Forensic Psychologist Lead

Brief Description

The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (“The HARRIS CENTER”) is looking for a Lead Clinical Forensic Psychologist to join our team.

The Lead Clinical Forensic Psychologist provides clinical supervision and case consultation for the staff. This position also offers consultation on program design and has administrative responsibilities over the program and the staff. Other duties include conducting mental health evaluations, including court-ordered psychological and forensic evaluations, and consultations for services as designated by the juvenile court system for youth with mental health needs. Duties may include collaboration with individuals in the court as requested or other individuals designated by the juvenile justice system.

Your Role In Action

• Provides clinical supervision to designated unit staff and program administrative responsibilities to facilitate optimal performance of job duties.
• Evaluates work performance of staff supervised and institutes written disciplinary actions for substandard performance when needed in collaboration with the Program Director and Health Services administrative staff.
• Effectively interacts with judges, attorneys, and other court staff in the collection of information and collaboration on assigned cases.
• Conducts psychological evaluations and provides documentation of findings from clinical & guardian interviews, collateral records, and assessment measures.
• Conducts fitness to proceed, lack of responsibility, and other court ordered evaluations; completes written reports within the required timeframe; and provides court testimony relating to evaluation results as requested.
• Serves as a consultant for staff regarding procedures, resources, and clinical issues.
• Serves as Assistant Training Director & Forensic Supervisor for the APA – Accredited Internship program, which includes assisting the Training Director, clinically supervising the trainees, ensuring all trainees receive their required training, and that it commensurate with best practices in the field.
• Track internship program trainees’ progress and provide additional support when needed.
• Conducting data collection for the internship program.
• Provides case consultation, and clinical supervision and training to doctoral interns and Master’s level psychology trainees.
• Demonstrates ethical conduct in all clinical and professional activities.
• Ensures all services provided meet and /or complies with agency, unit and/or regulatory policies and procedures; state and federal laws and the performance contract.
• Communicates and works with consumers/visitors/other staff in a manner that demonstrates sensitivity to cultural diversities.
• Participates in the hiring and termination process of supervised staff as assigned by the Program Director and administrative Health Services staff.
• Performs related work as assigned. Adapts to changing work requirements.
• Collaborates with others (Program Director, VP of Forensic Services, Training Director of Forensic Unit, and Director & Assistant Director of Health Services, etc.) regarding program policies, designs and outcomes.
  
  

Education

What qualifications you will need:

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) or equivalent
• Licensed as a psychologist in the State of Texas
• Specialized training in forensic psychology or Board Certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology as a Forensic Psychologist.
  
  

Experience

• Minimum of 4 years’ experience with clinical/psychological evaluations of individuals with mental illness in the juvenile or criminal justice system.
• At least 5 years of clinical experience post-licensure working in the mental health field
• At least 5 years of clinical supervisory experience
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Knowledge of psychological assessment, fitness to proceed, and lack of responsibility tools and interview methods.
• Knowledge of diagnostic criteria, specific clinical features and guidelines for formulating a diagnosis.
• Knowledge of court requirements for fitness to proceed and lack of responsibility evaluations preferred.
• Knowledge of best practices in supervision of students on psychological and forensic evaluations, and psychotherapy.
• Strong diagnostic skills, the ability to incorporate patient history, symptoms, and environmental and related issues to formulate proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
• Strong communication skills, listening and interpersonal skills above average Written documentation is clear, concise and well-constructed.
• Effective time management and organization skills.
• Able to execute standard word processing software on the computer
  
  

What Else You Should Know

• This posting is associated with position #4594
  
  

About Us

The Harris Center is the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Authority serving Harris County, Texas. As the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, The Harris Center provides care to over 90,000 people and has an annual budget of over $300 million.

As part of its mission to transform the lives of people with behavioral health and IDD needs in the third largest county in the United States, The Harris Center provides a full continuum of services at 80 different sites across Harris County. In addition, services are provided in more than 40 different languages as well as sign language in order to better serve what is one of the largest communities in the nation.

By utilizing the unique expertise of its more than 2,500 employees, The Harris Center is committed to meeting the behavioral health and IDD needs of Harris County residents and giving them hope to live to their fullest potential.

What We Have To Offer

The Harris Center not only offers a competitive salary but also a suite of excellent benefits designed to enrich your life both professionally and personally. Imagine a future with a robust retirement plan complemented by our generous company matching – a testament to our investment in your long-term financial well-being. Experience the unique advantage of our prior service credit, accelerating your journey towards a more substantial Paid Time Off accrual, empowering you to enjoy well-deserved breaks.

Enjoy Cell Phone Discounts, exclusive entertainment deals through Tickets at Work, and a free Headspace subscription for mental wellness. Additionally, our Employee Assistance Program supports your overall well-being.

Take advantage of significant financial relief through student loan forgiveness as a valued member of The Harris Center team. As a qualifying entity, our employees are eligible for various student loan forgiveness programs, designed to alleviate the financial burdens associated with higher education.

Contributes to suicide care and prevention by embracing our values and applying a trauma-informed approach rooted in safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.