn continuing education, hear from nationally recognized experts, and explore some of the field’s most pressing mental health challenges—all from their office, home, or facility. The two-day conference takes place August 5-6, 2026, with the added convenience of on-demand access to recorded sessions through September 25, allowing participants to learn at their own pace or revisit key presentations.
Timely Topics That Matter
Mental health care in correctional settings continues to evolve rapidly, and this year’s program reflects the challenges professionals are facing every day.
Attendees can choose from sessions covering:
- Trauma-informed systems of care
- Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) implementation
- Ethical and defensible mental health documentation
- Alcohol and substance use disorders
- Novel psychoactive substances
- Catatonia recognition and treatment
- Youth behavioral health
- Epigenetics and mental illness
- The role of generative AI in correctional mental health
- Practical strategies for behavior management and mindfulness
Whether your focus is clinical practice, administration, nursing, psychology, social work, custody operations, or quality improvement, the conference offers practical, evidence-based education that can be applied immediately.
Learn From Real-World Experience
One of the strengths of NCCHC conferences is that presenters understand the realities of correctional practice.
Rather than discussing theory alone, sessions highlight practical solutions that have been implemented in jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities. Presenters share lessons learned, evidence-based practices, and strategies that participants can adapt to their own organizations.
Examples include:
- Building effective behavior management plans through interdisciplinary collaboration
- Moving beyond trauma-informed care to trauma-informed organizations
- Implementing Crisis Intervention Team training across correctional systems
- Using respectful, bias-free language to improve communication and patient care
- Preparing for the opportunities—and risks—associated with artificial intelligence in behavioral health
Earn Continuing Education Without Leaving Work
The conference provides up to 13.25 continuing education hours for a wide range of disciplines, including nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, Certified Correctional Health Professionals (CCHPs), and other behavioral health professionals.
Because the conference is virtual, participants can eliminate travel expenses while still receiving high-quality continuing education from leaders in correctional mental health care.
Participants can:
- Attend sessions live from virtually anywhere.
- Download presentation materials in advance.
- Engage with other attendees through session chats.
- Rewatch presentations after the conference through September 25.
This flexibility makes it easier to balance professional development with the demands of correctional practice.
Invest in Better Care
The people working in correctional mental health care face increasingly complex clinical, operational, and legal challenges. Staying current with emerging evidence and best practices isn’t simply about earning CE credits—it’s about improving care, supporting colleagues, reducing risk, and strengthening outcomes for people in custody.
Whether you’re looking to sharpen your clinical skills, expand your leadership knowledge, or learn about emerging issues shaping the future of correctional mental health, the Virtual Correctional Mental Health Care Conference offers practical education you can put to work immediately.
Join colleagues from across the country on August 5-6 for two days of learning designed specifically for correctional mental health professionals.
