Introduction The Department of Corrections is focused on public safety through the custody and supervision of those in our care. Corrections employees have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of others through careers in a variety of fields. Using evidence-based approaches, employees implement lasting change with a positive impact for the people of Wisconsin.
The Department of Corrections is accepting applications for
Mental Health Clinician roles in the Psychological Associate and Psychologist - Licensed classifications in locations throughout the state.
Current Vacancies:
Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, WI (Columbia County)
Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, WI (Dodge County)
Fox Lake Correctional Institution in Fox Lake, WI (Dodge County)
Green Bay Correctional Institution in Green Bay, WI (Brown County)
Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls, WI (Jackson County)
Lincoln Hills & Copper Lakes Schools in Irma, WI (Lincoln County)
Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility in Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee County)
New Lisbon Correctional Institution in New Lisbon, WI (Juneau County)
Oshkosh Correctional Institution in Oshkosh, WI (Winnebago County)
Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution in Prairie du Chien, WI (Crawford County)
Racine Correctional Institution in Sturtevant, WI (Racine County)
Redgranite Correctional Institution in Redgranite, WI (Waushara County)
Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center in Union Grove, WI (Racine County)
Stanley Correctional Institution in Stanley, WI (Chippewa County)
Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac, WI (Fond du Lac County)
Waupun Correctional Institution in Waupun, WI (Dodge County)
Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel, WI (Grant County)
Position Summary This role provides direct mental health treatment services to individuals under the care of the Wisconsin DOC. Direct services may include, but are not limited to: clinical monitoring of mental health symptoms, intake assessments, psychological assessments, individual and group therapy, risk management, and crisis intervention, on-call emergency services as assigned.
There are opportunities at Racine Correctional Institution and Oshkosh Correctional Institution that provide an additional focus on sex offender treatment within an intensive residential program. Other positions throughout the state may have focus areas such as dual diagnosis or the management and treatment of serious mental illness.
Individuals in the psychology roles provide consultation services to the multidisciplinary staff who are involved in the care and treatment of the individuals, including medical providers, security, probation and parole, social workers, and more.
This position may provide staff development and training related to mental health. Training opportunities, including CEU certificates, are available to maintain, further develop and refine clinical skills.
Psychological Associates will perform the duties above under the direction and supervision of a licensed psychologist. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections provides the required supervision for post-doctorate licensing.
Psychologist Licensed positions may provide clinical supervision to interns in professional psychology consistent with American Psychological Association (APA) and Association of Psychology Post-Doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) internship standards or may assist in providing clinical supervision to unlicensed staff seeking licensure in Wisconsin.
Salary Information Starting annual salary for a
Licensed Psycholo gist is
$130062/year *.
Starting annual salary for a
Psychological Associate with an Interim Psychologist License is
$106121/year **.
Starting annual salary for a
Psychological Associate (with a Doctorate in Psychology) is
$99881/year*** .
Starting annual salary for
Psychological Associate is
$87401/year. - *Salary includes $6.00/hour add-on for Doctorate and $5.00/hour add-on for regular WI Psychologist License.
- **Salary includes $6.00/hour add-on for Doctorate and $3.00/hour add-on for Interim Psychologist License.
- ***Salary includes $6.00/hour add-on for Doctorate.
For greater detail on Psychology Add-Ons, see Section A 4.10 of the Comp Plan.
Currently employees are eligible to receive supplemental (add-on) pay of $5.00/hr for all hours worked (not including leave time) at Green Bay Correctional Institution .
Pay will be set in accordance with the Compensation Plan and Wisconsin Administrative Code in effect at the time of hire. Psychological Associate is in pay schedule and range 12-63 and Psychologist-Licensed is in pay schedule and range 12-60. A probationary period is required.
In addition to meaningful and rewarding work, we offer a competitive benefits package featuring:
- Substantial leave time including at least 3.5 weeks of vacation to start, 9 paid holidays, and ample accrued sick time that rolls over each year.
- Insurance : Excellent and affordable health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
- An exceptional pension plan including a lifetime retirement payment.
- An optional tax-advantaged 457 retirement savings plan .
- The Well Wisconsin Program helps participants set health and well-being goals, track progress, stay motivated, and earn incentives.
- Our Employee Assistance Program offers employees and their immediate family a variety of tools, resources, and professional consultation services to support their health, goals, and overall well-being.
- DOC is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
- Please click here for a summary of State of Wisconsin employment benefits or click here to explore employment benefits on the website.
To help you understand what your benefit package would be worth, please see the Total Rewards Calculator here .
Job Details Standard hours of work are generally Monday - Friday 7:45AM - 4:30PM. Some facilities have additional flexibility (such as four ten-hour shifts) and/or opportunities for remote work. A few part-time positions are available and will be identified as such when interviews are offered. Night or weekend work is rare and typically only during assigned on-call weeks. Many facilities offer the ability to provide on-call services via telehealth; all positions will need to work in person regularly at the facility to which they are assigned. These positions are FLSA Exempt.
