PSYCHOLOGIST (HEALTH FACILITY - CLINICAL - SAFETY)

Department of State Hospitals; California; Hybrid; USD 102,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance up to $10,000

Comprehensive health benefits

Paid holidays and leave

Job summary

State of California’s Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero invites applications for Psychologist roles, including early career paths. Positions include working in the Secured Treatment Area with telework up to one day per week.

Hybrid schedule in San Luis Obispo County, full-time employment with competitive salary and extensive benefits. Minimum requirements specify a Psychologist (Health Facility - Clinical - Safety) and eligibility via certification, transfer, or reinstatement.

Qualifications

• Eligibility: reachable on a certification list, transfer eligibility, or reinstatement eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Completing an Admission Psychological Assessment to delineate diagnoses.
• Conducting intellectual and cognitive assessments when indicated.
• Conducting psychological assessments.
• Creating and monitoring behavioral interventions.
• Providing feedback on assessments and evaluations and documenting interactions.
• Delivering treatment services.
• Performing treatment team duties.
• Licensed psychologists may provide clinical supervision to interns and unlicensed staff as requested.

Job description

$9,157.00 - $13,272.00 per Month
New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Final Filing Date: 11/29/2026

We Are Hiring Psychologists!

Unlicensed Psychologists earn up to $10,951/month

The Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero (DSH-A) has some excellent job opportunities for psychologists, including early career psychologists coming off internship. DSH-A is a 1200 bed state hospital serving men under a variety of criminal and civil commitments. DSH-A hires pre-licensed and licensed psychologists with an excellent salary and benefits package. Our department offers a myriad of individual and group supervision opportunities ensuring pre-licensed psychologists accrue all of the hours needed for licensure. DSH-A’s patient population provides psychologists with exceptional experience in inpatient treatment and assessment, as well as interdisciplinary teamwork. We provide training in working with Incompetent to Stand Trial, Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, Offenders with Mental Health Disorders, and Mentally Ill Inmate populations. We offer training on evidence-based assessment tools such as the START, HCR-20v3, PCL-R, and the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Our APA-accredited doctoral internship provides opportunities to supervise psychology interns.

The Psychologist will be directed by the Chief Psychologist and/or Senior Psychologist Supervisor in Psychology Services at the Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero (ASH). The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties, but not limited to:

• Completing an Admission Psychological Assessment (APA) to further delineate and clarify psychiatric and psychological diagnoses
• Conducting intellectual and cognitive assessments of all patients when clinically indicated
• Conducting psychological assessments
• Responsible for creating and monitoring behavioral interventions
• Providing timely feedback to the patient, the results of psychological assessments and evaluations and complete appropriate documentation of this interaction
• Delivering treatment services
• Performing treatment team duties
• If qualified, licensed psychologists provide clinical supervision to pre-doctoral interns and unlicensed professionals as requested by the Chief Psychologist

Eligibility: To be considered for this career opportunity, applicants must have eligibility by way of one of the following: reachable on a certification list, have transfer eligibility, or have reinstatement eligibility.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications specified in the examination bulletin/classification specifications.

If you do not have eligibility, you must take the exam. The examination is a separate process from applying for this vacancy.

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

Working Conditions

• This position requires you to work within the Secured Treatment Area (STA).
• Schedule allows one (1) day of telework per week.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• PSYCHOLOGIST (HEALTH FACILITY - CLINICAL - SAFETY)

Multiple positions available.

San Luis Obispo County

Hybrid

Permanent, Full Time

Department Information

Department of State Hospitals - Atascadero
10333 El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422

The mission of the Department of State Hospitals is to provide evaluation and treatment in a safe and responsible manner, seeking innovation and excellence in hospital operations, across a continuum of care and settings.

The Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero is a secure public sector hospital providing inpatient forensic services for mentally ill adult males who are court committed throughout the State of California. Located on the central coast of California, the Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero is in the vicinity of destination locations such as San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Morro Bay, with easy access to beautiful beaches, serene natural settings and many historical landmarks. We invite you to join our professional and talented workforce.

• The position(s) require(s) a Drug Screening be passed prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) Medical Clearance prior to being hired.
• The Medical Staff of DSH-Atascadero requires Psychologist (HF-C-S) candidates meet the Medical Staff criteria for allied health professional privileging set forth in the facility bylaws. Candidates applying for both licensed and unlicensed positions must submit the required documents listed under the Required Application Documents Section.

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for the hiring interview process must request the necessary accommodations if scheduled for a hiring interview. The request should be made at the time of contact to schedule the interview. Questions regarding reasonable accommodations may be directed to the EEO contact listed on this job posting.

There are many benefits to joining our team! The State of California offers a generous benefits package, including but not limited to:

• Medical Benefits (health, dental, and vision)
• Work life balance (some positions qualify for flexible work hours and schedules, and a minimum of 10 days of paid leave annually – specific accrual rates can be found here )
• Paid Holidays and leave (family medical leave, military leave, etc)
• Defined benefit retirement program with CalPERS
• Savings Plus Program (401(k), 457)
• School loan forgiveness under federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Commute Program
• Employee Wellness Program (discounts to health clubs)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Medical/Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
• ScholarShare (college savings account)
• On-the-job training and professional development
• Most positions qualify for annual raises until you reach the maximum salary for that position, subject to meeting performance standards

Additional benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Contact Information

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the application process. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position.

Department Website: https://www.dsh.ca.gov/Atascadero/Psychology_Careers.html

Please direct requests for Reasonable Accommodations to the interview scheduler at the time the interview is being scheduled.You may direct any additional questions regarding Reasonable Accommodations or Equal Employment Opportunity for this position(s) to the Department's EEO Office.

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice)TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Additional Information

• Please note: Main communication for this position will be through email. Please ensure you have a valid email address on your application.
• Applications postmarked on the final filing date will be accepted
• Applications will be screened and only the most competitive will be offered an interview.
• Selected candidates will be required to submit to a criminal history review utilizing Live Scan fingerprinting.
• This position requires candidates to pass a Medical Evaluation. You will be required to submit to a Medical Evaluation and receive clearance prior to being hired.
• This position requires candidates to take and pass a Drug Screening Test. You will be required to take and pass the drug screening test prior to being hired.

Psychologists may be entitled to the following additional benefits:

• $500 a month clinical supervision pay differential
• Alternate work schedules available
• Up to 36 hours paid Continuing Education leave per licensing cycle
• Up to 40 hours paid Professional Education and Training Leave annually
• License Renewal Reimbursement

Relocation Information

Reimbursement for relocation expenses are available up to $10,000 pursuant to operational needs and fund availability. Reimbursement amounts and per diem rates will be based on the candidate’s prospective classification as outlined in the bargaining unit agreement of the CalHR rules.

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.