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317: A Niche Working With Incarcerated Men

Today’s session is atypical and very specific, but I think it’s a relevant and timely focus. The topic of supporting incarcerated men has been something I’ve thought about for a long time because the need is great, and I have a heart for those clinicians who do this difficult work. I want to learn and understand more about this field, so I hope you’ll join me for today’s conversation. 


Our Featured Guest

Robert Fields, LPA


Robert Fields is a Licensed Psychological Associate in Durham, NC. His 15-year career has included a variety of clients, including veterans, adjudicated youth in the juvenile justice system, and individuals with developmental disabilities. His current focus is on incarcerated men within the prison system. Ever active in his community with youth and adults, he works to educate and reduce the stigma by making mental health a more relatable, useful, and transparent topic. Robert and I recently connected on Twitter, and I’m excited to learn more about his work in this field. 


Twitter and Instagram



You’ll Learn:


  • Why Robert chose to work with incarcerated men, despite his initial hesitancy
  • How Robert figured out that being present is the most important element in his work, whether working with juveniles or adults
  • How Robert depends on his personal experience to understand how people make poor choices
  • Robert’s advice to those who want to work with incarcerated individuals:
  • Don’t lose sight of their humanity.
  • Be consistent, respectful, and fair above all else. 
  • Have well-defined boundaries.
  • How Robert maintains optimism in this challenging environment


Mentioned in this episode:

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Today's podcast is supported by the American Psychological Association's Psych Careers. If you are a psychology professional looking to advance your career or thinking about a pivot, definitely encourage you to check out Psych Careers, which is the career center from the American Psychological Association Services, Inc. There are over 400 positions available. It's the perfect time to create a free account, upload your resume, and set up job alerts. sellingthecouch.com/APA

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About the Podcast

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Selling the Couch
Impact And Income Beyond The Therapy Room

About your host

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Melvin Varghese, PhD

Hi. I'm Melvin. I'm a psychologist, girl dad, and online creator living in Philadelphia, PA.

In 2014, I began to think about how to use our therapist skillset in different realms besides clinical work (e.g., podcasting, consulting, online course creation, writing, etc).

This allows us to serve others on larger scales while diversifying our income beyond 1 to 1 work.

I make podcasts and videos about business, tech, productivity, and lessons I'm learning from becoming the CEO of a lean, mean 5 person 100% remote team (we're not really mean..it just rhymed =P).