JPD - Forensic Psychologist, Cook County Juvenile Court

About the role

The Cook County Juvenile Court Clinic was established in June 2003 as a non-judicial office in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Clinic is operated through a partnership between the Circuit Court of Cook County and Northwestern University and is the primary provider of forensic consultation and evaluation services for Cook County’s Juvenile Court, which encompasses the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Divisions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct forensic child protection evaluations to address pending legal questions such as visitation, change of permanency goal, termination of parental rights, return home, motion for case closure, and motion to vacate or transfer guardianship.
• Provide on-call coverage for same-day evaluations of a parent’s capacity to consent to specific adoption and/or voluntary relinquishment of parental rights.
• Conduct court-ordered forensic evaluations for the Juvenile Justice Division of the Cook County Juvenile Court to address pending legal questions such as sentencing alternatives, fitness to stand trial, risk assessments, and capacity to waive Miranda rights.
• Testify in court as an expert witness regarding forensic evaluations tendered to court.
• Participate in supervision and training initiatives, including regular meetings with primary supervisor, monthly psychologist and staff meetings, and internal and external trainings related to child protection, juvenile justice, and forensic evaluation.

Requirements

• Successful completion of a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from an APA accredited program or the equivalent combination of education, training, and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.
• Successful completion of an APPIC accredited pre-doctoral internship.
• Current Illinois psychologist license (out of state applicants must be eligible for licensure in Illinois).
• Clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and families.
• Experience working with court-involved populations in a clinical or forensic capacity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Pre-doctoral training in forensic psychology and/or psychology and the law.
• Completion of a forensic post-doctoral fellowship and/or two to three years post-doctoral experience conducting forensic evaluations, with preference given to those candidates with experience in child protection or juvenile justice settings.
• Experience providing courtroom testimony pertaining to forensic evaluations.
• Fluency in Spanish, sign language, or other non-English languages.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to effectively convey information and opinions through written reports and oral testimony.
• Cultural competence, including an awareness of how experiences, beliefs, and values of diverse individuals and groups affect clinical forensic interactions and practice.
• Knowledge of ethical and best practice standards for the practice of clinical and forensic psychology.
• Ability to work cooperatively in an interdisciplinary setting.