Duties
Participates in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of a wide variety of personality evaluation methods and is responsible for the preparation of comprehensive psychological reports for various purposes.
Assists in interdisciplinary classification of inmates by identifying behavioral, emotional, organic, drug/alcohol, or personality problems and the subsequent development of appropriate programs on an individual basis.
Completes reports for institutional staff on inmates who may manifest sudden bizarre behavior or thoughts, insomnia, psychosomatic complaints, suicidal preoccupations, depression, somnambulism, anxiety, situational crisis, or long-term disciplinary and segregation cases, etc.
Conducts individual treatment and crisis intervention sessions on an as-needed or emergency basis.
Responsible for providing assessment and referral services for staff referred to psychology services by their supervisors or for staff personally requesting assistance with problems of alcohol use, drug use, or emotional problems which are affecting job performance.
Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staffs correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship is Required.
- See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
Career Transition Programs (CTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:
- 1. Meet CTAP eligibility criteria;
- 2. Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
- 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility:
- A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter),
- Most recent performance appraisal, and
- Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
- See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.
NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.
EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Qualifications
To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements:
Basic Requirements:
Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology.
NOTE: If you are within nine (9) months of completing all the requirements for your PH.D in Clinical or Counseling psychology, you MUST electronically upload a copy of your unofficial transcript documenting current enrollment in a PHD program AND upload an official letter from the Registrar office or Dean validating current enrollment in Clinical or Counseling and your program projected completion date (MM,DD,YYYY). If selected, you MUST provide a letter from the university validating the completion date (MM,DD,YYYY) of all degree requirements to the local Human Resource prior to entering on duty. If your official letter from the Registrar office or Dean verified completion of all degree requirements with the sole exception being completion of your internship, an official letter from your Internship Program Coordinator, prior to entry on duty, is acceptable.
AND
In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must have:
Education:
There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position at this level.
OR
Experience:
You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.
Some examples of qualifying experience are:
- Experience in making professional decisions concerning diagnosis and treatment of inmates under their care.
- Experience in assisting in interdisciplinary classification of inmates by identifying behavioral, emotional, organic, drug/alcohol, or personality problems and the subsequent development of appropriate programs on an individual basis.
- Experience in completing reports for the courts on study and observation cases.
- Experience in providing assessment and referral services for staff referred to psychology services by their supervisors or for staff personally requesting assistance with problems of alcohol use, drug use, or emotional problems which are affecting job performance.
AND
Quality Ranking Factor:
- Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) from an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited educational institution, directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology.
NOTE: The above quality ranking factor is preferred. Therefore, applicants who possess the quality ranking factor can be ranked above those who do not, but no candidates can be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess a quality ranking factor.
If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.
**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**
Education
See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.
ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.
Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.
Additional information
Although 5 U.S.C. 3307 established a maximum entry age for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution, applicants can be considered up to age 39. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage.
The representative rate for this position is $114,785 per annum ($55.00 per hour).
Special Conditions of Employment Section:
Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks.
All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.
Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.
The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application. You may be required to provide proof of residence.
Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.
NOTE: A 25% RETENTION INCENTIVE WILL BE PAID TO SELECTEE(S) WHO MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR RETENTION INCENTIVES.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
If your composite score exceeds the average score for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your online assessment responses and utilized to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If your selections are not supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application:
- Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile;
- Your responses to the eligibility questions;
- Your responses to the online assessment;
- Your supporting documentation, if required.
Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?
The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:
- Psychological Assessments
- Intervention
- Interdisciplinary Communication
- Professional Development
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.
- Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional). Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee’s position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, MOU, etc.). If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed.
- To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must include:
- Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND
- Number of hours worked per week.
- SF-50: Current or former Federal employees NOT employed by the Bureau of Prisons MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment, tenure group, and salary. If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. If you are applying for a higher grade, and your experience was gained at a Federal agency other than the Bureau of Prisons, you MUST provide the SF-50 Form which verifies the length of time you have been in your highest grade and supports your claim for time in grade.
- Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment.
- Current federal employees NOT employed by the BOP and former federal employees MUST submit a copy of their latest yearly performance appraisal/evaluation.
- Proof of CTAP eligibility, Click Here, if applicable.
- College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable).
- NOTE: If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.
For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my resume?
We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.