Public Safety Psychologist

Travis County•Austin, TX

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Psychologist provides psychological expertise supporting recruitment, selection, employee wellness, and organizational readiness in a corrections and law enforcement agency. Approximately 60% of the position is devoted to pre-employment psychological evaluations; the remaining work supports staff wellness and behavioral health through consultation, prevention, early intervention, education, crisis response, and referral. The psychologist works closely with the Wellness and Peer Support Program and serves as a subject-matter expert for supervisors, leaders, and designated agency partners. The role may provide brief crisis-oriented and supportive services, but is not intended to provide ongoing therapy to employees. When care beyond the scope of agency-based support is needed, the psychologist facilitates referral to external providers. The position is the primary psychologist for the agency within the Social Services job family. It may require a flexible work schedule to meet departmental needs. The role may provide expert-witness testimony, serve on committees, and perform other job-related duties as assigned. Work is based in Austin, Texas, with regular hours listed as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Employees may also be assigned to business continuity efforts outside their normal job functions.

Requirements

Ph.D. in Psychology.
At least two years of experience in assessment and counseling.
Current license to practice as a Psychologist in Texas, issued by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
Valid Texas Driver’s License.
Knowledge of psychological assessment and selection practices applicable to corrections, telecommunications, and law enforcement.
Knowledge of the occupational stressors and culture of correctional, telecommunications, and law enforcement environments.
Knowledge of trauma, critical incident response, suicide prevention, stress, burnout, behavioral health, community behavioral health resources, referral networks, psychology, psychometrics, psychopathy, physiological principles, diagnostic criteria, and psychological evaluation methods.
Knowledge of policies, procedures, rules, and regulations, and of HIPAA and other federal and state laws governing confidential health information.
Skill in psychological evaluation and assessment techniques, mediation procedures, interpreting diagnostic evaluations, analyzing behavior, and preparing and maintaining accurate records and reports.
Strong written and verbal communication, consultation, training, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to plan and direct psychological activities and research, organize workloads, provide psychological counseling, and offer practical consultation to supervisors and leaders.
Ability to collaborate across departments and multidisciplinary teams, plan and assign or supervise others’ work, and maintain effective working relationships with county employees, officials, outside agencies, and the public.
Ability to translate psychological concepts into practical information for public safety personnel and to establish trust while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
Ability to exercise independent judgment under minimal supervision.
Ability to meet the listed physical requirements, including lifting or carrying up to 35–100 pounds occasionally and performing a range of movements and activities needed for essential functions.
Applicants must attach a resume to the online application.
Successful completion of criminal, credit, driving, education, and employment checks, and a drug and alcohol test.

Nice To Haves

Three or more years of experience treating trauma using an evidence-based method.
EMDRIA certification in EMDR as an EMDRIA Certified Therapist or EMDRIA Approved Consultant in EMDR.
Experience treating law enforcement personnel.

Responsibilities

Conduct pre-employment psychological testing and evaluations for corrections, law enforcement, telecommunications, and civilian applicants.
Assess applicants’ psychological suitability for high-stress public safety positions.
Administer, score, interpret, and integrate psychological assessment instruments and structured interviews.
Prepare objective, thorough, and legally defensible evaluation reports; communicate findings to authorized agency personnel and/or TCOLE consistent with law, ethics, and agency policy; and maintain evaluation records.
Develop and deliver training and education for supervisors, leaders, and employees on psychological and behavioral health topics, including stress, trauma, suicide prevention, crisis response, sleep, and burnout.
Help supervisors recognize and respond appropriately to employee distress and connect employees with appropriate resources.
Consult with supervisors and managers about employee behavioral, emotional, workplace, and behavioral-health concerns, and with leadership about organizational factors affecting employee well-being.
Collaborate with the Peer Support Program to develop, implement, and evaluate wellness initiatives; identify emerging needs; and contribute to prevention, early intervention, communications, educational materials, and employee outreach.
Participate in multidisciplinary wellness planning with the Trauma Informed Program Administrator and agency partners, including Peer Support, Chaplaincy, Human Resources, and occupational health.
Help identify and build relationships with external behavioral health providers familiar with law enforcement and corrections culture.
Provide brief, crisis-oriented assessment, stabilization, supportive intervention, and resource navigation following critical incidents, traumatic events, or other significant stressors.
Refer employees to external services when needs exceed the scope of agency-based support, and support continuity of care as appropriate and consistent with confidentiality requirements.
Participate in critical incident response and post-incident support with the Critical Incident Stress Management Team as needed.
Provide court testimony as an expert witness, including Civil Service Commission testimony, if necessary.
Serve on committees as required and perform other job-related duties as assigned.