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PSYCHOLOGIST I (Forensic-G-Wing) - Mental Health Hospital at Fort Logan

State of Colorado Denver, CO (Onsite)
local_atm $95340 - $95340 yearly
Experience:
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Psych Clearance for Medical Procedures
Racism, Diversity, and Tolerance
Trauma
ECT
Families

About Job

Salary: $95,340.00 - $97,728.00 Annually
Location : Denver, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: IIC-05459 6/24/2025
Department: Colorado Department of Human Services
Division: OBH - CMHIFL
Opening Date: 06/24/2025
Closing Date: 7/8/2025 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position
Type of Announcement: This position is open only to Colorado state residents.
Primary Physical Work Address: Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan3520 West Oxford Ave, Denver, CO 80236
Hiring Pay Rate: Min: 7945 Max 8144
FLSA Status: Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information:
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.

Department Information
Most State of Colorado employees are eligible for an excellent benefits package! Please see the Supplemental Information section below for details!This position is open only to Colorado Residents
About CMHHFL

The Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Fort Logan (CMHH-FL) is one of two state hospitals serving our community. The vision of CMHHFL is to provide the highest quality mental health services to persons with complex, serious, and persistent mental illness within the resources available. Our mission is to support those individuals in achieving their recovery goals and reaching their full potential. CMHH-FL provides inpatient treatment to adult patients, generally between the ages of 18-59. The hospital has 138 adult inpatient beds and over six treatment milieus serving civil and forensic individuals. Medical services, occupational therapy, neuropsychological-rehabilitation services, and trauma-informed care services are available for all patients throughout the hospital.
Through our core values listed below, CMHH-FL staff is committed to:
  • Individual dignity and respect
  • Person-centered, evidence-based care
  • Trauma-informed recovery
  • Multidisciplinary collaboration
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Strong family and community partnerships

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Description of Job

About the Position
The Psychologist I position works in the 24-hour State psychiatric hospital with individuals voluntarily and involuntarily committed for treatment. Patients receiving treatment at CMHH-FL have severe and persistent mental illness and may have traumatic brain injury, trauma disorders, and other complex dynamics. Each multidisciplinary treatment team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, addiction specialists, occupational therapists, recreation therapists, creative arts therapists, nurses, physicians, and mental health clinicians. In addition, the hospital offers dietary, peer, and chaplain services.

The psychologist conducts comprehensive psychological testing and consults with all treatment teams regarding appropriate referrals and testing results. In addition, the Psychologist is responsible for providing psychological expertise to the treatment teams, all hospital departments, and external stakeholders. The Psychologist regularly documents in the electronic health record and contributes to training doctoral externs and predoctoral interns through various psychological seminars, supervision, co-facilitation, and mentoring. The Psychologist actively contributes to hospital-wide events, in-service training, and program development. Lastly, the Psychologist is responsible for completing certification evaluations and court testimony.

Duties in this position include:

Therapeutic and Behavioral Intervention:
  • Responsible for individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy. Individual and family therapy are provided as needed, which is determined in the treatment plan meetings and collaboration with the treatment team.
  • Group therapy is offered to all patients, and group assignments shall be determined by clinical and individualized need, which the Psychologist guides.
  • Responsible for developing group materials appropriate for patient-specific needs and leading group therapy sessions. Individuals requiring a more detailed treatment approach or tailored intervention for specific behaviors.
  • Develops individualized behavior plans and programs and will provide psychoeducation and training to all milieu staff for successful implementation.
  • Responsible for monitoring the plan, documenting in the electronic health record, providing the patient and the treatment team with feedback, and modifying as needed.
Treatment Planning and Clinical Consultation:
  • Participates in treatment planning and actively contributes to formulating patient-specific goals.
  • Provides clinical guidance and consultation regarding effective and appropriate clinical goals, measurability, progress, and/or stagnation. To effectively do so, the Psychologist reviews documentation and medical records, gathers behavioral observations, evaluates, assesses, and synthesizes information.
  • In addition to weekly and/or monthly treatment plan meetings, the Psychologist actively participates in additional team consultation sessions, family meetings, discharge planning, and cross-team consultation meetings.
  • Responsible for creating discipline-specific treatment goals, documenting progress, and updating as needed in the electronic health record (i.e., individual therapy, specific group therapy modalities, behavioral plans, etc.).
  • Provides clinical leadership to the treatment teams and consults with multidisciplinary staff across the hospital.
  • At times, this position may consult with external stakeholders regarding treatment needs and recommendations to support continuity of care. Examples include consultation with CMHH-FL staff, meetings with the patients' family, liaison with mental health centers, attorneys, and district and/or probate courts.
Evaluation for Civil Commitment:
  • Reviews the legal status of all patients admitted to CMHH-FL and evaluates their mental status and condition to determine whether they can be released, can cooperate with voluntary inpatient treatment, or need to be certified pursuant to Colorado Mental Health Statutes (CRS 27-65-101 et seq.) for involuntary treatment.
  • Communicates findings to the Court by letters, petitions, and expert-witness testimony as needed.

