DSHS WSH Psychology Associate

State of Washington • Pierce County – Lakewood, WA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Behavioral Health & Habilitation Administration (BHHA) within WA State’s Department of Social and Health Services is seeking a dedicated Psychology Associate to join our team at Western State Hospital (WSH) in Lakewood, WA. This role will help us provide treatment, consultation, and evaluation services for a specialized area of mental health and will be a key member in supporting the development of our sex offense treatment program. As a Sexual Offense & Behavior Associate, you’ll utilize evidenced-based approaches to evaluation and assessment, following professional guidelines and statutory requirements in assessing risk. This involves reviewing records, interviewing patients, and consulting with treatment team staff and other stakeholders. Your recommendations will inform discharge planning and support safe transition plans for patients and the community. Your expertise will also extend to providing psychological consultation to staff, offering guidance on psychiatric disorders, treatments, and care strategies, as well as facilitating work between contracted providers who currently provide sex offense treatment. You may provide sex offense treatment or other treatment interventions related to sexually problematic behavior, including providing recommendations to treatment teams. Within this role, you will work with the Psychologist 4: Sex Offender Treatment Provider to participate in and present bulletins to the End of Sentence Review Committee (ESRC), and may be the formal representative and/or voting member for WSH, once training requirements have been met. Involvement with this committee will provide opportunities to learn and collaborate with many agencies within WA state. Additionally, once established, you will be a member of the Sex Offense Review and Referral Team, which will be responsible for overseeing the review process for patients with a history of sex offenses or problematic sexual behavior. More broadly, this role will also help to support BHHA efforts to provide trauma-informed care and champion equity, diversity, access, and inclusion across all facets of work, emphasizing employee engagement, patient care, provider relations, and community partnerships.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in psychology from an accredited school or department of psychology.
• Current mental health license to practice independently, without clinical supervision, in the State of Washington, OR an Agency Affiliated Counselor registration from the state of Washington is required.
• Experience working with forensic patients and/ or experience with individuals who have committed sexual offenses and/ or struggle with sexually problematic behavior.
• Working knowledge of static and dynamic risk factors, protective factors, approaches to treatment and assessment, and the Risk Need Responsivity considerations, as it pertains to individuals with sexual offenses.

Nice To Haves

• Certification as an affiliate Sex Offender Treatment Provider or Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider is desired.

Responsibilities

• Provides support and coverage across hospital centers to other ESRC-assigned hospital representatives, as needed.
• Provides consultation to treatment teams on individuals with sexual offenses, including discussion of risk, risk mitigation, and protective factors.
• Conduct assessments related to sexually problematic behaviors.
• Track and manage caseload for patients with sex offenses, monitoring for notifications needed, presentation for leveling, and supporting risk mediation measures.
• Conduct 6358 discharge reviews for individuals who meet criteria for the review based on a history of sexual violence, under supervision.
• Provide treatment to patients with sex offense histories, and/or referrals when determined by SORRT.
• Testify at court hearings/reviews and/or trials as deemed appropriate and necessary.

Benefits

• Employees driving on state business must have a valid driver's license.
• Employees driving a privately owned vehicle on state business must have liability insurance on the privately owned vehicle.
• Pierce County employees receive a free Orca card for transportation needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level