Correctional Treatment Specialist (Specialty Treatment Program Specialist - Challenge)

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

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Duties

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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

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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:

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-semester-hour 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. 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 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

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution.

The representative rate for this position is $102,696 per annum ($49.21 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.

Although competitive and non-competitive applications are being accepted, the selecting official may elect to have only one group reviewed.

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.

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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.