Psychologist, Grade N29

Please note: The salary range above represents this position’s earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $98,806 to $149,371, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS), an accredited agency, is a full spectrum life safety agency protecting about 500 square miles and over one million people who live and work in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction. MCFRS is a combination system (volunteer/career) in the suburban Washington, D.C. area. MCFRS Responds annually to over 120,000 emergency calls for service and is staffed by nearly 2,700 career and volunteer responders. The Mental Wellness Team for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is currently looking for a licensed clinical psychologist who has a passion for helping the helpers of our community. We are recruiting someone who is compassionate, empathic, patient, calm during crises, and open-minded. We are looking for someone who is a mindful listener, pays close attention to detail, can be creative with problem-solving, can work independently and pro-actively, and has strong verbal communication and writing skills. MCFRS is seeking to fill the position of a Staff Psychologist in the Behavioral Health Section. The Staff Psychologist works in the Human Resources Division and the responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide therapeutic services to Fire and Rescue career employees, volunteers, and their immediate family members.
• Provide clinical consultation for the Peer Support - Critical Incident Stress Management team.
• Conduct educational/training programs at the Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA), Emergency Communications Center (ECC), at local Fire and Rescue stations, and other locations, as needed.
• Provide clinical supervision to mental health providers (students, psychology associates, or other licensed clinicians)

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Clinical (up to 75% of time)

• Deliver clinical treatment for work-related trauma exposure and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Critical Incident Stress (CIS), depression, and suicidality utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, cognitive therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, brief eclectic psychotherapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and other modalities, as appropriate.
• Treatment will also be for other issues, which may include but are not limited to: trauma (non-work-related), anxiety, depression, sleep issues, family or relationship difficulties, substance use, grief/loss, other occupational stressors, various medical diagnoses, and parenting issues
• Assist in providing referrals to appropriate providers outside of MCFRS as needed, e.g., EAP, HHS Crisis Center, private clinicians, substance rehab centers (International Association of Fire Fighters, IAFF Center for Excellence).
• Maintain appropriate clinical documentation.
• Provide clinical consultations and education if requested by MCFRS employees.
• Occasionally provide generalized clinical consultation to staff at Fire and Rescue Occupational Medical Services (FROMS) to maintain the confidentiality of therapy clients.
• Peer Support - Critical Incident Stress Management (PS-CISM)

Serve as a mental health professional with the PS-CISM team:

• Provide clinical consultation as needed.
• Help train the PS-CISM team on various mental health topics and issues relevant to first responders.

Education/Training

• Teach FRS employees skills for maintaining mental wellness, which may include topics such as resiliency and stress management. Also provide education on substance use, trauma, critical incidents, and suicide prevention to recruit classes at the Public Safety Training Academy, in-station training, ECC, and other FRS worksites.
• Contribute to PS-CISM team trainings.
• Contribute to the resources that are made available to the department for various mental wellness topics via different mediums, e.g., books, articles, videos, podcasts, or live meetings/groups.
• Maintain a robust behavioral health presence with station visits and ride-a-longs.
• Providing clinical supervision to mental health providers (students, psychology associates, or other licensed clinicians)

Additional Information

• May need to occasionally work after hours (this is not an on-call or standby role.)
• Must be able to work varied hours, as needed.
• A Secondary Employment application must be submitted and approved for outside employment (i.e., private practice clients.)
• This position requires onsite work initially, with the potential for a hybrid (onsite/telework) schedule after successful completion of the probation period.
• This position will not conduct fit for duty evaluations, or assessments in disciplinary matters.
• Ability to attend meetings or perform other assignments outside the office, such as engaging with employees at FRS worksites.

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Doctoral degree in Psychology as defined by Health Occupations Article, 18-101, Annotated Code of Maryland. Experience: Two (2) years of professional, supervised experience in clinical therapeutic practice, including diagnostic and psychological testing service experience. Equivalency: Must meet the general provisions of the Maryland State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as stated in Health Occupations Article 18-101, 18-302, and the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 10.36.07 and 10.36.07.04. License: Licensed as a Psychologist by the Maryland Board of Examiners for Psychologists. Candidates selected for an interview may be required to submit a de-identified clinical writing sample.

• Candidates with the following experience and training may be considered for an interview.
• Crisis Interventions
• Trauma informed interventions
• Psychological services within a complex legal/regulatory environment
• Psychotherapy with a diverse population
• Consulting and collaborating with an interdisciplinary team
• Providing therapeutic interventions
• Curriculum development and training experience
• At least three (3) years delivering clinical treatment for trauma, specifically providing treatment for Firefighters and/or other Public Safety/Emergency Response/Military employees for work-related trauma and Critical Incident Stress.
• At least two (2) years teaching/training psychology material, coping skills, and stress management.

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