Forensic Psychologist

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) is seeking an experienced Forensic Psychologist who will provide forensic services and evaluation to individuals with mental illness and substance abuse who become involved with the courts and the criminal justice system; or who present with need for a risk assessment.

The incumbent will conduct court ordered evaluations and risk assessments for individuals at court or in community settings, court ordered forensic evaluations on pre-trial and post-adjudication defendants such as competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility and aid in sentencing. The incumbent will conduct statutory evaluations pertaining to involuntary commitment to the mental health or substance use disorder inpatient systems; assessing mental status and answering dispositional questions; providing the court with other non-statutory evaluations and with clinical consultation.

The Psychologist also provides consultation to inpatient and community-based staff on forensic issues, participates in forensic education and training activities; and performs related work as required.

Please note: This position is assigned through Central Office working primarily at Brockton District and Superior Court and Stoughton District Court in the Southeast Area. The Forensic Psychologist may need to cover cases in other courts within the Southeast Area or outside of the Area as assigned and will also participate in covering cases on the statewide remote service.

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

• Provides timely court, community and hospital based evaluations for competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility, pursuant to MGL c.123, Sec. 15(a), (b) and Sec. 15(f); aid in sentencing under Sec. 15(e); persons detained on Warrants of Apprehension for commitment of a mentally ill person under Sec. 12(e); commitment for observation and evaluation under Sec. 16(a); Commitment under 16(b/c); hospitalizations of mentally ill prisoners under Sec. 18; determination of mental condition of parties or witnesses under Sec. 19; and evaluations of the commitment of an alcoholic under Sec. 35.
• Conducts Forensic Risk Assessments as requested by the DMH Forensic Mental Health Services at DMH inpatient facilities or in community settings. This may involve meeting with patients and their treatment teams, reviewing patient’s records and making recommendations concerning inpatient privileges and/or community or inpatient treatment planning to the treatment providers.
• Provides testimony as requested by the court, in role of expert witness and in conjunction with evaluations conducted as mentioned in #2, for the purpose of providing assessment and evaluation concerning a client facing judicial proceedings.
• Provides consultation to the court and probation staff as well as to community providers who are involved with forensic clients (mental health agencies, DCF, DYS, DDS, schools, residential programs, etc.) through either referral from the court or probation staff or as a result of a request from a community provider or resulting from an evaluation on a client now being serviced by the community provider with the purpose of providing assessment and evaluation regarding mental status and/or dispositional questions.
• Establishes and maintains good working relationships with these sources and must be very knowledgeable about DMH priority populations and available services by maintaining regular contact with these agencies through regular meetings and training for the purpose of maintaining an effective job performance.
• Conducts psychological evaluations and psychological testing of individuals when clinically indicated, using assessment instruments that are generally accepted as reliable and valid in the field of psychology.
• Completes data collection forms as required by the Department of Mental Health.
• Maintains a current working knowledge of developments, trends, policies, and procedures in the general mental health treatment system and in the provision of substance abuse services to persons involved in the civil and criminal justice system through training offered by Forensic Services and through regular and required continuing education as necessary to maintain a current license.
• Responsible for maintaining current level of expertise through obtaining of CEUs and other training.
• Provides clinical consultation on problematic cases being followed by other team staff, when requested, as an expectation of a collegial team relationship.
• Provides review and feedback on other team members’ evaluations, when requested, as an expectation of a collegial team relationship.
• Participates on committees, training and supervision as requested.

Required Qualifications:

• Considerable knowledge of types and symptoms of mental, emotional and substance abuse disorders.
• Ability (a) to recognize symptoms of mental, emotional and substance abuse disorders; (b) to interact with people who are experiencing varying levels of distress and dysfunction; and (c) to analyze psychological data, draw conclusions, and make appropriate recommendations.
• Knowledge of behavioral techniques; familiarity with theories of psychotherapy and counseling, and an understanding of current treatment approaches available for individuals with serious mental illnesses, including sever personality disorders.
• Ability to complete high quality written forensic reports and evaluations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to work under considerable time pressure, to work on multiple tasks at one time, and to produce high quality reports according to applicable standards and guidelines.
• Appointment as a designated forensic psychologist or eligibility to become a designated forensic psychologist within one year of date of hire.
• Knowledge of human services and criminal justice systems.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide variety of constituents.
• Proficient usage of Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Given the population served, bilingual or multilingual fluency.

DMH Mission Statement:

The Department of Mental Health assures and provides access to services and supports to meet the mental health needs of individuals of all ages, enabling them to live, work and participate in their communities. The Department establishes standards to ensure effective and culturally competent care to promote recovery. The Department sets policy, promotes self-determination, protects human rights, and supports mental health training and research.

Pre-Offer Process:

A criminal background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services prior to the candidate being hired. For more information, please visit http://www.mass.gov/hhs/cori