Psychiatric Evaluation Specialist

Public Health Seattle & King County is seeking interested applicants for a Psychiatric Evaluation Specialist position within our Jail Health Services Division.

This recruitment will be open until the position is filled with first consideration given to those applicants who apply before 11:59pm PST on February 16th 2026.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Background

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

• Initiate psychiatric assessments; conduct formal diagnostic assessment in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-5); provide evidence based individual and group therapeutic intervention based on the specific psychiatric needs of the resident-patient; identify medical conditions and make referrals to medical professionals chronic mental illness developmental disability suicide-risk and depressed inmates; determine need for involuntary treatment; develop a treatment plan; and provide witness testimony regarding patients presentation and behavior.
• Assess substance dependence abuse intoxication withdrawal and other substance-related disorders. Provide brief interventions and refer appropriately for longer term care.
• Conduct case management and follow up. Work with Release Planners to ensure continuity of care and referral to community mental health services.
• Make psychiatric housing decisions within the jail; assess need for additional intervention and mental status evaluations and provide additional intervention(s) when needed; and track resident-patients progression through the legal system.
• Develop mental health treatment plans; communicate and coordinate care with Psychiatric Providers and other JHS staff; act as liaison between the resident-patient correctional staff and courts to ensure diversion or release for appropriate treatment.
• Lead regularly scheduled unit meetings to review cases and utilization of various treatment approaches.
• Provide in-service training to all health and corrections staff on various areas of expertise including suicide prevention.
• Attend various community organizational meetings as representative of JHS and provide trainings on the operations and services of JHS.
• Review charts and evaluations performed by psychiatric hospital personnel and develop treatment plans and/or refer accordingly.
• Act as consultant to other disciplines (including the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention; DAJD) and professions on the presentation of mental illness in a correctional setting.
• Perform release interviews with resident-patients and refer them to a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) for additional evaluation if necessary.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  

Our ideal candidate willdemonstratethe following(Minimum Qualifications):

• Working knowledge of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-5).
• Working knowledge and past experience with evidence-based practices for mood psychotic and personality disorders.
• Working knowledge of the principles of behavior and motivation.
• Working knowledge of psychiatric medication.
• Knowledge of the Washington State Criminal Code rules of court procedure and legal definition of competency.
• Knowledge of community mental health resources and criteria for providing services.
• Working knowledge of personality disorders and malingering and how to differentiate these from other psychiatric disorders.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Suicide-risk assessment skills.
• Demonstrated ability to perform psychological and behavioral interventions.
• Demonstrated skill in defusing hostile or violent behavior.
• Demonstrated ability to perform evaluation diagnosis and treatment of resident-patients.
• Demonstrated ability to detect the signs symptoms and behavioral effects of depression mental illness and poly-substance chemical dependency.
• Demonstrated skill in gathering clinical and psychiatric data to establish a diagnosis.
• Demonstrated skill in gathering and interpreting court and law enforcement records pertaining to a particular inmate-patients case.
• Demonstrated skill in determining an inmate-patients competency to participate in legal proceedings.
• Proficiency in a language other than English particularly Spanish Vietnamese Russian African Languages or Chinese Languages.
• Experience working in correctional facilities and/or inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
• Experience working with electronic medical record systems.
• Experience working on continuous process improvement systems.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. JHS strongly encourages applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds including people with lived experience people of color and members of the LGBTQIA communities. This emphasis on diversity and inclusivity reflects our commitment to advancing health equity and justice for all residents of King County.

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application(The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions(The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Resume(Your resume should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Letter of Interest Please share why you are interested in this position andany aspects of your education training and/or experience that you feel make you a highly qualified candidate for this position.

(Please note: Cover letters resumes and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in your application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state see my resume or see my personnel file are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Contact
If you have questions or would like more information about the application process please contact Falisha Forgash HR Analyst at .

Union Membership
This position is represented byWashington State Council of County and City Employees Local 21 (WSCCCE).

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions interviewing and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation and Pre-employment Physical but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process please refer to For tips on interviewing please visit are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health Seattle & King County relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance effective communication skills and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health Seattle & King County positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time including nights and weekends with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Public Health Jail Health Services follows and maintains federal and state requirement standards including but not limited to Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards which apply to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders. PREA standards preclude the department from hiring or promoting anyone who has engaged in or been convicted of any conduct which would violate PREA standards related to sexual assault including:

• Sexual abuse in a prison jail lockup community confinement facility juvenile facility or other institution.
• Convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force overt or implied threats of force or coercion or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or

Additionally PREA standards require that the department consider any incidents of sexual harassment involving an inmate or detainee in determining whether or not to hire or promote anyone.The above is in compliance with PREA and its implementing regulations 28 C.F.R. Part 115 Subpart A Section 115.17 Hiring and Promotion Decisions.

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Guided by our True Northwe are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting support and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply including Native American and people of color immigrants refugees women LGBTQ people living with disabilities and veterans.

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No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race color religion national origin sex (including gender identity sexual orientation and pregnancy) age genetic information disability veteran status or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions including but not limited to recruitment hiring selection for training promotion transfer demotion layoff termination rates of pay or other forms of compensation.