OPT Psychology Jobs
Psychology OPT jobs span clinical support, research coordination, and behavioral analysis roles. Most qualify for the standard 12-month OPT period, and positions tied to research or data-driven behavioral work often meet STEM OPT extension criteria under CIP code 42.0101, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization.
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The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin is seeking applications for a 1-year Instructor (Postdoctoral Fellowship) in Pediatric Psychology with a focus on Hematology/Oncology/ Blood and Marrow Transplant. The instructor will receive specialized training in the care of children, adolescents, and young adults with hematologic and oncologic disorders, including: psychological assessment and psychotherapy, pre-BMT readiness evaluations, neurocognitive assessment for late effects of cancer treatment and to screen for neurocognitive functioning in the sickle cell population, and consultation/liaison with staff, schools, and community agencies. The fellow also participates in several multidisciplinary clinics, including leukemia, sickle cell disease, cancer predisposition, and survivorship clinics. The fellow provides continuity of care to patients across inpatient and outpatient settings and collaborates closely within the broader multidisciplinary team. Fellows are expected to carry a caseload of approximately 25 patients.
In addition to clinical care, fellows will assist in program development and coordination of research focused on the psychosocial functioning of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer and other blood disorders. Opportunities for umbrella supervision of psychology trainees are also available. Additional details about the program can be found at https://www.mcw.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions/Pediatric-Psychology-and-Developmental-Medicine/fellowship.
Anticipated start date is September 1, 2027.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INSTRUCTOR RANK APPOINTMENT:
It is expected that Instructors at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:
- Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of his/her own choosing.
- Be supervised by at least one faculty member who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
- Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates the postdoc's career and training goals.
- Participate in a scholarly project during their appointment.
- Attend a weekly professional development seminar.
- As postdocs are important members of the MCW community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status will be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.
PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
- Under supervision, provide consultation, assessment and intervention with children and families.
- Function as member of a multidisciplinary health team, attend meetings, collaborate with other members and staff.
- Complete a scholarly project in line with the fellow’s career goals.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
- Minimum Required Education: PhD or PsyD
- Minimum Required Experience: Completion of an internship
- Preferred Education: Applicants should have a PhD or PsyD from an APA-approved program in clinical or counseling psychology.
- Preferred Experience: Internship should be APA-approved with emphasis on child clinical or pediatric psychology, and experience working with pediatric populations.
KNOWLEDGE – SKILLS – ABILITIES
- Required knowledge: Writing and documentation skills, record management, complex problem solving, critical thinking, resource management, and statistics and data utilization skills.
- Skills and abilities: Ability to complete a psychological assessment and provide intervention from a variety of theoretical orientations.
Medical College of Wisconsin
At the core of everything we do at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the pursuit of new knowledge and the power of academic medicine. Bringing together the world’s top scientists and clinicians, inspired students, and invested communities, we are driven to solve the most complex challenges in health and society. MCW is home to a diverse group of thought leaders collaborating to build a healthier world and a continuous cycle of life-changing knowledge. MCW has approximately 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty and approximately 3,445 full-time employees.
Children’s Wisconsin and Children’s Specialty Group
Children’s Wisconsin is the state’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. With more than 1.3 million annual connections with kids and families statewide, Children’s provides a wide range of care and support — everything from routine care to lifesaving advances and treatment options, foster care and adoption services, child advocacy, and provides an insurance plan.
Children’s and its joint venture with the Medical College of Wisconsin – the Children’s Specialty Group (CSG) - are the largest providers of pediatric healthcare in the state, serving the children and families of Wisconsin with the highest level of care through their American College of Surgeons Level I Children’s Surgery Verification Center, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence, 72-bed Level IV NICU, Level IV Epilepsy Center, and a 72-bed PICU. In 2021-2022, CW and CSG had six specialties ranked by US News & World Report: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; gastroenterology and GI surgery; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; and pulmonology. With over 70 specialties and 675 providers, CSG providers had 220,000 outpatient visits at 13 regional care sites, 67,000 emergency department/trauma center visits, and over 9,000 admissions.
OUR COMMITMENT TO MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
MCW recognizes the hard work and multiple responsibilities of our faculty and staff and is committed to improving wellness and wellbeing. As part of MCW’s commitment, a multitude of resources are provided and encouraged including the Well-Being Index, literature/research, courses, and peer support programs. MCW’s benefits specific to mental health include:
- Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP): A free, confidential resource available to employees, dependents, and household members for mental health and well-being.
