Psychological Services Assistant

State of Wisconsin; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 39,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation time & holidays

Health insurance

Pension plan with 7.25% match (2027)

Well Wisconsin Wellness program

Employee assistance program

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

State of Wisconsin’s Central Wisconsin Center in Madison is seeking a Psychological Services Assistant. You will work on-site, assisting in implementing BSPs and collecting data for assessments, while training staff and teaching residents essential adaptive skills.

The role requires compassion, direct resident interaction, and collaboration with psychological services staff. The position offers full-time hours with a 12-month probationary period and a strong benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience working with individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviors.
• Experience in crisis intervention strategies.
• Experience following behavior treatment plans and modeling implementations.

Responsibilities

• Assist in implementing behavioral support plans (BSPs) with professional staff.
• Obtain assessment information for adaptive behavior ratings and observations.
• Provide competency-based BSP training to staff and monitor outcomes.
• Teach adaptive, replacement, communication, self-care, and recreation/leisure skills to residents.

Skills

Disability experience

Crisis intervention

Behavior training

Job description

Introduction

The Department of Health Services (DHS), Central Wisconsin Center (CWC) is recruiting for a full-time Psychological Services Assistant. This position will work on-site at CWC from 10:00am-6:30pm Monday-Friday with some weekend work hours required. CWC is located at 317 Knutson Drive in Madison. CWC provides short-term and long-term residential services to assist people living with intellectual disabilities in acquiring the personal skills needed to reach their highest potential. Our workers love what they do. But don’t take our word for it. Hear from our employees.

Benefits

• 3.5 weeks of vacation, 9 paid holidays and ample sick time; limitations may apply for leave time usage in the first six months.
• Top rated health plan options starting at $47/month for single plans and $117/month for family plans, after 2 months of state service.
• Exceptional pension plan with a 7.25% employer match in 2027 with lifetime retirement payment. Plus, a tax advantaged supplemental retirement savings plan which allows you to save money directly from your paycheck for retirement. Use this Total Rewards Calculator to see the total value of our competitive benefits package!
• Several flex spending accounts: medical, dependent care, commuter, and High Deductible Health Savings.
• Well Wisconsin Wellness Program.
• A free and confidential employee assistance program that offers employees and their immediate family dependents a variety of tools, resources, and professional consultation services to support their health, goals, and overall well-being.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program employer.

Position Summary

As a Psychological Services Assistant, you will assist in the implementation of behavior support plans (BSPs). You will work with professional psychological services staff to obtain assessment information for adaptive behavior ratings, functional behavioral assessment, and observational data that assists in cognitive and behavioral screenings. Other critical responsibilities include:

• Providing competency-based training for staff on the elements of BSPs.
• Monitoring BSP outcomes and providing data and feedback to Psychological Associates and other members of the psychological services staff.
• Teaching adaptive behaviors to residents including replacement behaviors for challenging behaviors, self-care skills, communication skills, motor skills, and recreational/leisure skills.

Salary Information

The starting pay is between $28.00-$32.00 per hour (approximately between $58,200-$66,500 per year), depending on qualifications, plus excellent benefits. A 12-month probationary period is required.

Pay for current or former state employees will be set based on the rules that apply to compensation for the applicable transaction. This position is in pay schedule and range 12/64.

Job Details

• All applicants who may be appointed to this position will be required to allow DHS to conduct a background check to determine whether the circumstances of any conviction may be related to the job being filled.
• All appointees will be required to receive a TB test, which will be administered by CWC or medical personnel approved by the facility prior to their start date.
• DHS does not sponsor work visas for this position, thus, in compliance with federal law, selected candidates will be required to verify eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required I-9 form upon hire. DHS is not an E-Verify employer nor a STEM-OPT eligible employer.

Qualifications

Minimally qualified applicants will have all the following:

• Experience working with individuals diagnosed with developmental or intellectual disabilities who present challenging or problem behavior(s).
• Experience in behavior crisis intervention strategies.
• Experience following behavior treatment plans or behavior training protocols and modeling implementation to others.

Well-qualified applicants will also have one or more of the following:

• Experience assisting with behavioral and skills assessments and associated treatment plan development and implementation.
• Experience providing competency-based training to other staff related to implementing behavior interventions and skills training approaches.
• Experience providing direct services to residents (e.g., cares, leisure activities, educational/vocational support, skills, replacement behavior training, etc.).

Your letter of qualifications is limited to one (1) page and your resume is limited to two (2) pages. For a guide on developing your materials and what should be included, click here.

DHS is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer.

Veterans are encouraged to apply. For complete information on Veterans’ hiring programs with the WI Department of Veteran’s Affairs, click here.

Deadline to Apply

The deadline to apply is October 7 at 11:59 PM.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to allow ample time to finalize their applications keeping in mind that technical assistance is not available after 4:30 PM on the deadline date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.