Job Description

Job Description and Duties

Patton State Hospital, Human Resources Department, is accepting applications for at least one (1) Limited Term, Full-time Psychologist-Health Facility-Clinical-Safety positions. This limited term position is for a Neuropsychology Fellow. The Neuropsychology Fellow works under the administrative direction of the Chief Psychologist and the local Senior Psychologist Supervisor/Psychology Training Director.

The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to:

• Select, administer, score, and interpret neuropsychological tests and complete both brief and comprehensive neuropsychological assessments for patients who are incompetent to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity, and individuals committed under California’s Offender with a Mental Disorder (OMD) statute. Assess forensic patients with cognitive impairments and make recommendations on admission and discharge and on therapeutic activities.
• Conduct various forms of individual and group psychotherapy, including behavior modification and specialized treatment modalities such as interventions for cognitively impaired patients. Conduct discipline-specific group treatment relevant to clinical neuropsychology (e.g., cognitive remediation groups and competency restoration groups using standardized approaches).
• Consult with medical personnel regarding patient status.
• Participate in treatment team, staff, and professional meetings. Participate in training programs as a supervisor for interns and/or practicum students.
• Work collaboratively with other disciplines. Communicate effectively.
• Observe and intervene in instances of disruptive and assaultive behavior.
• Initiate, design, collaborate, and report on neuropsychological research or program evaluation; may write articles for publication; may compile and analyze statistics.

The successful candidate must possess advanced knowledge of:

• Neuropsychological principles.
• Brain-behavior relationships.
• Functional neuroanatomy.
• Neuropsychological assessment.
• Psychological theories and research; principles, techniques, and problems in developing and coordinating a specialized psychological treatment program.
• Principles, techniques, and trends in psychology with particular reference to normal and disordered behavior. Human development, motivation, personality and individual differences, adaptation and social interaction.
• Methods for the assessment and modification of human behavior, including forensic assessment methods and instruments.
• Characteristics and social aspects of mental disorders; research methodology and program evaluation.
• Institutional and social process, group dynamics.
• Functions of psychologists in various mental health services.
• Current trends in the field of mental health and professional training; community organization and allied professional services.

Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology is required prior to beginning this position.

Please note that the application process for the DSH-Patton fellowship positions requires additional materials that are not required for applications to Staff Psychologist positions in DSH. Applicants must send the following materials to the fellowship director at DSH-Patton. Applications that do not include the materials listed below will not be considered for the fellowship positions, but they may be considered for Staff Psychologist positions if they include the necessary information to apply to those positions. There are two parts to the fellowship application process (CalCareers and Patton fellowship-specific materials). Applicants who have questions about the application process are encouraged to email Drs. Glassmire & Yenne, well before the application deadline at pshpsychologytraining@dsh.ca.gov for clarification.

All interested candidates who meet the recruitment criteria must submit the following materials to the Fellowship Director(s) at Patton State Hospital no later than Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Patton is a forensic psychiatric hospital and was established in 1890 and opened in 1893. DSH-Patton provides treatment to forensically and civilly committed patients within a secure treatment area. The hospital does not accept voluntary admissions.

Special Requirements

• 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.

For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process, and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Examination/ Employment Application (STD. 678) including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week , and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYY). Application packages without this information will experience delayed processing times and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.

A completed STD. 678 and any other relevant documents (e.g., unofficial transcript, copy of degree, resume, etc.) should be submitted electronically via your CalCareers account. Please reference Job Control # (498205) and indicate the basis of your eligibility in the Examination(s) or Job Title(s) section. SROA and surplus candidates should submit a copy of their letter with their application.  Please remove any confidential information (i.e., social security number, date of birth) from your documents prior to submission.

Complete Application Packages (including your STD. 678 and applicable or required documents) must be submitted to apply for this Job Posting. Application Packages may be submitted electronically through your CalCareers account at .  Submitting an electronic application through your CalCareers account is strongly recommended since electronic applications will be received/processed faster than other methods of filing.  Please submit only one application.

Unless there is a specific request to be notified via USPS mail, our main contact will be via email. Email correspondence regarding this job posting will primarily come from  PattonHREmploymentUnit@dsh.ca.gov . It is the applicant’s responsibility to check their email inbox, including junk/spam emails for any correspondence regarding their application status. In addition, applicants are encouraged to keep their CalCareers profile updated with a current telephone number, mailing address, and email.

Please follow this link to take the Psychologist examination: 

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

For Neuropsychology Fellowship Applicants:

1. A copy of the State (STD678). Please note that a copy of this must be submitted following the instructions in the examination bulletin on the CalCareers website and another copy needs to be submitted directly to Patton with the additional application materials.
2. Cover letter addressing why Patton's neuropsychology fellowship is a good fit for the applicant. The letter should outline your training experiences in neuropsychology and how those training experiences have prepared you for advanced postdoctoral training in neuropsychology. Please include the dissertation defense date (or expected date), clinical interests, and research interests in your cover letter.
3. Curriculum Vita (CV)
4. Official transcripts of all graduate schools attended.
5. Personal Statement (similar to the internship AAPI personal statement in length and content).
6. Three letters of recommendation.
7. Table listing all neuropsychological tests that have been administered under the supervision of qualified supervisors (including the number of times each test has been administered and interpreted).
8. A fully de-identified neuropsychological assessment complete with test scores and data underling the opinions expressed in the report.

NOTE: Neuropsychology applicants must be registered in the APPCN Match in order to be considered for this position.  Neuropsychology fellowship applicants who are not registered in the APPCN Match will not be considered .

Applicants to the neuropsychology fellowship should email the materials listed above to Dominique Kinney, Ph.D., ABPP-CN and Steve Nitch, Ph.D., ABPP-CN.  All materials must be received by December 2, 2025 . Drs. Kinney and Nitch can be reached via email at  Dominique.Kinney@dsh.ca.gov and  Steve.Nitch@dsh.ca.gov .

Benefits

that may also be found on the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website. You will find information on the benefits afforded by membership in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), benefits and protections provided to public employees by the State Civil Service Act, and salary ranges and a summary of the Psychologist classification. 

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.

Job Tags

Full time, Internship, Local area,

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