Corrections Counselor

Position Overview

This position is located at High Desert State Prison (HDSP) in Indian Springs. Incumbents provide mental health services to offenders in a maximum‑security facility for men, completing assessments, teaching psycho‑educational classes, making treatment recommendations, and engaging in crisis intervention and offender de‑escalation.

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in clinical psychology, psychology, counseling, education, social work, or a closely related field, plus three years of post‑Master’s experience providing therapy, psychological testing and programmatic services in a correctional, rehabilitative, clinic or institutional setting.
• Doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, educational psychology, social work, or a closely related field, which included a one‑year internship in an applied program and one year of professional experience providing therapy, psychological testing and programmatic services in a correctional setting.
• Doctoral degree (Psy.D.) in clinical psychology from an accredited school of professional psychology, a one‑year internship in an applied program, and one year of experience as described above.
• One year of experience as a Corrections Counselor II in Nevada State service.

• Interview individuals to determine treatment, programming, or placement needs; make behavioral health recommendations; interpret and integrate data with interview findings and behavioral observations; discuss results with offenders or other authorized individuals; prepare written reports on offenders interviewed which include potential behavioral health needs.
• Participate as a member of the treatment team in staff meetings; share information and analyze treatment options; define, provide, and schedule appropriate care.
• Provide counseling services, relaxation training, relationship counseling, substance abuse counseling, and pain management counseling to facilitate recovery and maintain offenders in the least restrictive environment possible.
• Provide crisis intervention by applying appropriate de‑escalation techniques and principles to relieve the immediate problem; intervene with offenders who may be hostile, aggressive, combative or assaultive; follow established protocol to protect offenders, staff, and others who may be at risk; form a crisis debriefing team of mental health and security professionals and debrief staff involved in emergency situations.
• Consult and train staff regarding current policies and procedures to comply with statutory and ethical requirements and current scientific developments in relevant areas.
• Participate in planning, developing and coordinating program services to meet the needs of the population served; participate in committees and facility activities in developing policies and procedures; and participate in quality review programs.
• In a correctional setting, participate on the Unit Management Team to deliver services to offenders within their units.
• Document activities in regular written reports and on charts to comply with legal requirements and maintain adequate records; prepare information and documentation necessary for billing and recommend third‑party payments as appropriate.
• Conduct research and evaluation studies, for data collection and statistical purposes, to enhance services provided which may include interviews, offender characteristics, prediction of positive treatment outcomes, or prediction of recidivism or violence of an individual offender.
• Perform related duties as assigned.
• Under general supervision, be assigned complex caseloads and provide care for the most severely mentally ill, developmentally, or learning‑disabled offenders and provide psycho‑educational programs and groups.

This job specification lists the major knowledge, skills and abilities of the job and is not all inclusive. Incumbents will be expected to have knowledge, skills and abilities from a previous level.

• Assessment tools and instruments used in the diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of individuals in the…