Clinical Psychologist

Job Description and Duties

Effective July 1, 2025, in accordance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) was implemented in response to the status of the State budget. PLP 2025 requires each full-time employee in Bargaining Unit 19, and related Excluded, Exempt and Statutory Exempt employees, will have their base salary reduced by 3 percent and will receive 5 PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 2027. Salaries do not reflect the recent changes. Part-time employees are subject to the same conditions as full-time employees, on a prorated basis equivalent to their time-base. Permanent intermittent employees are subject to the same condition as full-time employees, based on the number of hours worked in the pay period.

This is a limited term position which may be extended or become permanent.

This classification is subject to Section 5, Hiring-Above-Minimum (HAM) Authorization of the California State Civil Service Pay Scales. The authorized HAM rate for this classification is: P $11,496, Q $13,937.

The Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center aspires to provide the highest level of advanced training in the field of psychology through a planned, programmed sequence of supervised training experiences. The aim is to develop well-rounded psychologists who are prepared to assume a dynamic role as professional psychologists in the rapidly changing world of mental health care. The overriding mission is to support the provision of advanced clinical training in the areas of ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, intervention, and consultation. An emphasis is placed on providing direct patient care with a considerable amount of supervision throughout the year. Postdoctoral fellows are taught the necessary skills to be diagnosticians and clinicians, with an emphasis on the development of clinical skills that are based on sound psychological principles and steeped in scientific inquiry.

Receives training from the clinical psychology staff and gains practical experience by observing and assisting with the work performed; assists in and performs psychological research; collects and organizes data, makes analyses, and prepares reports; observes methods, problems, and principles related to psychological services to clients or inmates covering either a broad range of disordered behavior or specific to particular problems, e.g., children, sex offenders, mentally or developmentally disabled, alcoholics, aged; administers, scores, and interprets psychological tests; interviews clients or inmates; takes work, social, and case histories; participates in in-service training programs; gains supervised experience in counseling, group and individual therapy, and other psychological methods of behavior modification; gains experience in the problems, methods, and ethics of professional conduct and practice.

Minimum Qualifications:
Possession of an earned Doctorate Degree in Psychology from an educational institution meeting the criteria of Section 2914 of the Medical Board of California's Business and Professions Code.

How to Apply and Test:
In order to be appointed as a Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, applicants must be approved for a psychology postdoctoral program by the Association of Psychology Post Doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). To apply for this position with CDCR, follow the APPIC application instructions at www.appic.org.

Application Process:
To apply for this position, you must submit an online application through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Programs (APPIC) called the APPI. This application is available at http://www.appic.org/AAPI-APPA#APP. 

The completed APPI online application must include:

• A current curriculum vitae
• Official graduate program transcript
• Three letters of recommendation from professionals familiar with the interns’ clinical skills
• A certification of readiness from the applicant’s training director and a completed work sample (a de-identified psychological testing report)

Applicants will then be enrolled in the National Matching Service for selection. Once matched, trainees will need to complete a background check, credentialing process, and drug screening as a condition of employment.

APPIC Contact Information:
Phone: 832-284-4080
E-Mail:appic@appic.org
For content-related questions about the AAPI, please contact the AAPI Coordinator, Dr. Kimberly Hill at AAPIcoordinator@appic.org

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. Any applicant for state employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing Civil Service, and the special trust placed in public servants.