Duties
Functions as a Specialty Treatment Program Specialist within a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) federal correctional facility and the primary responsibilities are to deliver services to inmates in an effort to help them overcome psychological problems.
Provides group and individual counseling to inmates with the psychological problems targeted by the Challenge Program: high security inmates with antisocial attitudes and behaviors, substance abuse, and/or mental illness.
Reads inmate file records to extract information relevant to treatment.
Identifies deficiencies and excesses in inmates' patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior and recommends or devises steps to remediate them.
Learns and applies new assessment and treatment techniques for helping inmates overcome psychological problems and plans aftercare programs for inmates released to halfway houses and community.
Advises the Specialty Program Coordinator or Advance Care Level Psychologist on issues of program content, selection and expulsion of inmates, scheduling of groups, and other issues relevant to the overall operation of the program.
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.
- Selective Service Requirement: http://www.sss.gov
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: Click Here
The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here
Qualifications
To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements.
Basic Requirements:
A. Degree - that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in the behavioral or social sciences.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience - that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in the behavioral or social sciences, and that provided applicants with knowledge of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a 4-year degree as shown in A above.
Evaluation of Education: Courses, such as sociology, correctional administration, criminal justice, government/political science, psychology, social work, counseling, and other related social or behavioral science courses may be used to satisfy the 24-semesterhour requirement.
Evaluation of Experience: Experience must have been gained in (1) casework in a correctional institution or in another criminal justice setting; (2) counseling in any setting, provided it required diagnostic or treatment planning skills to achieve specific social or occupational goals; or (3) work treating persons in need of social rehabilitation.
AND
In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must have:
Education:
GL-09: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree OR master's or equivalent graduate degree.
GS-11: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent graduate degree.
Graduate Education must have been in corrections or a related field, such as criminal justice, sociology, psychology, counseling, social work, or other course work related to the position.
OR
Experience:
GL-09 and GS-11: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. 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 this qualifying experience are:
GL-09:
- Experience in developing and providing multi-session presentations or lectures to groups, case presentation or participation in professional mental health and or clinical discussions.
- Experience providing or co-facilitating group and individual counseling to inmates with the psychological problems targeted by the specialty program.
- Experience in reviewing inmate file records to extract information relevant to prepare treatment plans (i.e. could include case management, and or synthesis of file information).
- Experience in writing reports or providing mental health/substance abuse screenings relevant to inmates' histories of psychological problems and their progress in treatment.
GS-11:
- Experience providing group and individual counseling to inmates with the psychological problems targeted by the specialty program.
- Experience in applying new assessment and treatment techniques for helping inmates overcome psychological problems.
- Experience in administering questionnaires and conducting interviews to obtain information about inmates to identify techniques for helping inmates overcome psychological problems.
- Experience in developing and writing individualized clinical documentations (i.e. treatment plans and progress notes).
- Knowledge of facts, concepts and theories of human behavior and disorders/behavior problems.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience:
GL-09 and GS-11: Combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above.
AND
Selective Placement Factor:
NOTE: The Challenge Program targets high security inmates with antisocial behaviors, substance abuse, and/or mental illness.
GL-09 and GS-11: Applicants applying for this position MUST also possess one of the following Selective Placement Factors. In the event you do not meet one of the Selective Factors, you will be found ineligible.
GL-09:
- 12 semester hours of undergraduate course work specific to antisocial behaviors, substance abuse and/or mental illness.
OR
- 12 months of professional experience in counseling antisocial behaviors, substance abuse and/or mental illness.
GS-11:
- 15 semester hours of graduate course work specific to antisocial behaviors, substance abuse and/or mental illness.
OR
- 18 months of professional experience in counseling antisocial behaviors, substance abuse and/or mental illness.
NOTE: All applicants MUST electronically upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement or clearly address this professional experience in their resume to be found qualified.
If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the 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 these 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.
Benefits
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.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Based upon your self-reported responses to the assessment questions during the application process, your application will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Applications will be reviewed from the top quality category. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are found qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to the responses you provided on the online assessment questionnaire.
NOTE: Candidates within the top quality category and who are eligible for veterans preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
If you are entitled to veterans preference, you should indicate the type of veterans preference you are claiming on your resume. Although veterans preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under "How You Will Be Evaluated", veterans preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.
In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest qualified category as defined by category rating procedures.
Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, etc.) that includes specific timeframes (MM/YYYY) format and number of hours performing duties.
What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?
The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:
GL-09 and GS-11:
- Therapy and Counseling.
- Psychology.
- Written Communication.
- Oral Communication.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
How to Apply
You must apply through the online application system at www.USAJOBS.gov. Follow the prompts to register, answer a few questions and submit all required documents.
NOTE: Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described under the Required Documents section. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment.
Claiming Veterans Preference? If yes, you MUST claim preference on-line during the application process and upload documentation to support preference claimed. Failure to claim Veterans Preference or provide supporting documentation may result in you not receiving appropriate consideration during the assessment process.
Required supporting documentation must be electronically uploaded or transferred from USAJOBS (uploaded).
All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
Supporting documentation for announcements with an application limitation MUST be uploaded the same day you apply, as these positions may close earlier than stated in the announcement.
Paper applications: If applying online is impossible, please contact the Consolidated Staffing Unit at the telephone number listed below, prior to the closing date of the announcement for the alternate application procedure.
Contact for Assistance in Applying On-Line:
DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Consolidated Staffing Unit
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051
E-Mail: BOP-HRM-HRSC-ConsolidatedStaffingUnit-S@bop.gov
Phone: 972-352-4200
Next steps
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the application process has been completed.
Applicants will be notified via e-mail, to the e-mail address registered in USAJOBS. The referral certificate or list of eligibles will then be issued to the selecting official for further consideration.
The Human Resource Office may then contact you for an interview if they wish. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Applicants referred on a certificate of eligibles may receive an Inquiry of Availability (OF-5 Form) via e-mail, mail or a telephone inquiry from the local Human Resource Department. Applicants MUST complete the OF-5 form and return it to the Human Resource Management Office or contact the Human Resource Department telephonically or via e-mail.
Applicants MUST also telephone the Human Resource Department during normal business hours to schedule an interview. Failure to either return the form or contact the Human Resource Department will result in a loss of consideration for the position.