Adult Counselor; Corrections

Adult Counselor (Corrections)

To perform responsible clinical duties in a program of counseling services for adults sentenced to the Department of Corrections facilities; to assess and coordinate program needs of men and women admitted to correctional facilities; and to do related work as required.

Works under the supervision of a superior with wide latitude for the exercise of initiative and independent judgement; work is reviewed for conformance to establish clinical counseling procedures and regulations. As required, may plan, supervise and/or review the work of subordinates.

Illustrative examples of work performed:

• To perform responsible clinical duties in order to provide counseling services in both individual and group settings.
• To develop individual treatment plans through an intake interview and assessment of all testing instruments, reports and criminal history data available.
• To develop and coordinate psychological, vocational, educational, substance abuse and post-release programming.
• To re-evaluate on a continuing basis the treatment programs for individual inmates and to revise these programs as necessary.
• To maintain clinical records on individuals and as necessary, to prepare reports for use in classification and parole plans.
• To serve as a voting member of institutional boards and to assist inmates called before institutional disciplinary boards.
• To assist inmates to make a satisfactory adjustment to prison life and to maintain contact with appropriate support systems available within the community.
• To act as a liaison with inmate families where necessary.
• To do related work as required.

Required qualifications for appointment:

Knowledges, skills and capacities: A thorough knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques of clinical counseling services as applied to individual and group counseling of adult inmates of correctional facilities; a thorough knowledge of various assessment techniques and the ability to interpret these techniques in the formulation of a treatment plan; a working knowledge of the Rhode Island General Laws which govern incarceration furlough, parole, and release of inmates confined to Adult Correctional Institutions;

a working knowledge of existing federal/state decrees governing the rights/responsibilities of correctional employees and inmates; the ability to conduct clinical interviews for the purpose of obtaining information and providing counseling; the ability to evaluate progress and to revise programs accordingly; the ability to maintain clinical records and to prepare written reports; the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with inmates, departmental staff members, inmate families and community resources;

and related capacities and abilities.

Education and experience:

Education such as may have been gained through: possession of a Master's Degree in Psychology, Counseling or a closely related field; and experience such as may have been gained through: employment in a responsible counseling position in a clinical setting. Or, any combination of education and experience that shall be substantially equivalent to the above education and experience.

This position works to assess and target need areas to support successful reentry and reduce likelihood of recidivism. Experience in a correctional setting is preferred. Experience providing services to justice involved individuals is preferred. Knowledge of evidence-based correctional practices and knowledge of Core Correctional practices is preferred. Experience providing individual and group behavioral interventions to address problematic behaviors is preferred.