Community Forensic Director - East - Psychologist

The Community Forensic Director is a member of the State Office of Forensics Services (SOFS) and reports to the Assistant State Director. The selected candidate will be responsible for the development and management of all aspects of outpatient forensic services for the geographic area assigned. This includes, both juvenile and adults, forensic evaluations, community competency remediation/restoration, and collaboration with key community criminal/juvenile justice stakeholders and, for adults only, outpatient civil commitment reviews.

• Provides clinical direction and administrative supervision to a team of outpatient psychologists.
  • Oversees caseload management for outpatient evaluation team psychologists to promote appropriate levels of productivity.
  • Tracks and ensures timely community competency remediation/restorations are completed at appropriate frequency given case circumstances.
  • Provides supervision and planning to staff regarding work priorities based on employee skill and experience levels.
  • Carries out administrative functions (timekeeping, travel reimbursement, performance evaluation, and biannual verification of psychologist licensure status) for psychologists and support staff on their team.
  • Ensures the quality and timeliness of forensic reports/ court correspondence and
  • Ensures responsiveness to the needs and requests of Superior, State, and Juvenile Courts
  • Encourages diversion of defendants when appropriate.
  • Ensures timely data entry into the state data management system.
  • Ensures documentation of critical incidents following Department policy.
  • Outlines goals and activities that are consistent with SOFS’s overall objectives, and communicates them to superiors and subordinates
• Collaborates with the State’s Forensic Community Coordinator (FCC) Supervisor to ensure cohesion of these two programs.
  • Works with state psychologists and FCCs regarding work integration, clinical strategies to reduce evaluation and hospital wait-times, and triaging of defendants.
  • Oversees the timely completion of annual assessments of forensic individuals monitored in the community.
  • Ensures clinical supervision of FCCs in assigned area the state.
• Develops community-specific procedures and processes that are consistent with SOFS and recommends/implements changes to ensure efficient functioning.
  • Consults with appropriate SOFS staff and/or hospital forensic directors regarding policy, budgetary considerations, and administrative procedures in order to make suitable decisions regarding these matters.
  • Develops budgetary requests for staff and materials (e.g., psychological testing supplies) based on consideration of relevant needs and available resources.
• Conducts court-ordered forensic psychological evaluations.
  • Possesses working knowledge of abnormal psychology, pertinent statutes and case law related to the practice of forensic psychology, malingering assessment tools, intellectual testing, personality assessment, best practices in mental health treatment, and ethical/professional guidelines for the practice of forensic psychology.
  • Ability to write forensic psychological evaluations to answer questions of competency to stand trial and/or degree of criminal responsibility, as well as perform annual reviews of civilly committed forensic patients who reside in the community and make treatment recommendations.
  • Works with jail medical staff to recommend treatment interventions for defendants who may be incompetent to stand trial without admission to a hospital.
  • May assist with inpatient (primarily pretrial) forensic evaluations.
  • Provides expert testimony and makes dispositional recommendations based on expertise.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with the state office, hospital systems, other evaluation teams, community providers, judicial system staff, and law enforcement agencies.
  • Represents the state’s community forensic programming on issues in relationships with judicial systems and law enforcement agencies.
  • With pre-approval from the state office, provides consultation, presentations, and training, as requested or needed, on forensic issues and services to hospitals, communities, legal systems, and law enforcement agencies.
• Maintains knowledge of current trends and developments in the field by reading appropriate books, journals, and other literature and attending pertinent seminars, conferences, and workshops as available. Applies relevant new knowledge to performance and other responsibilities.

Benefits

• Vacation - 15 days each year up to 5 years of service; 18 days each year from 5-10 years of service; 21 days each year for 10 + years of service
• Sick Leave – accrual at a rate of 10 hours per month (15 days each year)
• Holidays – the state of Georgia recognizes 13 paid holidays
• Retirement - 401(k) with a matching employer contribution and a Defined Benefit Pension Plan
• Available Insurance – Health; Dental; Vision; Legal; Disability; Life & Dependent Life
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Healthcare & Childcare

Preferred Qualifications

Some items listed as "Preferred Qualifications" are REQUIRED for this position.

• REQUIRED - Licensure as a psychologist in Georgia or eligibility for licensure as a psychologist in Georgia
• Doctoral degree in psychology and at least 7 years of experience in provision of clinical services in a psychiatric or correctional setting
• Significant knowledge and at least 5 years of experience in the practice of forensic psychology
• Completion of the State’s Competency Certification Program is required within one year of position start.
• Experience in administration and management
• Substantial experience in forensic evaluation of both adults (competency and insanity) and juveniles (competency)
• Experience completing Annual Reviews
• Experience completing violence risk assessments
• Obtained State Competency Evaluator Certification

FOR THIS TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT, STATE LAW REQUIRES A NATIONAL AND STATE BACKGROUND CHECK AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.

We reserve the right to close this position when we determine there is an adequate candidate pool.  

B9876