Mental Health Clinician 3 (PCN 20-6352)

Salary: $3,270.00 - $3,621.75 Biweekly
Location : Eagle River, AK
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 52501
Department: Corrections
Division: Inmate Health Care
Opening Date: 01/07/2026
Closing Date: 1/20/2026 5:00 PM Alaska
Division: Health and Rehabilitation Services
Position Open To: All Applicants
Bargaining Unit: General Government
Range: 21

Job Description
The Department of Corrections, Division of Health & Rehabilitation Services, is recruiting for a Mental Health Clinician 3 to join the team at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center (HMCC), located in Eagle River, Alaska.

Watch Alaska DOC HARS video here:
What You Will Be Doing:

This position is the lead clinician on the mental health acute and subacute units within Hiland Mountain Correctional Center and will:

• Provide direct mental health treatment services to those housed on the units, including individual and group counseling, evaluations, treatment planning, crisis intervention, and reentry planning.
• Coordinate and oversee mental health services on the units by performing quality assurance, conducting needs assessments, and providing training.
• Work closely with and effectively communicate clinical recommendations to a team of mental health clinicians, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric providers, medical staff, and security staff to address the needs of each individual.
• Ensure that the standards of care are met and that treatment programming on the unit is evidence-based and appropriate to the situation and individual.

Our Mission, Values, and Culture:

The HARS Mission Statement: To provide timely access to essential care through an evidence-based multidisciplinary approach. We are committed to a culture of professionalism, quality and safety.

We seek applicants who are interested in furthering the HARS Mission and who will strive to uphold the Division's Core Values of Respect, Integrity, Compassion, Teamwork, Safety and Growth.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:
Working as a mental health clinician for the Department of Corrections offers the unique opportunity to make a profound impact on a vulnerable population, supporting rehabilitation and contributing to public safety. The role provides a deeply meaningful way to serve one's community by promoting mental wellness and reducing recidivism. Being part of our collaborative multidisciplinary team allows for shared knowledge and diverse perspectives, which support professional growth and improve patient outcomes.
The Working Environment You Can Expect:

Hiland Mountain Correctional Center (HMCC) in Eagle River, Alaska is a secure facility for incarcerated females with maximum capacity of approximately 400. As the state's only all-female facility that also serves the greater Anchorage area as a booking facility, this position will work in a fast-pace and collaborative environment with a multidisciplinary team working to secure the best possible outcome for each individual.

Who We Are Looking For:
We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

• Teaching Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.
• Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for own actions and decisions. Complies with established control systems and rules.
• Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

Minimum Qualifications
Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions

This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency's description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Doctoral degree OR Master's degree from an accredited college in counseling, psychology, social work, child guidance, vocational rehabilitation, or a closely related field.

AND

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities in

• Accountability: Accepts responsibility for own actions and decisions and demonstrates commitment to accomplish work in an ethical, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
• Developing Others: Develops the ability of others to perform and contribute to the organization by providing ongoing feedback and by providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods.
• Managing Human Resources: Plans, distributes, coordinates, and monitors work assignments of others; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance; ensures that staff are appropriately selected, utilized, and developed, and that they are treated in a fair and equitable manner.
• Psychology: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of human behavior and performance in various contexts, mental processes, or the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Therapy and Counseling: Knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental ailments, and career guidance.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Progressively responsible professional experience performing psychotherapeutic casework.
"Progressively responsible" means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.
"Professional experience" means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment.
"Training" and "education" in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.
"Typically gained by" means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.
Special Note:

Some positions require the incumbent be licensed as a Clinical Social Worker or a Licensed Professional Counselor. This requirement will be addressed in the job posting.

Additional Required Information
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

If selected for an interview, the applicant must provide the following:

• Official or unofficial transcripts from the highest level of education completed
• Three professional references

RECRUITMENT DIFFICULTIES

Starting salary may be approved up to Step D - $3,621.75, if criteria are met.
LEGAL EMPLOYMENT

The State's online recruitment system, Workplace Alaska, requires applicants to certify that they have a legal right to accept employment in the United States. It is the responsibility of the employee to maintain the appropriate documentation to accept or continue legal employment. The State of Alaska does not function in the role as an employer sponsor.
EDUCATION

If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the post-secondary institution. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.
WORK EXPERIENCE

If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer name, your job title, dates of employment, and whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.
PREA NOTIFICATION

The Department of Corrections follows and maintains federal and state requirements standards including, but not limited to, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards which apply to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders. PREA standards preclude the department from hiring or promoting anyone who has engaged in, or been convicted of any conduct which would violate PREA standards related to sexual assault including:

• Sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution;
• Convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or
• Has been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in the activity described above.

CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS/APSIN/ACOMS

Please be aware - this position requires the use of the Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN). A security clearance issued by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is necessary to use APSIN. DPS will deny security clearance for any applicant who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in this state or another jurisdiction, or who may be a fugitive from justice. Additionally, security clearance will be withdrawn if DPS discovers that material information was falsified or omitted at the time of the initial application for security clearance.
FINGERPRINT NOTICE

All Department of Corrections employees are required to be fingerprinted. The successful candidate must pass a criminal history check.
MULTIPLE VACANCIES

This recruitment may be used for more than one (1) vacancy. The applicant pool acquired during this recruitment may be used for future vacancies for up to ninety (90) days after this recruitment closes. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply to each recruitment notice to ensure consideration for all vacancies.
EEO STATEMENT

The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or 465-4095 in Juneau or (907) 465-3412 (TTY) or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P. O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal-opportunity employer.
WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE

Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to
For applicant password assistance, please visit:

Contact Information

Kim Curtis
Deputy Chief Mental Health Officer
907-269-7300
Careers with the State of Alaska offer MANY benefits

The following information describes typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work.

For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an (Please note this video is specifically designed for new State Employees.)

Insurance Benefits

• Health insurance, which includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental
  • The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See for additional information.
    • AVTEC
    • Confidential
    • Correctional Officers
    • Marine Engineers
    • Mt. Edgecumbe Teachers
    • Supervisory
    • Unlicensed Vessel Personnel/Inland Boatman's Union
    • Exempt employees (not covered by collective bargaining)
  • The following employee groups are covered by Union health trusts. Contact the appropriate Union for additional information.
    • General Government
    • Labor, Trades and Crafts
    • Public Safety Employees Association
    • Masters, Mates & Pilots
• Employer paid Basic Life insurance with additional coverage available (amount depends on Bargaining Unit)

Optional Insurance Benefits

• Group-based insurance premiums for
  • Term life (employee, spouse or qualified same sex partner, and dependents)
  • Long-term and short-term disability
  • Accidental Death and Dismemberment
  • Long-term care (self and eligible family members)
  • Supplemental Survivor Benefits
• Employee-funded flexible spending accounts for tax savings on eligible health care or dependent care expenses

Retirement Benefits

• Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)
• Matching employer contribution into a defined contribution program (new employees)
• Employer contribution into a defined benefit or defined contribution program (current employees)
• Contributions to the Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan in lieu of contributions to Social Security
• Option to enroll in the Alaska Deferred Compensation Program
• Note: The Defined Contribution Plan, Supplemental Annuity Plan and Deferred Compensation Program offer a variety of investment options

See for additional information

Paid Leave & Other Benefits

• Personal leave with an accrual rate increase based on time served
• Twelve (12) paid holidays a year

01

How many years of experience do you have working directly with and providing care to individuals diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness?

• None
• Less than 1 year
• 1 - 2 years
• 3 - 4 years
• 5 or more years

02

Do you have any periods of employment in a 24-hour institutional setting where you were responsible for the care and custody of others that are not already included in your job application (such as correctional facilities, juvenile facilities, or residential treatment centers)? If so, provide the name of each institution, your job title(s), and dates of employment in the space below.
03

Have you ever initiated or engaged in a sexual assault and/or sexual abuse in prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility or other institutions?

• Yes
• No

04

Have you ever been the subject of an investigation for engaging, or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse?

• Yes
• No

05

Have you ever been disciplined, terminated, or resigned in lieu of an employment action surrounding allegations of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or assault?

• Yes
• No

06

Have you ever been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in the activity described in the prior questions above related to sexual abuse or sexual activity?

• Yes
• No

07

If you responded "Yes" to the any of the four preceding questions, please describe each incident, including dates and locations, in the text box below.
Required Question