Are you looking to hire a psychologist for your mental health facility in Illinois? Choosing the right candidate can mean the difference between stellar care and lost opportunities. Psychologists play a central role in providing quality mental health treatment and care. These mental health professionals are vital in treating conditions that require modifying mental health processes and behaviors, e.g., in treating drug dependency. By learning how to find one that’s right for your facility, you can improve the lives of your patients and increase the level of care you offer. Here’s how to hire a psychologist for your mental health facility in Illinois.

What Will be the Psychologist’s Role?

Psychologists work with patients in a variety of mental health settings. Their roles can include: diagnosing and treating mental illness, administering psychotherapy, referring to psychiatrists, running therapy groups, teaching life skills, communication techniques, and other psychological interventions. 

However, the psychologist’s role will be decided by the facility’s requirements, its staff members’ background and experience, and the psychologist’s specialization.

Do  You Need a Full-time or Part-time Psychologist?

To determine whether you need a full-time or part-time therapist, look at the nature of your services, the specialization of the potential psychologist, and current patient needs. If your practice mostly sees children and adolescents and an interviewing therapist only has experience with adults, they may be better suited for a part-time position. If your facility has a long waitlist for patients, then hiring a full-time psychologist may be the best solution for your mental health facility.

What Type of Psychologist Do You Need?

Most of the time, clients who need a psychologist search for a particular type of specialist. There are many different specializations and areas of focus. Some of the most common psychologist types include:

Clinical psychologist – A clinical psychologist is a specialist who helps patients with mental or emotional problems, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, insomnia, mood swings, and substance abuse.

Counseling psychologist – A counseling psychologist is a mental health professional who helps individuals, families, and groups solve problems and live healthier and happier lives. The work of the counseling psychologist focuses on the total person and involves many different approaches, including psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, assessment, research, community service, and consultation.

Developmental Psychologist – Developmental psychologists (or sometimes called child psychologists) spend a lot of time with children. They study what kind of development is most typical and focus on any deviation from the norm in the development process. Developmental psychologists also look into how early childhood experiences might shape later development.

Forensic Psychologist – Forensic psychologists are sometimes called legal psychologists because they help law enforcement. These are often experts in determining whether a person is legally sane or insane, which can have legal implications. They also look at questions of sexual motivation, personality, and psychopathy.

School Psychologist – The job of school psychologists is to help school-aged children and adolescents identify, address, and overcome learning and behavioral needs that may prevent them from succeeding in the classroom. These professionals provide in-depth psychological services to students with the goals of helping them succeed academically, emotionally, socially, behaviorally and emotionally. 

How Do You Hire and Interview a Psychologist?

After developing the profile of the candidate psychologist you need, you can put out a job posting. To get a better pool of candidates, use a platform that focuses on the mental health field. 4 Cerebrum Careers is a specialized career site that focuses on the mental health jobs in Illinois, bringing together mental health employers and job seekers. 

Second, focus on potential therapists who have the right credentials, degrees, and certifications for the needs of your facility. Interviewing candidates who do not fit the criteria that you need can waste time and resources if they are unqualified for the position. Using 4 Cerebrum Careers, you can filter candidates resumes based on degree levels, license type, certifications, specializations, and more, so your practice can find the most qualified psychologists faster than ever before.

Hiring a psychologist in Illinois should be smooth once you understand who you need, what you need them for, and where to find the best psychologist candidates. Register today at 4 Cerebrum Careers to post your job or access qualified psychologist candidates in Illinois!