CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST 1
Career Family: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
To land Clinical Psychologist 1 in New Jersey you go through the competitive route: you sit an announced exam and the score puts you on the eligible list agencies hire from.
On pay it sits at the foot of the Clinical Psychologist ladder. One promotion up is Clinical Psychologist 2, whose band tops out about $19,468 higher. To be eligible you bring a doctoral degree and 2 years of relevant experience. The FY 2027 range lands between $87,507 and $128,719, and state payroll currently lists 4 people in the title, most of them at Health and Senior Services.
How to apply
This title is filled by competitive examination.
See every real route in, and where to apply. One agency employs it. We don't track live vacancies.
See where to apply for this title →Who employs this title
Clinical Psychologist 1 appears on the State payroll at one department, Department of Health.
State departments
| Employer | Employees |
|---|---|
| Department of Health | 4 |
State payroll and independent authority payroll are separate systems and are never merged. See data sources.
Pay ladder: Clinical Psychologist series
- Clinical Psychologist 1 — $87,507 – $128,719 (this title)
- Clinical Psychologist 2 — $100,498 – $148,187
Promoting to Clinical Psychologist 2 raises the top of the band by about $19,468. Its top salary lands around the 75th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY 2027 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 4 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $114,411. The agencies employing the most are:
- Health and Senior Services (4)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.
Definition
Under general supervision in a state institution, community mental health center, or other setting in a state department, has responsibility for providing and supervising programs of psychological services including program development and evaluation, training professional and nonprofessional psychology staff and monitoring their performance, carrying out psychological programs in accord with professional and administrative standards, representing staff in contacts with other professionals, agencies, and the community, providing direct high-level services to residents or inmates, and participating in administrative decision making within the psychology department; does related work as required.
Examples of work
Coordinates, organizes, and directs the delivery of psychological services including taking the lead over psychology staff of lower grades in the areas of psychodiagnostics, psychotherapy, and research. Assists in developing, evaluating, and training for programs of psychological services which are appropriate to the needs of clientele served by the organizational unit. Participates in a variety of administrative decision-making opportunities such as employee relations work within the psychology department. Assists in representing psychology staff in an official capacity as requested by the Chief Executive Officer in contacts with other professionals, agencies, and the community including serving on various committees of the organizational unit and serving in a liaison capacity regarding professional matters related to psychology. Participates in and may coordinate, direct, or chair multidisciplinary staff meetings whose function is to create individual prescriptive programs of treatment for inmates. Provides the administration and instruction of first-rate professional service in the areas of individual and group psychotherapy, behavior modification and therapy, and psychological consultation. Provides the administration, scoring, and interpretation of a variety of psychodiagnostic instruments including projective techniques to all patients. Guides and instructs staff in the application of crisis intervention techniques in providing treatment for clients whose behavior threatens their own lives or those of others. Interacts with psychiatric residents and encourages the therapeutic interaction between staff psychologists or other staff members and residents including responsibility for organizing meetings on the units involving both residents and staff; leading group sessions with residents dealing with issues of medication compliance, functioning as a key participant in discharge planning. Assists in developing and providing clinical and/or managerial training programs for members of the psychology staff, psychology interns, and other members of the organizational unit as requested, presenting not only highly specialized technical information for staff psychologists but also material that is suited to the needs of other individuals requiring some training related to psychology. Actively participates in conferences regarding the placement activities of patients or residents who have been or are about to be admitted or released. In connection with community education, interprets the psychological and mental health programs of the Department of Corrections, and makes presentations before organizations and groups interested in or concerned about the problems of mental health and/or developmental disabilities. Assists in ensuring that the work of psychology staff meets professional and administrative standards and helps prepare staff for inspections by representatives of the administration and accrediting organizations. Within the institution, coordinates the training of psychology interns and practicum students. Assists in providing job related counseling to members of the psychology staff whose performance, relationships with staff members or clients or follow up procedures and policies need to be improved. Assists in preparing budgets and grant applications that are pertinent to programs of psychological services. Prepares clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative psychological, statistical, diagnostic, and other reports containing findings, conclusion, and recommendations. Assists in directing the establishment and maintenance of essential unit records, histories, and files. Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Education
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree supplemented by a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology, a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), or a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Psychology which should have included at least thirty (30) graduate semester hour credits in a psychology program consisting of six (6) credit hours in counseling/psychotherapy and three (3) credit hours in each of the following areas: individual intelligence testing, objective and/or projective testing, and abnormal psychology. At least fifteen (15) credit hours should be in courses relevant to clinical psychology such as: learning theories, human motivation, personality theories, human growth and development, psychopharmacology, and statistics and research, and completion of a one (1) year clinical internship.
Experience
Two (2) years of experience, in addition to the clinical internship, in the field of clinical psychology in a community mental health center, mental hospital, school for the developmentally disabled, or penal, correctional, or juvenile institution, or other setting involving the use of psychodiagnostic, psychotherapy, projective techniques, and other clinical methods.
License
Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform in essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge and professional mastery of the discipline of psychology as demonstrated by attainment of a Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D., an approved internship, and professional work experience as specified above, and capable of demonstrating, for purposes of training staff members and serving clients, first rate professional skills in the areas of psychological program development and evaluation, individual and group psychotherapy, behavior modification and therapy, crisis intervention, psychodiagnostic testing, psychological testing, psychological consultation, and research. Knowledge of theories and approved practices and procedures of modern clinical research and abnormal psychology including familiarity with the problems involved in administering, scoring, and interpreting varied psychodiagnostic instruments. Knowledge of difficulties involved in carrying out courses of individual and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention techniques, and behavior modification approaches. Knowledge of administrative problems involved in the functioning of a substantial psychology unit having a responsibility for two or more major areas of treatment which may include outpatient and inpatient care. Ability to apply to specific cases the rules, regulations, policies, standards, organization, and procedures of the Department of Corrections with particular reference to the administration of various types of psychodiagnostic instruments and to carrying out various psychotherapeutic techniques. Ability to organize assigned administrative and technical field and office work in the areas of psychodiagnostics and/or psychotherapy and to develop effective work procedures. Ability to take the lead over clinical psychologists of lower grades in a substantial psychology unit. Ability to lead psychology trainees during their periods of practicum or internship. Ability to work effectively with medical staff, custodial staff, superior officers, associates, child and adult patients or inmates, and others interested in or connected with the work of the unit. Ability to keep current with new developments, trends of thought, and literature in the general fields of psychology, mental health and developmental disabilities, psychotherapy, and psychodiagnostics. Ability to prepare accurate and informative case histories, research studies, and statistical and other reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Ability to assist in drafting detailed correspondence pertaining to the work of the unit. Ability to maintain essential psychology records, studies, and files. Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed. One (1) year of the required experience shall have been earned subsequent to the receipt of the Doctorate. SPECIAL NOTE : One (1) year of residency (advanced training beyond internship) is considered equivalent to one (1) year of experience.