Psychologist - Adult Behavioral Health (Trauma-Informed)
JOB SUMMARY
St. John's Community Health (SJCH) is seeking a licensed Psychologist to establish, grow, and ultimately lead adult trauma-informed psychological services within an integrated primary care model. This is a program-building role: the successful candidate will start by delivering direct clinical care and, as the service line matures, take on responsibility for clinical protocols, workflow design, and oversight of the adult psychology service within the clinic. The Psychologist will work as an egalitarian member of the primary care treatment team, participating in case conferences, warm hand-offs, and shared treatment planning with primary care providers, psychiatric providers, and non-medical Behavioral Health staff. The role requires comfort serving a medically and socially complex adult population, including patients navigating chronic illness, HIV care, substance use, housing instability, and exposure to community and interpersonal violence.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education:
- Doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology from an APA-accredited program; equivalent doctoral training in Counseling Psychology considered.
Licensure / Certification
- Current, unrestricted license as a Psychologist issued by the California Board of Psychology (or license-eligible with active tracking toward licensure).
- Current CPR certification.
- Board certification/eligibility as applicable to specialty.
Experience & Clinical Competencies
- Experience providing trauma-focused treatment (e.g., CBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, EMDR) with adult populations.
- Experience assessing and treating multi-diagnosed individuals (e.g., HIV, chronic medical illness, psychiatric illness, substance use).
- Experience delivering behavioral health services within a primary care or other integrated medical setting.
- Comfort and experience working with individuals affected by community or interpersonal violence, and knowledge of trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and recovery-oriented approaches.
- Experience or strong interest in building, refining, or scaling a clinical program or service line.
- Experience collaborating with non-medical Behavioral Health staff, case managers, and community health workers.
- Experience or willingness to provide case consultation and clinical mentorship to junior clinicians as the program grows.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND CLINICAL LEADERSHIP
- Partners with the Chief of Integrated Behavioral Health to design and stand up adult psychological service workflows, intake pathways, and level-of-care protocols for the clinic.
- Develops trauma-informed assessment and treatment protocols appropriate for an FQHC population, including individuals with co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and substance use conditions.
- Establishes referral pathways with primary care and psychiatry to ensure timely access to psychological services and appropriate step-up/step-down care.
- As the program grows, provides clinical guidance, case consultation, and eventual supervision to additional psychologists, associates, and trainees joining the adult service line.
- Tracks and reports on productivity, visit volume, and clinical outcomes to support grant compliance and quality improvement metrics.
- Represents adult psychological services in clinic leadership, quality improvement, and grant-related meetings as needed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Performs a combination, but not necessarily all, of the following duties:
- Provides outpatient psychotherapy to adult individuals, couples, families, and groups using evidence-based, trauma-informed modalities.
- Conducts psychological and diagnostic assessments, including test administration, interpretation, and recommendations.
- Devises and implements individualized treatment plans addressing psychosocial needs, readiness for change, and co-occurring medical and behavioral health conditions.
- Collaborates with primary care providers, psychiatric providers, and allied health staff to plan and direct integrated patient care.
- Develops and facilitates psycho-educational and process groups (e.g., trauma recovery, coping skills, harm reduction).
- Provides crisis assessment and intervention, including collaboration on safety planning and higher-level-of-care referrals as needed.
- Prepares timely intake summaries, treatment plans, and progress notes in accordance with state, federal, grant, and payor documentation requirements.
- Utilizes community resources and partner agencies to address social determinants of health affecting patients.
- Participates in staff case conferences, clinical supervision, and quality improvement activities.
St. John's Community Health is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer