I work within psychology services in the Northern Ireland Prison Service. My Fellowship focused on prison staff wellness services and interventions in the United States that are used to support them in managing the stresses, strains and traumas of their job.

The purpose of the Fellowship was to improve the professional and personal lives of prison staff in the UK. This was driven through working in prisons for over eight years and seeing colleagues who had changed physically, emotionally and behaviourally due to their work. I felt that there was little discourse or services to support prison staff.

My Fellow's Report became an important starting point for evolving discourse on wellness and developing support services for prison staff in Northern Ireland. I shared the findings with prison managers, at conferences and staff events. The findings have formed part of a report commissioned by the justice minister in Northern Ireland on prison staff wellness provisions in 2020. The Northern Ireland Prison Service has since introduced Prisons Well, a bespoke staff wellness programme.

I am extremely proud to be a Churchill Fellow.