- Monthly Wellness Newsletter: Provides resources, tools, and events to support the whole person by providing emotional well-being, nutrition, physical activity, self-care, social, spiritual, and financial wellness.
- Wellness Champions: 80+ employees serve as Wellness Champions to encourage mental, physical, social, and spiritual health through formal programs and informal opportunities to enhance wellness within teams and departments.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace that includes individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. We strive to integrate our human and social differences into MCW’s functioning, strategies and culture to create a diverse and equitable workplace. If you believe embracing individuality and working together makes us stronger, then MCW is the place for you. People of color, women, LGBTQIA+, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
MCW AS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND COMMITMENT TO NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status.
LOCATION
Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, is located on Lake Michigan’s western shore. A metropolitan area with more than 1.6 million people, Milwaukee is an affordable, comfortable place to live, work, and play, big enough to be exciting and uncongested enough to get around easily. Milwaukee’s many neighborhoods have incredible charm, accommodating a variety of lifestyles, from high-rise apartments to small farms. Nestled along a magnificent bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Milwaukee’s downtown is home to botanical gardens, lakefront museums, a theater district, the world champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers, bustling nightlife, and award-winning restaurants. The lake and its harbors are skirted by scenic parklands and provide first-class opportunities for recreation, including hiking, cycling, boating, and more. A recent study ranked Milwaukee as the 15th most walkable of the 50 largest US cities. Milwaukee has all the advantages of a large, vibrant city but without the stress or cost.
INTRODUCTION
The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin is seeking applications for a 1-year Instructor (Postdoctoral Fellowship) in Pediatric Psychology with a focus on Hematology/Oncology/ Blood and Marrow Transplant. The instructor will receive specialized training in the care of children, adolescents, and young adults with hematologic and oncologic disorders, including: psychological assessment and psychotherapy, pre-BMT readiness evaluations, neurocognitive assessment for late effects of cancer treatment and to screen for neurocognitive functioning in the sickle cell population, and consultation/liaison with staff, schools, and community agencies. The fellow also participates in several multidisciplinary clinics, including leukemia, sickle cell disease, cancer predisposition, and survivorship clinics. The fellow provides continuity of care to patients across inpatient and outpatient settings and collaborates closely within the broader multidisciplinary team. Fellows are expected to carry a caseload of approximately 25 patients.
In addition to clinical care, fellows will assist in program development and coordination of research focused on the psychosocial functioning of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer and other blood disorders. Opportunities for umbrella supervision of psychology trainees are also available. Additional details about the program can be found at https://www.mcw.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions/Pediatric-Psychology-and-Developmental-Medicine/fellowship.
Anticipated start date is September 1, 2027.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INSTRUCTOR RANK APPOINTMENT:
It is expected that Instructors at MCW, with the assistance of their supervisor, will:
- Transition to career independence through the development of professional skills that enable the postdoc to actively pursue a career of his/her own choosing.
- Be supervised by at least one faculty member who actively promotes the postdoc's professional development.
- Establish an individual development plan (IDP) that incorporates the postdoc's career and training goals.
- Participate in a scholarly project during their appointment.
- Attend a weekly professional development seminar.
- As postdocs are important members of the MCW community, appropriate levels of compensation, health care, and other benefits commensurate with their essential status will be afforded, independent of the postdoc's source of funding.
PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
- Under supervision, provide consultation, assessment and intervention with children and families.
- Function as member of a multidisciplinary health team, attend meetings, collaborate with other members and staff.
- Complete a scholarly project in line with the fellow’s career goals.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
- Minimum Required Education: PhD or PsyD
- Minimum Required Experience: Completion of an internship
- Preferred Education: Applicants should have a PhD or PsyD from an APA-approved program in clinical or counseling psychology.
- Preferred Experience: Internship should be APA-approved with emphasis on child clinical or pediatric psychology, and experience working with pediatric populations.
KNOWLEDGE – SKILLS – ABILITIES
- Required knowledge: Writing and documentation skills, record management, complex problem solving, critical thinking, resource management, and statistics and data utilization skills.
- Skills and abilities: Ability to complete a psychological assessment and provide intervention from a variety of theoretical orientations.
