Senior Psychologist, Correctional Facility (Specialist) - Pelican Bay State Prison

Job Description and Duties

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) was implemented. PLP 2025 requires each full-time employee in Bargaining Unit 19, and related Excluded, Exempt and Statutory Exempt employees, will have their base salary reduced by 3 percent and will receive 5 hours PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 2027. Salaries do not reflect the recent changes.

Limited Term 12 months; may be extended up to 24 months or become permanent.

Please be advised of the following additional pay benefits individuals may be eligible for:

• Recruitment and Retention Bonus may be available for clinicians newly hired with California Correctional Health Care Services.

• Please note: Individuals may be eligible to receive a $10,000 one-time recruitment and retention stipend should they meet the eligibility criteria, including but not limited to remaining employed with CCHCS for six months. Additionally, individuals may be eligible to receive a monthly recruitment and retention differential during their first year with CCHCS (totaling $20,000), should they meet the eligibility criteria.

• IMPORTANT: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) employees may be eligible for a $5,000 referral bonus should you be selected for hire, and remain employed with CCHCS for 90 days. For a CDCR/CCHCS employee to be considered, a questionnaire must be completed to the best of your knowledge, including the referring employee’s name, classification, PERNR, and work location. The questionnaire will be provided to the selected candidate during the pre-employment process.

Under the general direction of the Chief Psychologist, Correctional Facility (CF) or Chief of Mental Health Services, the Senior Psychologist, CF (Specialist), Suicide Prevention, Training and Assessment Coordinator coordinates the institution’s suicide prevention program, including training, suicide risk evaluations, internal reviews of suicide attempts and completed suicides, and institutional audits, reviews, and improvement of suicide prevention practices. The Senior Psychologist, CF, (Specialist) also coordinates and monitors the Mental Health Program’s training activities and has oversight of the psychological assessment program. The Senior Psychologist, CF (Specialist), maintains order and supervises the conduct of the incarcerated and protects and maintains the safety of persons and property. Some travel is required.

Minimum Qualifications

License: Possession of a valid license as a Psychologist issued by the California Board of Psychology And

Education: Possession of an earned Doctorate Degree in Psychology from an educational institution meeting the criteria of Section 2914 of the Medical Board of California's Business and Professions Code.

Individuals who do not qualify for licensure by the California Board of Psychology or who are in the process of securing this license will be admitted into the examination and may be appointed, but must secure a valid license within three years of appointment or the employment shall be terminated. For persons employed less than full time, an extension of a waiver of licensure may be granted for additional years proportional to the extent of part-time employment, as long as the person is employed without interruption in service, but in no case shall the waiver exceed five years.

(Unlicensed individuals who are recruited from outside the State of California and who qualify for licensure may take the examination and may be appointed for a maximum of two years at which time licensure shall have been obtained or the employment shall be terminated. Additionally, they must take the licensure examination at the earliest possible date after the date of employment.)

And Experience: Either

1.  One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Psychologist Clinical, Correctional Facility, or Staff Psychologist (any specialty);

2. Two years of postdoctoral, postinternship experience in the practice of psychology involving assessment and treatment and either training, research, consultation, or program planning in mental health services.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) Medical Clearance prior to being hired.

Do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for a job vacancy, such as your State application, resume, or educational transcripts. Confidential information that should be excluded or removed from these documents includes, but is not limited to, your Social Security Number (SSN), birthdate, student identification number, driver’s license number (unless required), basis of eligibility, examination results, LEAP status, marital status, and age. Confidential information on the first page of applications submitted electronically online, such as Easy ID number, SSN, examination related information, and driver’s license number will automatically be redacted upon submission.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are meeting Minimum Qualifications with education, you must include your unofficial transcripts/diploma for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the Minimum Qualifications, the candidate will be withheld from the eligibility list, rendering them inactive and ineligible to be hired for the position. Candidates who have been withheld may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board.

Candidates new to CCHCS are required to submit to a background investigation process utilizing Live Scan Fingerprinting.

Tuberculosis (TB) testing is required for candidates new to CCHCS prior to appointment followed by department annual TB testing/evaluation thereafter.

Applicants who completed their education outside of the US (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of U.S. course/degree equivalency. Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at  NACES | National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

When submitting supporting documents, PDF file format is preferred.

Employment History on the STD 678 must be complete and include dates, accurate hours per week, total time worked, duties and responsibilities, and contact names and phone numbers of supervisors. To prepare for the State Application process, please visit  .

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Shall create and promote an equitable and inclusive workplace where diversity is celebrated and valued.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website, , and the CalPERS website, .

Information on benefits afforded by membership in the California Public Employees Retirement System Benefit can be found on the CalHR website at .

Information on the benefits and protections provided to public employees by the State Civil Service Act can be found on the CalHR website at .

This webpage is intended to provide general information. Benefit eligibility may be based on job classification, bargaining unit, time base and length of appointment.

Additional Information

Priority consideration will be given to Reemployment, Departmental Restriction of Appointment (DROA), State Restriction of Appointment (SROA), and Surplus candidates.

All methods of appointments may be considered.

CCHCS accepts electronic applications. If interested, please submit an electronic application (STD 678) and resume through your CalCareer account at Your application must be submitted on or before the above Final Filing Date.

Paper App (If unable to submit an electronic application): To apply for this position, you may submit a Standard State Application (STD 678) and resume, along with copies of your most recent performance report, college transcripts/college diploma (if applicable) and license/certification (if applicable) to the contact person listed above.

PLEASE NOTE: All applicants must meet the minimum qualifications (MQ's) of the classification, per SPB Rule 250. Possession of MQs for list eligible applicants will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet MQs, the necessary steps will be taken to have the applicant's name withheld from the eligibility list.

This advertisement may be used for other LIMITED TERM/FULLTIME vacancies that may occur at this location during the life of this recruitment.

Resumes will be accepted in addition to the required STD. 678.

It is up to the hiring authority to accept Training and Development (T&D) assignments. If you are interested in a T&D assignment, you are not required to meet MQs; however, you must indicate T&D as your eligibility when applying.

The term VAR and/or XXX in the position number indicates that multiple vacancies may exist for this classification.

Interview Checklist

To prepare for the interview process, please refer to the  .

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Other - License: Possession of a valid license as a Psychologist issued by the California Board of Psychology.
• Other - Education: If you are meeting minimum qualifications with education, you must include a copy of your diploma/degree and/or unofficial/informal transcripts for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If you are not using education to meet minimum qualifications, you may bypass this requirement.