JUVENILE CORRECTIONS PSYCHOLOGIST
Job Location:

Address: Adobe Mountain School/Health Unit
2800 W. Pinnacle Peak Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85027

Posting Details:

Salary: $100,000 - 120,000 Grade: 27 Closing Date: 06/17/2026

Job Summary:

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) is seeking a Juvenile Corrections Psychologist to be responsible for the supervision and administration of a program of psychological services to ensure compliance with ARS 41-2815-Individual Treatment Plan; perform diagnostic assessments, psychological evaluations, placements; overseeing counseling sessions for youth adjudicated by the court system.

Job Duties:

Provides psychological treatment and counseling for individual youths, groups and families; conducts psychological evaluations/risk assessments and develops, implements, and evaluates Individual Treatment Plans and Individual Behavior Plans; maintains accurate documentation; evaluates and documents consultations regarding youth who exhibit signs of or who verbalize intent to harm others or themselves (DTO/DTS) to ensure the safety of youth and staff.

Participates in clinical treatment planning for youth; admits youth into specialized treatment programs; provides clinical oversight in the absence of the Clinical Director; develops and maintains psychological program youth files including treatment plans, behavior plans, progress notes, reports, and case summaries; responds to crisis calls after hours on a rotational basis.

Conducts/reviews research in areas of mental health, family therapy and reunification, sex offender treatment, and recidivism, psychology and special needs of youth population and presents case study reviews to members of the clinical team; provides testimony as an expert witness.

Promotes cooperation and dialogue with facility departments/staff through meetings, staffings, special activities, and consultations; reviews youth programming effectiveness and makes recommendations for improvements.

Participates in professional development activities, including in-service training to program staff, that are specific to youth in the Agency's care; develops, implements, and evaluates training; participates in conferences and professional organizational activities; maintains continuing education credits.

Provides supervision and clinical oversight to doctoral level interns, practicum students, and master's level clinicians who are working towards advanced licensure; provides administrative assistance by reviewing treatment plans and progress notes of youth in the agency's care for quality, accuracy, and compliance.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):

Knowledge:
Principles, techniques and trends in psychology, with particular reference to normal and disordered behavior, human development, motivation, personality, learning individual differences, and adaptation and social interaction
Evidence-based mental health and special program protocols
Administration and integration of empirically supported screening and assessment instruments appropriate for the juvenile offender population with mental health needs
Trauma Informed Care
Family therapy and reunification for adjudicated youth
Gender specific evidence-based interventions
Techniques and procedures for psychological counseling and therapy
Comprehensive knowledge of psychological screening, testing and evaluations
Contemporary thoughts and trends in psychology, sociology and mental health

Skills:
Administering certified psychological evaluations
Providing psychological treatment and counseling to individuals and groups in accordance with professional and ethical standards
Preparation of court ordered evaluations
Providing appropriate counseling services to youth and their families
Developing and administering specialized treatment plans and programming for youth
Conducting research and data analysis and program
Computer operation, and software to include the Microsoft Office and Google Suites
Written and verbal communication
Establishing and maintaining professional work relationships
Case management
Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relations
Report writing

Ability:
Supervise, lead, train, hire, and evaluate clinical staff
Develop treatment strategies in cooperation with other departments
Work effectively with and consult with a multidisciplinary team
Evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs and recommend improvements
Comply with Federal, State and Agency rules and regulations
Work closely with adjudicated youth in a secure institutional setting
Manage stressful situations
Write summaries and reports of professional quality, perform counseling and therapy services with individuals and groups
Provide clinical oversight to professionals and paraprofessionals
Drive on state business

Selective Preference(s):

The preferred candidate would have two years of post-doctoral experience working with emotionally or behaviorally disordered mentally deficient youth, with specialty training in one of the following areas: Juvenile Residential Sexual Behavior Treatment Programs, Juvenile Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, or Juvenile Residential Mental Health Programs.

Pre-Employment Requirements:

Must be licensed or licensed eligible* by the Arizona State Board of Psychologist Examiners (Az. State BPE). *Must obtain a license by the Az. State BPE within one year of appointment. Continued employment is contingent upon an affirmative evaluation of credentials by the Az. State BPE.

Employment is contingent on the selected applicant passing a comprehensive background investigation, drug screening and pre-employment assessments.

This position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function on the job, then the following requirements apply. Any employee operating a motor vehicle on State business must possess and retain a current, valid class-appropriate driver's license, complete all required training, and successfully pass all necessary driver's license records checks. The license must be current, unexpired, and neither revoked or suspended. Employees who drive on state business are subject to driver's license record checks, must maintain acceptable driving records, and must complete all driver training. An employee who operates a personally owned vehicle on state business shall maintain the statutorily required liability insurance (see Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R2-10-207.010).

Current State of Arizona employees: In order to be considered for this position, it requires acceptable performance history as demonstrated by not have been issued a letter of suspension or have been involuntarily demoted within one year preceding this job posting close date, and have an overall rating of "meets expectations" or higher on the most recent employee performance evaluation.

Benefits:

The State of Arizona provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package including:
-Affordable medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and short-term disability plans
-Top-ranked retirement and long-term disability plans
-10 paid holidays per year
-Vacation time accrued at 4.00 hours bi-weekly for the first 3 years
-Sick time accrued at 3:42 hours bi-weekly
-Deferred Compensation Program
-Wellness Plans

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave program here . For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

Retirement:

This position participates in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS)

- New membership begins the 27th week of employment
- Immediately vested in retirement contributions
- Defined Benefit

Attention current State of Arizona employees: Please contact our Human Resources Office at [email protected] if you are in a different retirement plan than the one indicated above.

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