Rebecca (Howes) Rock ’12 M.S., ’15 Psy.D., has walked the halls of state prisons for over 12 years, not in fear but with a feeling of hope, knowing she changes the lives of an underserved population every day.
Rock is the mental health director at Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Florida. Within this role, she oversees a team of correctional health professionals, providing therapy treatments to over 1,500 inmates.
“I received such a gift with my degrees from Florida Tech,” Rock says. “Thanks to my experience at the university, I get to go to work and do what I feel that I was put on this earth for, and that’s to help people.”
After graduation, Rock interned at Larned State Hospital in Kansas, the largest psychiatric facility in the state. Then, she worked full time at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Jackson, Mississippi, where she specialized in treating patients with PTSD, trauma and substance abuse disorders.
In 2016, Rock moved back to Florida and accepted her position with Centurion Health, which provides correctional health care services to nearly 275,000 incarcerated individuals throughout 15 states.
“It’s not a glamorous career like you see portrayed in the movies and TV shows,” Rock says. “The most challenging part is that we see the negative side of humanity and a lot of violence. But at the end of the day, you have to remind yourself, we’re all human.”
From leading group therapy sessions with the prisoners to supervising compound lockdowns, no day is ever the same, and that keeps her job exciting, Rock says.
“There are a lot of opportunities for psychologists, mental health professionals, nurses and even dentists in our prison systems that people don’t even realize,” she says. “My staff is diverse, but what we share is the passion to give back to those who need it most.”
Her Florida Tech practicum experience, working as a counselor in the Brevard County Jail system, inspired Rock to enter the profession.
“Most of the inmates I worked with were not provided the tools in life to receive something as small as a GED. So, I used to think how lucky I am that I have professors that invest their time in me every day so that I can go on and do great things,” Rock says.
In 2023, two of her most impactful Florida Tech professors, Radhika Krishnamurthy and Julie Costopoulos, invited Rock to teach a colloquium at the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts.
“It’s important for young women to see other strong women in leadership roles,” Rock says. “Both of these professors made that impression on me when I was a student. So, I was thrilled I could now fill that spot for a new generation.”
Before her presentation, Rock found herself taking calming breaths in the same women’s restroom where she would go before taking big tests 10 years earlier.
“It was very surreal when I realized, approaching the classroom podium, that I was the adult now in a room full of future world-changers,” Rock says.
Q&A
FLORIDA TECH CONNECTION: ‘12 M.S., ‘15 Psy.D.
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OLYMPIC SPORT YOU WOULD GET GOLD IN: Throwing items into a garbage can-I never miss!
This piece was featured in the winter 2025 edition of Florida Tech Magazine.
