Psychological Services Associate 1 (Local Government) - Bedford County Mh/Id

THE POSITION

NOTE: THIS IS A REPOSTING OF CS-2024-80248-L0771. IF YOU APPLIED UNDER THE PREVIOUS POSTING WHICH WAS OPEN FROM MARCH 28, 2024 TO APRIL 10, 2024, YOU CANNOT SUBMIT A NEW APPLICATION.

Thank you for checking out our position! Bedford-Somerset DBHS has been serving the Bedford and Somerset communities for 55 years. Our vision is for every person and family that we serve will have a network of family, friends, advocates, and supportive services to live a full and productive life in our community. Learn more about us at www.dbhs.co.

This opportunity is for a therapist to provide School Based Counseling services in local schools. School Therapists work on site in schools to assess student needs, provide consultation, and education to school personnel, and make referrals. This position also provides counseling services in an Outpatient Program to individuals of all ages. Under guidance of the Supervisor, the therapist will establish a written goal-specific treatment plan, serve as a resource, collaborate on mental health cases and consult with colleagues, community individuals, or agencies on cases to assist in providing the highest quality of services.

We offer a supportive work environment, an excellent benefit package, and opportunities for career advancement. Plus, a NEW Student Loan Reimbursement Incentive program! Apply today!

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

This Psychological Services Associate will provide school-based counseling services in schools and outpatient services in the Bedford County Clinical Services Unit. This professional will be responsible for attending individual and group supervision meetings and assisting with presentations/trainings to other agencies, community organizations, and/or other interested parties regarding County Clinical Services and Developmental & Behavioral Health Services as requested. This therapist will also have the opportunity to participate in staff development trainings to further their education and expand their job knowledge to provide better services for the community.

Under the guidance of a supervisor, the School Based Counseling (SBC) duties will include:

• Providing group, individual, and play therapy to children and adolescents in the school

• Providing consultation and education to school personnel, other program areas, community individuals, and agencies relating to mental health issues and resources.

• Working on-site to complete school mental health assessments/intakes for students identified by the school

• Assessing student needs and complete appropriate referrals

• Working with Crisis Intervention staff in handling mental health emergencies in schools

Under the guidance of a supervisor, the Outpatient Services duties will include:

• Providing individual therapy, family therapy, couples counseling, and group counseling to people of all ages utilizing various professional techniques

• Collaborate with clientele and in conjunction with the Supervisor, establish within the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) a strengths-based, goal-specific treatment plan

• Discussing mental health cases with other staff, program areas, and community individuals or agencies on assigned cases

• Performing Therapy Diagnostic Evaluations in order to enroll clientele in counseling and psychiatric services as well as to assess areas of need that might be effectively addressed by other MH programs and services

• Making medically necessary referrals to other programs as warranted.

• Assisting and coordinating care with the Crisis Intervention staff in an effort facilitate crisis assessments related to voluntary hospitalizations when necessary

• Providing an eight-week, hourly group session related to the Extended Out Patient Program focusing on topics that promote self- care, self-management, and self-recovery, roughly once a year

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• This position reports to the DBHS Office for work.

• Full-time employment

• Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.

• Hours must be adjusted as needed based upon consumer requests for evening appointments.

• On occasion, staff may need to work hours outside of the set work week to complete projects, meet work demands, or in the event of an emergency.

• New staff will be on probation for 6 months.

• New staff may be eligible for a hybrid of on-site and remote work after 3-months of employment.

• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE, TRAINING & ELIGIBILITY

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• A master's degree in psychology or a closely related field.

• Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within 3 months of graduating with a qualifying degree.

Other Requirements:

• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.

• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:

• You must pass a background investigation.

• This position falls under the provisions of the Older Adult Protective Services Act.

• Under the Act, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports, including but not limited to, PA State Police and FBI clearance.

• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.

• Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.

How to Apply:

• Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).

• If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

• Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.

• Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Veterans:

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.employment.pa.gov/Additional%20Info/Pages/default.aspx and click the Veterans' Preference tab or contact us at ra-cs-vetpreference@pa.gov.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).

• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.

• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.

• You must provide complete and accurate information or:

• your score may be lower than deserved.

• you may be disqualified.

You may only apply/test once for this posting.Your results will be provided via email.

Benefit packages are determined by the county and may vary. Please contact the applicable county human resource office directly to inquire about a specific benefit package.

01

Do you possess a conferred master's degree or higher, or are you within 3 months of receiving a conferred master's degree or higher, in psychology, counseling, counseling education, rehabilitation, human development, special education, or vocational rehabilitation? If you are claiming credits/degree, you must upload a copy of your college transcript(s) for this education to be considered in the eligibility decision. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. You must attach your transcript(s) prior to the submission of your application by using the "Attachments" tab on the left. You will not be able to add a transcript(s) to the application after it has been submitted. If you answer "Yes" to this question based on education acquired outside of the United States, you must also upload a copy of your foreign credential evaluation. For more information on foreign education credentials, please visit https://www.employment.pa.gov/Additional%20Info/Pages/default.aspx#q3 and click on Other Information.

• Yes

• No

02

If you do not have the conferred master's degree or higher, on what date do you expect to receive your degree? Type N/A in the text box if this does not apply.

03

You must complete the supplemental questions below. These supplemental questions are the exam and will be scored. They are designed to give you the opportunity to relate your experience and training background to the major activities (Work Behaviors) performed in this position. Failure to provide complete and accurate information may delay the processing of your application or result in a lower-than-deserved score or disqualification. You must complete the application and answer the supplemental questions. Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position or to determine your score.

