Clinical Therapist

CLINICAL THERAPIST

MONTANA STATE PRISON

DEER LODGE, MT

The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) is creating a safer Montana through Accountability, Rehabilitation and Empowerment. If you want to work making positive changes in your community, the Montana Department of Corrections is the place for you!

The Rehabilitation and Enterprise Division ensures the physical and mental well-being of inmates, delivers educational and vocational opportunities within prisons, and oversees community facilities dedicated to successfully reintegrating offenders into Montana communities. Join the team responsible for building better tomorrows today!

As a Clinical Therapist working within a secure prison, you will play a pivotal role in addressing the complex mental health and behavioral needs of an incarcerated population. Your work will directly support institutional safety by reducing crisis incidents, improving emotional regulation, and fostering pro-social behavior among residents.

Through the delivery of evidence-based and trauma-informed therapeutic services, you will help individuals confront the underlying factors contributing to criminal behavior, including trauma, substance use, and chronic mental illness. Your interventions will promote accountability, enhance coping skills, and support long-term behavior change within a highly structured environment.

Operating as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside security staff, medical providers, and case managers, you will help create a safer and more rehabilitative facility culture. Your ability to balance clinical care with security protocols, maintain strong professional boundaries, and build trust in a correctional setting will be essential to your success.

The impact of your work extends beyond the facility walls. By preparing individuals for eventual reentry, you will help reduce recidivism, strengthen community outcomes, and contribute to the long-term safety and well-being of communities across Montana.

QUALIFICATIONS

The knowledge, skills and abilities for this position are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to:

• Master’s degree in social work, psychology or counseling
• Must be licensed or able to be licensed as a LCSW or LCPC by the State of Montana.
• A person with a candidates license must be fully licensed within one year of hire date.
• Those with candidacy licenses are encouraged to apply.

Alternative combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

BENEFITS

Your service is rewarded with competitive compensation and generous State of Montana Benefits.

State of Montana employment may qualify for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Only online applications are accepted. By applying online, you are able to receive updates and monitor the status of your application.

To initiate an application and be considered, you must attach your resume, cover letter, and mark the attachments as a “Relevant File”. In your cover letter, state why you are applying for the position and anything that makes you uniquely qualified. Applications missing required documentation may not be considered.

Successful applicants will be subject to:

• Criminal history check
• Child/patient/offender abuse registries
• Reference checks
• Medicaid Fraud Background Check

The Department of Corrections participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. After accepting a job offer and completing form I-9, your information will be submitted to the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration for verification. For more information about E-Verify, please visit the E-Verify website found here, https://www.e-verify.gov/.

NOTICES

Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) - Any person who has 1) engaged in sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution; 2) been convicted of engaging in 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 3) been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in activity as described in the latter, are not qualified for this position.

Tobacco Free - The use of all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco products and tobacco substitutes is prohibited in Department of Corrections buildings. In secure care facilities possession of tobacco products is prohibited.