Psychologist III

Brief Job Description

Would you thrive in an environment where you learn and grow personally and professionally all while helping make a positive impact on people’s lives? Do you appreciate being around others like yourself who are dependable, trustworthy, hard workers who believe in the value of teamwork? HSCS is dedicated to building an atmosphere where employees feel valued and supported while providing specialized care for Texans in need. HSCS is comprised of ten psychiatric hospitals, two youth residential treatment facilities, and thirteen state supported living centers. The psychiatric hospitals are a hub of excellence for forensic mental health and complex psychiatric care, with all facilities accredited by The Joint Commission. They provide state-of-the-art treatment that is recovery-oriented and science-based. If providing hope and healing through compassionate, innovative, and individualized care interests you, we welcome your application for the position below.

Essential Job Functions (EJFs)

• Attends work on a regular basis and may be asked to work a specific shift schedule or, at times, even a rotating schedule, extended shift and/or overtime in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.
• Provides professional supervision and consultation to Psychology staff and others, as needed, to ensure effective staff performance and resident support.
• Evaluates psychological/behavioral services and develops plans of improvement as needed to address needs/deficiencies to ensure compliance with relevant laws, standards, and policies as well as to ensure best practice.
• Ensures ongoing training and technical assistance to assigned professional staff and others as needed (e.g., direct contact staff) to facilitate service delivery and professional growth.
• Ensures coordination and integration of psychological/behavioral services with other areas throughout the facility to ensure clear expectations, facilitate best practices, ensure uniformity of procedures, and to support system values.
• Ensures quality and effectiveness of psychological activities and programs and oversees evaluations when indicated.
• Participates in the joint selection and orientation of assigned staff to ensure appropriate screening, hiring process, and effective selection/orientation.
• Performs special assignments at the request of the Clinical Director.
• Maintains current knowledge in relevant professional areas.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Knowledge and experience in administering all aspects of the delivery of psychological service to persons with psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses.
• Knowledge regarding etiology and characteristics of psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses.
• Knowledge regarding applicable laws, regulations, and departmental and agency policy.
• Knowledge and skills in the administration of standardized evaluations.
• Knowledge and skills in applied behavior analysis and behavior support plan development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Knowledge regarding psychotropic medications and systems to track treatment effectiveness.
• Ability to train staff in programming and related psychological/behavioral areas.
• Ability to professionally supervise psychological/behavioral and programming staff.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and make varied decisions within broad guidelines/parameters.
• Advanced writing skills in developing technical reports, grants, research proposals, and other relevant documents.
• Leadership skills in motivating staff and effectively implementing changes.
• Knowledge and skills in using personal computers and relevant software.

Registrations, Licensure Requirements or Certifications

• Must be licensed as a Psychologist by the State of Texas or a reciprocity state.

Initial Screening Criteria

• A doctoral degree in Psychology.
• At least three years of experience in administering psychological service in the inpatient psychiatric setting preferred.
• At least three years of experience in the administration of standardized evaluations.
• Applied behavior analysis and behavior support plan development, implementation, and evaluation preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience supervising psychological/behavioral and programming staff preferred.