From Law to Forensic Care: Erin Gazelka’s Path to Purpose
For Erin Gazelka (MA ’09), the path to forensic psychology did not begin where one might expect. “I originally planned on being a lawyer. That was the plan all along,” she said. After enrolling at the University of St. Thomas, she was pre-law but chose to major in psychology, immersing herself in research on motivation, memory, and behavior change—work that, in retrospect, foreshadowed her future. Still, she followed through on her original plan, attending law school and excelling academically. “I was a really strong student. I was really good at it… I just didn’t like the people. I didn’t want to be around lawyers for the rest of my life. I just knew that in my heart of hearts.”
That realization led Gazelka to search for a path that could bridge her dual interests in law and human behavior. At the time, forensic psychology programs were few and far between. “There were only five programs that put psychology and law together,” she explained. “I interviewed at DU first and instantly fell in love with the core professors… I just made a decision—a snap decision—to come out and do forensics.” That decision ultimately led her to the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology’s (GSPP) Master’s in Forensic Psychology program, where she found both direction and a professional home—and where her path to Correctional Psychology Associates (CPA) began.
Even then, her direction was not entirely clear. In fact, her first field placement at GSPP was chosen with the intention of ruling things out. “I purposely picked a first-year field placement that I thought I would hate,” Gazelka said, describing a role working with adolescents on probation in a substance use setting. “I was like, this is going to be the worst job ever.” Instead, it became transformational. “I was literally wrong on all fronts. I fell in love with it by week two.” What she discovered there—both in therapy and in the structure of the justice system—set the foundation for nearly two decades of work in forensic and correctional settings.
From there, Gazelka’s work expanded into adult systems, including jail-based mental health services, suicide and violence risk assessment, and long-term treatment. Her connection to CPA deepened over time; what began as a training placement evolved into a lasting career—one she “never technically left.” She now serves as a Forensic Clinical Supervisor (DV Services), overseeing domestic violence programming and treatment. Across that trajectory, she developed deep expertise in criminogenic risk, need, and responsivity and built a career centered on populations that are often overlooked. “I really love working with a population that society so badly wants to ignore and throw out,” she said. “I care very deeply about this population and society’s disregard for it.”
Although she ultimately stepped away from practicing law, her legal training continues to shape her clinical work in profound ways. “I wouldn’t trade it,” Gazelka said. “Law school made me a better therapist.” She describes developing what she calls an “x-ray vision for motive,” rooted in years of analyzing case law and human behavior. “You get a really strong sense of what normal people do… so when someone’s telling me something that doesn’t fit, I’m like, that doesn’t make sense.” Equally important was learning to hold multiple perspectives at once. “There are sides to every story… there’s as much truth as there are people involved,” she said. That ability has translated into a deeply nonjudgmental therapeutic stance—one her clients consistently recognize. “It’s the highest compliment I get… that I’m the most accepting, non-judgmental person they’ve ever met.”
Her career also challenges a common assumption within the field—that meaningful forensic work requires a doctoral degree. For Gazelka, choosing to remain at the master’s level was both practical and intentional. “If I had an endless supply of money, I might have finished my doctorate,” she said. “But I don’t need it.” Over time, she came to see that depth of skill—not degree level—was what mattered most. “I feel like the best therapists I know have been master’s level therapists because we really stay oriented to therapy.” Her advice to students reflects that philosophy: focus on mastery, not accumulation. “Get really good at one thing… and when it starts to get boring, move on to the next thing.”
In recognition of April as Alcohol Awareness Month, Gazelka reflects on addiction as both deeply personal and persistently misunderstood. “Addiction is truly an enigma,” she said. “We don’t understand why some people get addicted and many don’t.” While research has identified patterns and risk factors, she is clear that there is no single explanation. “There is no gene for addiction… nothing’s been identified as this thing that causes it.” For her, this uncertainty reinforces the importance of tailoring treatment to each individual. “There’s no way around it… you have to know what works for this person specifically.”
Gazelka’s perspective on addiction has also expanded beyond traditional clinical approaches to include holistic and integrative practices. Drawing from both personal experience and her work in forensic settings, she has explored interventions such as nutrition and acudetoxification—specifically ear acupuncture—as tools to support regulation and engagement in treatment. “I do ear acupuncture in my groups,” she said. “It actually helps them with participation and self-regulation, particularly when we’re talking about hard stuff like trauma.” In high-intensity environments like correctional settings, these approaches can offer accessible ways to help clients regulate and remain present in difficult therapeutic work.
Her work in domestic violence and intimate partner violence—now central to her leadership role at CPA—further illustrates the complexity of human behavior, particularly in the context of trauma. “The overlap is colossal,” Gazelka said. Many of her clients have significant histories of childhood trauma, but she is careful to distinguish correlation from causation. “It’s not the trauma that causes it,” she said. Instead, she points to patterns of externalized control—efforts to manage others rather than oneself. “They’re feeding into this illusion that they have control over other people.” Understanding that dynamic, she believes, is essential to effective intervention and to developing treatment approaches that are both accountable and individualized.
Throughout her career, Gazelka has remained connected to GSPP, returning as an adjunct faculty member and supervisor just four years after graduating. Teaching, she says, has been transformative—not only for her students, but for her own development. “I honestly am glad that I started teaching as soon as I did… helping people learn how to think and not just give them information.” Her students, in turn, are drawn to the real-world insight she brings.
For Gazelka, that sense of purpose is paired with a clear understanding of what it takes to sustain a career in high-intensity clinical environments. Her advice to current GSPP students and recent graduates is both practical and hard-earned: “Don’t think so much about the outcome… stay open to the doors that are opening around you,” she said.
At every stage of her career, one theme remains constant: a deep commitment to the people she serves. “I am truly a giant social justice heart,” Gazelka said. “I could go be a lawyer… but I choose this.” It is a choice she continues to make every day—grounded in purpose, shaped by experience, and driven by a belief in the possibility of change, even in the most complex and challenging circumstances.