This position is not anticipated to travel on a regular basis, but most DOC positions occasionally travel for training, meetings, conferences, or similar events.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the U.S., a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the U.S. without DOC sponsorship) at the time of application.
The Department of Corrections may conduct pre-employment drug screens. Any applicant who is offered employment in a position which requires a pre-employment drug screen must pass the screen as a contingency of employment.
The Department of Corrections will conduct criminal background checks on applicants prior to selection. Upon hire, all new DOC employees are subject to fingerprinting.
For more in -depth information on employment with the State of Wisconsin, please see the State Employee Handbook .
Qualifications This recruitment will be used to fill vacancies as they occur. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, some vacancies will require a doctorate or a Psychologist license.
Qualified candidates must have experience in treatment and assessment of mental disorders as defined by the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) AND meet at least one of the criteria below :
- Candidate must possess an active license as a Professional Counselor (LPC) or as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) granted by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. LPC Credentials end in -125 and LCSW in -123.
OR
- Candidate must possess a doctoral degree in Psychology from a regionally accredited program that meets the requirements for a Wisconsin Psychologist license or be within four months of completing all requirements for a Doctoral degree (excluding the dissertation) -AND - must have successfully completed a formal doctoral psychology internship or be within four months of completing an internship which includes at least 1500 clinical hours supervised by a licensed psychologist.
OR
- Candidate must possess an active non-temporary Psychologist license granted by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.
A screening questionnaire will determine if candidates are minimally qualified to continue in the selection process and which vacancies they will be qualified for.
Only candidates with a WI Psychologist license may be hired into the Psychologist - Licensed classification. The other criteria are to meet the requirements for hire as a Psychological Associate.
How To Apply To apply, click on "Apply for Job" to start the application process. Follow the steps outlined in the application process and submit your application.
The initial screening prior to interview is based on your response to the screening questionnaire. Submitted information will be evaluated and qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.
Candidates without a license will be asked to provide transcripts and a certificate of internship completion or a letter of verification of current participation in the internship at the time of interview.
You will be asked about various licenses in the application process, and there will be a field for you to enter your license number. If you have a license, please enter it as it appears on the DSPS website as this is how we will verify your license. If your license is listed under a former name, please include your former name in the same text box after you enter your license number.
For this opening, your LCSW or LPC credential/license type should be "Regular." "Temporary" or "in Training" LCSW or LPC credentials are not sufficient to qualify.
Psychologist-Licensed positions require applicants to have a "Regular" Psychologist license before hire.
Applicants with a "temporary" or "interim" Psychologist License are eligible for consideration for Psychological Associate positions. Upon obtaining a "Regular" Psychologist license and meeting other necessary criteria, Psychological Associate employees are frequently eligible to reclassify into the Psychologist - Licensed classification.
Applying With a Pending Application for a Wisconsin Psychology License: If you are interested in being considered for Psychologist-Licensed vacancies and you meet all these criteria:
- You have applied for Psychologist licensure with the Wisconsin DSPS.
- Your application status on the DSPS site shows y our only unmet requirement for licensure is receipt of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) score.
- You have taken and received a passing score on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).
Then you may submit your
PAR # to confirm your application status and upload a copy of the verification of your passing score from the EPPP to be considered for Psychologist - Licensed vacancies.
You can use your browser's print to PDF function to obtain a copy of the verification or another method that exports an appropriate document type. (Please verify it opens and is readable before submitting.)
In Step 5 of the application, use the "Add Attachment" button to
upload the EPPP verification. One of the document types available when uploading documents will be
"Other", which is what you should use. (This is only necessary if you are applying with a pending application.)
Applicants with a pending license who are offered a Psychologist - Licensed position must obtain their Psychologist license before starting in that classification.Permanent classified employees who are eligible for consideration as a transfer or voluntary demotion must complete the application process in order to be considered.
The State of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer seeking a diverse and talented workforce. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities.
The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program.
Questions about psychology programs in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections may be directed to Dr. Marlena Larson at Marlena.Larson@wisconsin.gov .
Questions about applying can be directed to Athena Foster, HR Specialist - Senior, at Athena.Foster@wisconsin.gov .
Deadline to Apply Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the needs of the department are met. This posting will be up until:
Wednesday October 21st, 2026. At that time, we anticipate creating a new job opening to continue recruiting for this classification, and individuals will need to reapply to be considered.
Applications are processed every week, usually on Thursdays. After your application is processed, you will receive an eligibility designation. The register created from this announcement will be used to fill vacancies, statewide, as they occur for up to 6 months.
All recruiting locations with positions eligible to be filled from the recruitment are options when you select the recruiting locations you are interested in. Not all recruiting locations have vacancies.
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