Dr. Stephanie Gangemi
PhD, LCSW

An Experienced Social Work Practitioner, Scholar, Activist

ABOUT STEPHANIE

I am a trauma-informed, licensed clinical social worker with 15 years of experience in clinical practice and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I am currently on the faculty at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (My UCCS Faculty Bio).
Clinically, I worked in jail settings for over a decade and I currently specialize in helping people with a history of trauma, major mood disorders, personality disorders and histories of self-harm.

I have experience teaching social work students across the curriculum and I provide clinical supervision for Masters level clinicians seeking licensure.

Contact

EDUCATION

PhD - Smith College, Northampton, MA

MSW - Columbia University, New York, NY

BA - Wagner College, Staten Island, NY

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

I began my social work career at Riker's Island Correctional Facility, a 14,000 bed jail in NYC. After relocating to Colorado Springs, I joined the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center where I worked my way from serving as an entry-level clinician to the Director of Mental Health for the 1700 bed facility. I bring expertise in the care and management of clients with severe and persistent mental illness, personality disorders, trauma histories and people who are acutely suicidal/self-injurious. I have been involved with the development and implementation of a highly successful, suicide prevention protocol at the El Paso County Jail in addition to writing standard operating procedures for the jail mental health team as well as the county Co-Responder Unit. Outside of my forensic experience, I have also worked with the Child Center of New York with emotionally disturbed children and youth at Youth at Risk with the Beyond Barriers program for survivors of domestic violence and with Project Sanctuary, doing therapeutic recreation with Military families. I have spent several years in private practice and have experience working with clients with a diverse ranges of needs, backgrounds and symptoms. I've run a small private practice in Colorado Springs for over a decade where I treat a range of clients with trauma, mood, and personality disorders while also offering clinical supervision and case consultation.

Licenses & Certifications

Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Colorado

Certified Correctional Healthcare Provider

El Paso County Medical Reserve Corps

Appointments

National Commission on Correctional Healthcare - Committee on Policy & Research

Council on Social Work Education - Committee on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education

Memberships

National Association of Social Workers

National Organization of Forensic Social Workers

Council on Social Work Education

RESEARCH INTERESTS

- Moral injury in the correctional workforce

- Moral injury in law enforcement and officer wellness

- Treatment interventions with incarcerated populations

- Processes & experiences of correctional treatment staff

- Suicide risk prevention in locked facilities

- Impact of mental health/law enforcement co-responder programs on people in mental heath crisis

RESEARCH PROJECTS UNDERWAY

2023 - Principal Investigator - Moral Injury Among Correctional Mental Health Professionals, A Mixed-Methods Study. Data Collection Underway. Mixed Methods.

2022 - present - Co-Principal Investigator with Dr. Shannon Johnson - Advancing Officer Wellness: A Study of On-Duty Experiences and their Impacts Among Law Enforcement Professionals. Mixed Methods.

2023 - Principal Investigator - No Small Parts: Enhancing Training for Ethical Dilemmas Through Simulation-Based Training. Quantitative.

PUBLICATIONS

Gangemi, S. (2019). “Are they mental health or behavioral?”: Toward object relations translation for corrections officers. International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies. 2019: 1-14.

Gangemi, S. (2021). “About the brokenness, and the darkness, and the light”: An exploratory student on the effects of the correctional environment on correctional mental health professionals. Smith College. Dissertation

Báez, J. C., Johnson, S., Gangemi, S., Marrus, M., Furey, M. & Simmons, C. (In Press) A holistic trauma-informed framework across social work courses: Curriculum and student support. In L. Tufford & A. Dylan (Eds.), Trauma-informed care in social work education: implications for students, educators, pedagogy, and field. Routledge.

Gangemi, S. (in press). Correctional System Approaches. In J. Creswell Báez (Section Ed.). Issues of Equity. In J. Salvo and J. Ulmer (Eds.), Routledge Resources Online - Qualitative Research Methods. Routledge. [insert online link when available] [Invited and Peer Reviewed]

MANUSCRIPTS in PROGRESS

Gangemi, S. (2023). “It either helps you or hardens you”: The effects of the correctional environment on correctional mental health professionals.

Gangemi, S. (2023). No small parts: enhancing training for ethical dilemmas through simulation-based training.

Gangemi, S., Sutton Chubb, C., Winters, R., Kosloski, A. (2023). Currencies of campus compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings of study on student experiences

Selected Presentations

I present frequently (peer-reviewed and invited presentations) around the country on a range of research and scholarly topics to include the correctional healthcare workforce, law enforcement wellness, social work education, suicide prevention, and more.

2022, Moral Injury & Moral Disengagement in the Correctional Workforce: Definitions Findings Recommendations. California Department of Corrections. Division of Health Care Services. Leadership Training Institute.

2022, No Small Parts: Enhancing Training for Ethical Dilemmas Through Simulation-Based Training. Council on Social Work Education. Annual Program Meeting. Anaheim California.

2022 Burnout, Trauma, Vicarious Trauma, & Moral Injury Among Correctional Mental Health Staff: Definitions, Considerations, and Recommendations. National Commission on Correctional Healthcare Mental Health Conference. Denver, CO.

2021, About the Brokenness, Darkness, and the Light: The Effects of the Correctional Environment on Correctional Mental Health Professionals. National Commission on Correctional Healthcare Full Conference. Chicago. Il.

2019, Are they Mental Health or Behavioral?: Toward Object Relations Translation for Corrections Officers. National Organization of Forensic Social Workers. Las Vegas, NV.

2019, Are they Mental Health or Behavioral?: Toward Object Relations Translation for Corrections Officers. Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute Forensic Mental Health Symposium. Chicago Illinois.

In the news, click to view:

Gangemi, Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Health Programs Manager Receives Seidenberg Prize

The Gazette: Mental health reform ideas in El Paso County jail win international award

ABC News: Man who spent 22 years in solitary confinement fights to end the practice

Gangemi appointed to Council of Social Work Education’s Women’s Council