Job Description

Taunton State Hospital is seeking qualified candidates for a Full Time Psychologist IV. The Psychologist IV functions as a member of a clinical team, develops incentive-based behavioral management programs, provides therapy, assessment, and psychological testing on a referral basis, consults to other staff on psychological issues, and performs related work as required. Responsible for psychology services, assuring that patient needs for psychological services are met by organizing, coordinating services, improving program performance and providing supervision/consultation to staff and trainees. Psychologist IVs, supervise and perform admission assessment, risk screening, specialized clinical risk assessments and diagnostic evaluations including psychological testing when indicated. Psychologist IVs are responsible for the risk assessments, treatment planning, positive behavior support plan development, consultation with interdisciplinary colleagues and individual and group therapy. Psychologist IVs practice based on their MA Psychologist License and maintain all of the professional requirements associated. Psychologist IVs may be assigned to supervise as well as manage the services of Psychologist IIIs, Psychologist IIs, post-doctoral staff, doctoral interns, practicum students or other designated interdisciplinary staff/students.

• Designs and implements incentive-based behavior management programs in collaboration with the patient and the treatment team to improve their day-to-day functioning, to reinforce the development and utilization of appropriate coping skills, to increase openness to new learning according to TSH protocols and Psychology practice standards.
• Collaborates within a multidisciplinary team including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, rehabilitation specialists, nursing staff, and community representatives.
• Performs Risk Assessment and Psychological testing functions, implementing DMH's risk screening tools per policy, including initial and interval psychological assessments.
• Performs psycho-diagnostic assessments of the mental condition of patients by conducting intake interviews, investigating histories and evaluating patients' overall fitness, and to determine the need for and type of psychological testing.
• Facilitates psycho-diagnostic evaluations by arranging testing and counseling, by administering and scoring psychological and educational tests, and by interpreting the results of objective and projective tests to aid in diagnosis and treatment of patients.
• Provides counseling and psychotherapy to groups, families, and individuals, to assist people in gaining insight into their problems and motivation to change non-adaptive behavior. Documentation of treatment is complete and consistent with CMS guidelines.
• Participates in the development of treatment plans by presenting individual cases to multi-disciplinary teams, by evaluating the evidence presented, by recommending treatment goals and modalities in order to establish treatment plans uniquely suited to the individual patient.
• Facilitate in-service training, by planning and delivering programs for trainees or others, by developing training programs and methods in areas such as psychotherapeutic techniques and theory, for psychology staff and for other disciplines to ensure the effective provision of services to patients.
• Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide appropriate care to the age related and cultural needs of clients/patients served.
• Actively participate in relevant hospital training, both as a learner and contributor, as needed, and meets all training responsibilities both by DMH and for psychological licensure.
• Meets with and performs administrative and other tasks as requested by the hospital leadership and the Director of the Psychology Department.
• If assigned, provides quality supervision and education to assigned post-doctoral psychology staff, doctoral interns, advanced practicum students and other psychology or interdisciplinary trainees.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Inpatient experience providing recovery-oriented person-centered psychology services including risk assessment services to people with mental illness.
• Knowledge and experience working with the forensic evaluation process and interest in working with inpatients committed by the courts for forensic evaluations.
• Skill in crisis intervention and the delivery of individual and group treatment services to people with serious mental illness and acute substance abuse problems.
• Based on assignment, travel may be required. Those employees who elect to use a motor vehicle for travel must have a current and valid Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Operator's license or the equivalent from another state.
• Given the population served, bilingual or multilingual fluency.

• Current and valid registration as a Psychologist by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Psychology.