Clinical Psychologist (Restrictive Housing Psychologist)

Duties

Responsible for providing comprehensive Psychological Services to Restrictive Housing Unit (RHU) inmates at a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) federal correctional facility.

Conducts mental health assessments, provides clinical interventions, and develops specialization plans based upon these assessments.

Coordinates with Correctional Services staff to apply these interventions, providing training and ongoing monitoring to ensure appropriate implementation.

Consults with Unit Officers, Unit Team, Health Services staff, and Correctional Services staff on a regular basis regarding risk management strategies, psychological treatment, and psychological issues for inmates in restrictive housing.

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

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you 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:

GS-12 and GS-13: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position at these grade levels.

Experience:

GS-12 and GS-13: 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 knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) 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:

GS-12:

• Experience in screening and monitoring inmates requiring special management.
• Experience in conducting individual and group psychotherapy.
• Experience in providing recommendations for mental health aftercare appropriate in a community setting.
• Experience in providing oral and written reports for a variety of audiences including other mental health professionals and the courts.

GS-13:

• Experience in conducting behavioral assessments and developing specialized correctional management plans based upon the assessments.
• Experience in developing interventions based on behavior analytic principles (e.g. contingency management techniques) to reduce inappropriate conduct and promote pro-social behavior.
• Experience in initiating transfers of psychologically unmanageable inmates to Medical Referral Centers as needed.
• Experience in making recommendations regarding course of action most likely to provide for the safe and secure housing of inmates with behavioral and/or mental health issues.

AND

Selective Placement Factors:

GS-12 and GS-13: Applicants applying for this position MUST also possess the following Selective Factors. In the event you do not possess the Selective Factors, you will be found ineligible for the position.

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

NOTE: Applicants must electronically upload a copy of their license at the time you 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

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.

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.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

Additional information

This position IS NOT included in the bargaining unit.

Although 5 U.S.C. 3307 established a maximum entry age for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution, Applicants can be considered up to age 39.  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.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered. The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained. Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score. Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

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