Psychological Services Specialist, Corrections - SCI Coal Township

Full Job Description

Are you searching for a fulfilling profession which challenges your clinical skills and offers the chance to make a positive impact in the lives of others? The Department of Corrections (DOC) is eager to welcome an enthusiastic and driven collaborator to join our Psychology Department as a Psychological Services Specialist (PSS) at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Coal Township. This exciting career path offers the opportunity to contribute to the mental health and well-being of our correctional population while working alongside a dedicated team of professionals. Join us in our mission to render the vital services necessary to ensure every reentrant has the opportunity to successfully reintegrate back into the community!

Requirements

As a Psychological Services Specialist for the Department of Corrections, you will be responsible for independently providing psychological services and group therapy to inmates at SCI Coal Township.

The purpose of this service delivery is to ensure individuals' mental health and general emotional needs are addressed efficiently and effectively during a period of incarceration with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

You will be conducting individual interviews and independently selecting appropriate tests to measure intellectual capacity, personality, special aptitudes, and achievement levels.

You will be coordinating professional staff services to ensure special needs mental health cases are referred for counseling, psychological, psychiatric, and medical services.

The ability to effectively manage and prioritize tasks is essential, as you will be writing and preparing various psychological reports for classification, clinical interview results, parole summaries, psychological updates and evaluations, and others as required.

You will also be working in association with the Licensed Psychologist Manager to develop new departmental education therapeutic programs and providing initial crisis intervention with inmates until additional professional services are coordinated.

If you have the required experience and are looking to start an exciting public service career, the Department of Corrections wants to hear from you!

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment, 37.5 hours/week
• Work schedule will be either 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Sunday - Thursday OR 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday - Saturday, with a 30-minute lunch.
• This position is eligible for full retirement benefits at age 50 or 55.
• Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
• Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $67,736.00 (before taxes).

Additional pay will be considered for those who currently possess or obtain licensure as a Social Worker, Clinical Social Worker, or Professional Counselor issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Counselors.

Documentation will need to be provided at interview to receive additional pay consideration.

• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• Two years as a Psychological Services Associate Corrections (Commonwealth job title or equivalent Federal Government job title, as determined by the Office of Administration); or
• A Master's degree in psychology or a closely related field which includes fifteen graduate level credits in psychology; and two years of experience in the field of psychology under the direct supervision of a licensed psychologist.

Other Requirements:

• Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
• You must meet the PA residency requirement. For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:

• You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.

Commonwealth employees who wish to use their seniority rights must apply to the internal posting for their seniority rights to be considered.

How to Apply:

Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position.

Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).

If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.

Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Veterans:

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.

The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.

All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
  • your score may be lower than deserved.
  • you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.