Clinical Psychologist (Advanced Care Level Psychologist)

Duties

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Responsible for providing comprehensive psychological services to inmates who have been identified as needing closer supervision or a greater level of care than afforded other general population inmates due to a moderate, severe or acute mental illness, to include but not limited to psychosis, mania and/or major depression.

Primary responsibility of making professional decisions concerning inmates under his/her care, with consultative supervision from the Chief Psychologist for clinical decisions, peer clinical consultation with the provider of psychiatric services, and administrative issue consultation with the Chief Psychologist, Health Services Administrator, Associate Warden of Programs, and the Warden.

May be required to assume the responsibilities of another psychologist or of the Chief Psychologist in that individual's absence and may provide technical supervision and guidance for institution related training programs.

Serves as a resource to other psychologists as well as other staff members including physicians, psychiatrists, physician assistants, nurses, unit and case managers, correctional services staff and the administration regarding mental health diagnosis and treatment, and the clinical case management of the seriously mentally ill (SMI) inmates.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
2. Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility:
   
   • A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter),
   • Most recent performance appraisal, and
   • Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
   • See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.

Key Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
• Selective Service Requirement

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, applicants must meet the following:

Basic Requirements:

Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required.

NOTE: Applicants may have received this degree in either clinical or counseling psychology.

AND

In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must have:

Education:

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.

Experience:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of the qualifying experience are:

• Experience monitoring inmates with mental illnesses.
• Experience conducting psychological assessments and preparing reports related to the assessment of mentally ill individuals.
• Experience in treatment and care of inmates with mental illness and suicide prevention.
• Experience utilizing clinical skills to manage disruptive patients and providing crisis intervention.

AND

Selective Placement Factor:

Applicants applying for this position MUST also possess the following Selective Factor. In the event that you do not possess the Selective Factor, you will be found ineligible for the position.

• Applicants must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (e.g., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.

NOTE: All applicants must electronically upload a copy of their license at the time they apply to the vacancy announcement. The documentation provided must show the expiration date of the license. Failure to provide this documentation will result in loss of consideration for this position.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education

ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Additional information

Although 5 U.S.C. 3307 established a maximum entry age for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institutions, applicants applying for this series can be considered at any age.

An approved age waiver prior to entry on duty is required. Age waivers are not required for:

- Applicants with prior federal law enforcement coverage.

- Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans.

If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you must submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage.

Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

The incumbent is subject to geographic relocation to meet the needs of the agency.

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques", three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

NOTE: A 50% RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE WILL BE PAID TO SELECTEE(S) WHO MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR RECRUITMENT BONUSES.

NOTE: A 25% RETENTION INCENTIVE WILL BE PAID TO SELECTEE(S) WHO MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR RETENTION INCENTIVES.

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Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.