Senior Court Clinician​/Psychologist

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Job Description - Senior Court Clinician/ Psychologist (190009XA)

Job Description

Description

ALL APPLICANTS MUST APPLY DIRECTLY THROUGH THE TRIAL COURT EMPLOYMENT PAGE LINKED BELOW.

IF YOU APPLY THROUGH THE APPLY ONLINE LINK ABOVE ON THIS MASS CAREERS PAGE YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION.

You have successfully applied to the position when you receive an email from the Massachusetts Trial Court
.

If you only receive an email from Mass Careers, you HAVE NOT successfully applied. Please call  with any questions.

This requisition will remain open until filled; however, first consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.

Note: This is a Full Time position

Working within the Court Clinic of the Barnstable Division of the Probate and Family Court, the Senior Court Clinician provides family evaluations for the Probate and Family Court and regularly consults with the Judges and court staff as needed. Evaluates access and addresses issues including: parenting time with custodial and non-custodial parents, questions of shared or sole legal and shared or sole physical custody, allegations of physical or sexual abuse and any neglect of children, domestic violence, substance abuse, parental mental illness, chronic verbal conflict between parents, guardianship of children who are in neither parent’s custody, reunification of children with a long absent parent, questions of parental alienation, need for supervised parenting time.

The Senior Court Clinician will also perform a variety of administrative duties for the Barnstable Division of the Probate and Family Court as necessary.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

The Senior Court Clinician receives general oversight from the First Justice of the Barnstable Probate and Family Court in accordance with established guidelines.

Interview and assess adults, children and adolescents regarding family relationships, psychological problems and needs, behavioral problems, substance abuse, safety concerns and capacities for mutual cooperation.

Conduct psychological evaluations of litigants and parties as requested by the judges, including specialized interviews with minor children and assessing the impact of their family situations, and the existing custody and parenting access, on their social, cognitive, academic, emotional and psychological functioning.

Perform in-depth clinical evaluations and make recommendations regarding custody and parenting access in high-conflict divorce or separation proceedings, including situations involving domestic violence, restraining orders, severe mental illness, child abuse and/or substance abuse.

Evaluates the basis for allegations regarding the safety of children and parents in the context of past history and current allegations of domestic violence in families, some with past or current Restraining Orders.

Evaluates the basis for allegations regarding past history and current questions of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and the impact of such abuse on the relationships between parents and their children.

Facilitate parent-child reunification in situations of prolonged separation, estrangement and/or alienation.

Supervise parenting time in acute circumstances when parent-child contact would otherwise not occur due to serious concerns about physical and/or psychological safety.

Facilitate and monitor compliance with Custody and Parenting Access Orders in particularly psychologically vulnerable, volatile families, as an alternative to repeated and prolonged litigation.

Perform legal competency, dangerousness and risk-assessment evaluations, including on an emergency basis.

Interview individual minor children upon specific Court Orders and convey their voices to the Court orally and/or in written reports.

Perform mental status evaluations of adults and children when necessary.

Interview collateral contacts, usually by telephone, and gather and review relevant criminal, academic, medical, mental health, police, DCF, and other documentation.

Prepare and write concise, relevant reports regarding all the above functions for the Court, and provide oral testimony for…