Psychological Screening and Assessment:
  • Responsible for performing Psychological Assessments to include standardized suicide risk assessment measures, intellectual testing, adaptive abilities, personality measures, comprehensive psychodiagnostics batteries, competency related skills, and a variety of screening measures.
  • Assists the treatment team in determining whether formal psychological assessment may assist treatment planning, diagnosis, and disposition plans, and chooses appropriate assessment procedures.
  • Administers all testing measures, completes a written report, submits documentation in the electronic health record, and communicates the results and recommendations to the treatment team and milieu staff.

Student Training and Student Supervision:
  • CMHH-FL has a long-standing predoctoral internship program and also trains predoctoral psychology externship students. Currently CMHH-FL is partnered with the University of Denver Consortium as a predoctoral internship training location. The Psychology Department is responsible for interviewing and selecting predoctoral extern and intern level students.
  • Contributes to training opportunities through externship and internship-level didactic curriculum and supervision.
Other Duties as Assigned:
  • Other duties as assigned include hospital-wide ad hoc activities, milieu support, etc.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:

Current, valid licensure as a Psychologist from the Colorado State Board of
Psychologist Examiners

AND

One (1) yearof experience as a licensed psychologist or permitted psychologist
candidate.

No Substitutions

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Previous or current State Experience
  • Experience with performance validity measures, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Syndromes (RBANS), Wechsler Adult Scales (WAIS, WASI), and personality measures
  • Knowledge about the Colorado Competency statute
  • Psychology training (doctorate in psychology field and license as outlined below), inpatient and/or forensic experience
Preferred Competencies:
  • Prior experience completing comprehensive psychological assessment; clinical experience with inpatient, forensic, or SPMI populations
Conditions of Employment:
  • Due to the juvenile population served at the MHI facilities, incumbents of this position must be at least 21 years of age
  • A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process as this position is deemed to have direct contact with vulnerable persons. Felony convictions, convictions of crimes of moral turpitude, or convictions of misdemeanors related to job duties may disqualify you from being considered for this position. Should your background check reveal any charges or convictions, it is your responsibility to provide the CDHS Background Unit with an official disposition of any charges. Additionally, you will be required to take a drug screen.
  • A Tuberculosis Test (TB) will be required upon hire, and other vaccines as required by the State of Colorado.
  • Current/Valid and unrestricted US driver's license.
  • May be exposed to bodily fluids or caustic chemicals.
  • Travel: In-state travel required. May travel to attend training, court hearings, patients to appointments, and other related activities.
  • Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:
    • Disclose that information on the application.
    • Provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position.
    • Provide the employee number from the applicant's prior State employment. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.
**The compensation for this position will be based upon years of professional licensure.**

Appeal Rights:

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.
An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email (), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed
(303.866.5038
) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department's action.
For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at
(303) 866-3300
; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.
Supplemental Information
How to Apply

The Assessment Process

For additional recruiting questions, please contact:
About Us:

If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Our professionals strive to design and deliver high quality human and health services that improve the safety, independence, and well-being of the people of Colorado. In addition to a great location and rewarding and meaningful work, we offer:
  • Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan www.copera.org plus 401(k) and 457 plans
  • Medical and dental health plans
  • Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
  • Paid life insurance
  • Short- and long-term disability coverage
  • 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
  • BenefitHub state employee discount program
  • Employee Wellness program MotivateMe
  • Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
  • Remote work arrangements for eligible positions

*Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more

information, go to

Professional Field

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professional badgeOther Behavioral, Mental, or Healthcare Field
professional badgePsychology

Patient Focus

Diagnoses

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Issues

Psych Clearance for Medical Procedures
Racism, Diversity, and Tolerance
Trauma

Age Groups

Preteens/Tweens (11-13)
Adolescents/Teenagers (14-19)

Therapeutic Approach

Methodologies

ECT

Modalities

Families
Groups
Individuals

Practice Specifics

Populations

Involuntary
Inmates
Racial Justice Allied
School

Settings

Government
Hospitals
In-patient Non-Psychiatric
In-patient Psychiatric
Intense Out-patient (IOP)
Milieu
Research Facilities/Labs/Clinical Trials
Residential Treatment Facilities (RTC)
Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities
Telehealth/Telemedicine
Home Health/In-home
Forensic