Eastern State Hospital, in Medical Lake, WA, has opportunities for Psychologists to join our highly dedicated team in our mission to Transform Lives and to work closely with our clinical teams and courts. Eastern State Hospital is a fully accredited, psychiatric inpatient, state-owned hospital with the Department of Social and Health Services.

Opportunities performed on-site at this work location at least three days a week may be eligible for an additional 5% premium pay in addition to the advertised salary.
 
Primary Priorities:
 

• Provide individual and group psychotherapy to support patients’ treatment goals designed to empower patients, instill hope, and support self-discovery and independence; approximate caseload of 25 to 30 patients
• Consult with treatment teams
• Complete psychodiagnostic assessments along with supporting clinical documentation
• Provide in-service training and clinical supervision of Psychology Associates (as needed)
• Provide court-required documentation and expert testimony (as needed)

We have opportunities in the specialized areas below:
 
Specialty #1:  Habilitative Mental Health (HMH) Unit. This ESH Psychologist serves the HMH Unit, a 9 to 12-bed inpatient program, providing specialized care to our patients dually diagnosed with intellectual disability and behavioral health disorders. Primary services provided include functional assessments of targeted behaviors for HMH patients, positive behavior support therapies, multimodal clinical assessments, and individual and group psychotherapy. The HMH psychologist also completes psychological assessments (e.g., mental status examinations, psychological testing, collateral interviews, etc.). This is a key leadership position with the treatment team in which the Psychologist assists in designing, implementing, and maintaining HMH treatment programs. In addition, you will provide forensic evaluations to people assigned under the Involuntary Treatment Act.
  
Specialty #2: Involuntary Treatment Act Evaluator. The principal duties of the ITA psychologist include evaluations under Washington’s Involuntary Treatment Act (RCW 71.05) including a written affidavit to support the petition for an order of involuntary treatment that summarizes relevant clinical background information and clinical interview and provides testimony in civil commitment hearings. The ITA psychologist will also assist in completing risk assessments/discharge reviews for patients with criminal justice involvement and a history of violent acts and provide expert witness testimony as required.
 
Who should apply:

• A Doctor of Psychology (Ph.D./Psy.D.) in clinical or forensic psychology from an accredited university;
• Licensed or eligible to obtain a license in Washington to practice psychology by hire date;
• Will consider applicants with completed Ph.D./PsyD. pursuing licensure; and
• Experience with inpatient civil and forensic populations and/or people with severe behavioral health issues.  
• Experience working with individuals with intellectual disability preferred for the HMH specialty

In-Training Opportunity

This position is eligible as a 6-month In-Training position allowing those with a doctorate degree, but not yet fully licensed to apply. The successful applicant will have up to 6 months to become fully licensed as a Psychologist and demonstrate they have satisfactorily achieved the in-training objectives.

What makes Eastern an employer of choice for Psychologists:

• One of the biggest benefits unique about public service is that we are not driven by production; this allows our Psychologists the ability to truly focus on providing exceptional evidence-based care.
• The clinical autonomy and encouragement from our leadership inspire our Psychologists to be innovative with a person-centered approach.
• Excellent compensation package from Day One with outstanding family benefits, a generous retirement plan, and other incentives that we would love to discuss with you.
• DSHS provides support staff and covers all operating expenses.
• You will experience a quality work-life balance working Monday through Friday, with no on-call requirements.

The location
As Washington’s second-largest city, Spokane presents the ideal place to live, work, play, and be a part of a community. Spokane is a progressive city with outgoing and friendly people. Outdoor activities are especially plentiful given the area’s natural beauty and its four seasons. No matter if you love city life or nature, Spokane has it all.
 
A vibrant city, downtown Spokane is amongst the healthiest in the nation, exuding urban character and offering a top-notch quality of life, such as affordable cost of living, five ski resorts within 1.5 hours of downtown, dozens of lakes within an hour of downtown, and hundreds within 2 hours, five universities and lively arts, music, and theater scene.
 
Want to know more about Eastern State Hospital? Click on the videos below to meet staff, take a tour, and explore your career.  To learn more about DSHS, go to www.dshs.wa.gov.

See why people like you chose careers with DSHS:
       


Our Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) mission to Transform Lives requires that we come together with a sense of belonging, common purpose, shared values and meaningful work. It is crucial to our agency’s mission that you bring an equity, anti-racism and social justice commitment to your work with DSHS. We strive to create greater access and affirming representation of the communities we serve, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color, people with physical, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities, elders, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants and refugees, and families building financial security.

Interested or Questions?  Please attach or send a resume or CV to Jourdan Phipps at Jourdan.Phipps@dshs.wa.gov. If you have any questions, you are encouraged to contact Jourdan by email or phone (360) 995-2275 and reference 00297.