All information you provide on your application and supplemental questions is subject to verification. Any misrepresentation, falsification or omission of material facts is subject to penalty. If requested, you must provide documentation, including names, addresses, and telephone numbers of individuals who can verify the validity of the information you provide in the application and supplemental questions.

Read each question carefully. Determine and select which "Level of Performance" most closely represents your highest level of experience/training. List the employer(s)/training source(s) from your Work or Education sections of the application where you gained this experience/training. The "Level of Performance" you choose must be clearly supported within the description of the experience and training information entered in your application or your score may be lowered. In order to receive credit for experience, you must have worked in a job for at least six months in which the experience claimed was a major function.

If you have read and understand these instructions, please click on the "Yes" button and proceed to the exam questions.

If you have general questions regarding the application and hiring process, please refer to our FAQ page.

• Yes

04

WORK BEHAVIOR 1 - PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

Assesses mental, behavioral, emotional, and developmental disorders of patients/clients/inmates by observing patients/clients/inmates; reviewing data and information, psychological reports, etc., provided by other professionals and staff; interviewing patients/clients/inmates, family, and/or staff to elicit information concerning patients/clients/inmates; administering and interpreting standardized tests of personality, interest, vocational aptitude, intelligence, academic achievement, degree of symptom severity, and/or risk assessment; and makes appropriate referrals in narrative reports based upon the patient's/client's/inmate's need.

Levels of Performance

Select the Level of Performance that best describes your claim.

• A. I have professional experience related to the work behavior above which includes assessing mental, behavioral, emotional, and developmental disorders of patients/clients/inmates by observing patients/clients/inmates AND reviewing data and information, psychological reports, etc. AND interviewing patients/clients/inmates, family, and/or staff to elicit information concerning patients/clients/inmates AND administering and interpreting standardized tests of personality, interest, intelligence, achievement, and/or risk assessment.
• B. I have professional experience related to the work behavior above such as interviewing and assessing individuals OR administering OR interpreting standardized tests OR providing feedback to other professionals/individuals.
• C. I have successfully completed college-level or graduate-level coursework; OR I have successfully completed an internship related to this work behavior.
• D. I have NO experience, coursework, or training related to this work behavior.

05

In the text box below, please describe your experience as it relates to the level of performance you claimed in this work behavior. Please be sure your response addresses the items listed below which relate to your claim. If you indicated you have no work experience related to this work behavior, type N/A in the box below.

• The name(s) of the employer(s) where you gained this experience.

• The actual duties you performed related to psychological assessment.

• Your level of responsibility.

06

If you have selected the level of performance pertaining to college coursework, please provide your responses to the three items listed below. If you indicated you have no education/training related to this work behavior, type N/A in the text box below.

• College/University

• Course Title

• Credits/Clock Hours

07

WORK BEHAVIOR 2 - TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS

Treats patients/clients/inmates/family and/or staff by utilizing various psychological techniques and ongoing assessment tools to continuously update the degree of symptom(s) severity and progress; selecting the appropriate approach to use in individual and/or group therapy and planning the frequency, intensity, and duration of therapy; collaborating with other professionals/specialists in diagnostic and evaluative multi-disciplinary team meetings to discuss diagnosis, etiology, treatment disposition, and community re-entry issues; prepares progress notes, psychological reports, behavioral safety and support plans, treatment plan statements, etc. related to the mental and emotional/behavioral status of patients/clients/inmates/family and/or staff which include data on diagnosis, risk analysis, level of functioning, prognosis, and remediation.

Levels of Performance

Select the Level of Performance that best describes your claim.

• A. I have professional experience related to the work behavior above which includes treating patients/clients/inmates/family, or staff by utilizing various psychological techniques AND selecting the appropriate approach to use in individual and/or group therapy AND planning the frequency, intensity, and duration of therapy AND collaborating with other professionals/specialists in diagnostic and evaluative multi-disciplinary team meetings to discuss diagnosis, etiology, treatment disposition, and community re-entry issues AND preparing progress notes, psychological reports, treatment plan statements, etc. related to the mental and emotional/behavioral status of patients/clients/inmates/family, or staff which include data on diagnosis, risk analysis, level of functioning, prognosis, AND remediation.
• B. I have professional experience related to the work behavior above which includes treating individuals OR selecting the appropriate approach to use in individual/group therapy OR collaborating with other professionals/specialists or preparing progress reports/treatment plans for individuals in a setting where the treatment options are limited to a particular type of treatment/individual.
• C. I have successfully completed college-level or graduate-level coursework; OR I have successfully completed an internship related to this work behavior.
• D. I have NO experience, coursework, or training related to this work behavior.

08

In the text box below, please describe your experience as it relates to the level of performance you claimed in this work behavior. Please be sure your response addresses the items listed below which relate to your claim. If you indicated you have no work experience related to this work behavior, type N/A in the box below.

• The name(s) of the employer(s) where you gained this experience.

• The actual duties you performed related to the treatment of individuals.

• Your level of responsibility.

09

If you have selected the level of performance pertaining to college coursework, please provide your responses to the three items listed below. If you indicated you have no education/training related to this work behavior, type N/A in the text box below.

• College/University

• Course Title

• Credits/Clock Hours

Required Question

Agency Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Address 613 North Street

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17120

Website http://www.employment.pa.gov