Medical College of Wisconsin
At the core of everything we do at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the pursuit of new knowledge and the power of academic medicine. Bringing together the world’s top scientists and clinicians, inspired students, and invested communities, we are driven to solve the most complex challenges in health and society. MCW is home to a diverse group of thought leaders collaborating to build a healthier world and a continuous cycle of life-changing knowledge. MCW has approximately 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty and approximately 3,445 full-time employees.
Children’s Wisconsin and Children’s Specialty Group
Children’s Wisconsin is the state’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. With more than 1.3 million annual connections with kids and families statewide, Children’s provides a wide range of care and support — everything from routine care to lifesaving advances and treatment options, foster care and adoption services, child advocacy, and provides an insurance plan.
Children’s and its joint venture with the Medical College of Wisconsin – the Children’s Specialty Group (CSG) - are the largest providers of pediatric healthcare in the state, serving the children and families of Wisconsin with the highest level of care through their American College of Surgeons Level I Children’s Surgery Verification Center, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence, 72-bed Level IV NICU, Level IV Epilepsy Center, and a 72-bed PICU. In 2021-2022, CW and CSG had six specialties ranked by US News & World Report: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; gastroenterology and GI surgery; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; and pulmonology. With over 70 specialties and 675 providers, CSG providers had 220,000 outpatient visits at 13 regional care sites, 67,000 emergency department/trauma center visits, and over 9,000 admissions.
OUR COMMITMENT TO MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
MCW recognizes the hard work and multiple responsibilities of our faculty and staff and is committed to improving wellness and wellbeing. As part of MCW’s commitment, a multitude of resources are provided and encouraged including the Well-Being Index, literature/research, courses, and peer support programs. MCW’s benefits specific to mental health include:
- Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP): A free, confidential resource available to employees, dependents, and household members for mental health and well-being.
- Monthly Wellness Newsletter: Provides resources, tools, and events to support the whole person by providing emotional well-being, nutrition, physical activity, self-care, social, spiritual, and financial wellness.
- Wellness Champions: 80+ employees serve as Wellness Champions to encourage mental, physical, social, and spiritual health through formal programs and informal opportunities to enhance wellness within teams and departments.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace that includes individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. We strive to integrate our human and social differences into MCW’s functioning, strategies and culture to create a diverse and equitable workplace. If you believe embracing individuality and working together makes us stronger, then MCW is the place for you. People of color, women, LGBTQIA+, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
MCW AS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND COMMITMENT TO NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status.
LOCATION
Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, is located on Lake Michigan’s western shore. A metropolitan area with more than 1.6 million people, Milwaukee is an affordable, comfortable place to live, work, and play, big enough to be exciting and uncongested enough to get around easily. Milwaukee’s many neighborhoods have incredible charm, accommodating a variety of lifestyles, from high-rise apartments to small farms. Nestled along a magnificent bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Milwaukee’s downtown is home to botanical gardens, lakefront museums, a theater district, the world champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers, bustling nightlife, and award-winning restaurants. The lake and its harbors are skirted by scenic parklands and provide first-class opportunities for recreation, including hiking, cycling, boating, and more. A recent study ranked Milwaukee as the 15th most walkable of the 50 largest US cities. Milwaukee has all the advantages of a large, vibrant city but without the stress or cost.
See all 125+ OPT Psychology Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Psychology Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in Psychology
Clarify your OPT authorization upfront
When applying, state your OPT status and authorization end date clearly. Many psychology employers are unfamiliar with F-1 work authorization, so a brief one-line explanation in your cover letter prevents confusion before the interview stage.
Target STEM-eligible psychology roles
Research coordinator, behavioral analyst, and data-focused clinical roles often qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Confirm your degree's CIP code with your DSO before applying to maximize your authorized work period.
Prioritize universities and research institutions
Academic medical centers, university psychology departments, and federally funded research programs regularly hire OPT students. These organizations understand F-1 authorization better than most private employers and often have established processes.
Frame your thesis or practicum as real experience
Clinical practicum hours, thesis research, and supervised assessments are legitimate professional experience. Quantify the populations you worked with, assessments administered, and research outputs to make your application competitive against candidates with paid experience.
Understand the E-Verify requirement before applying
STEM OPT employers must be enrolled in E-Verify. Before accepting any role that relies on the extension, confirm the employer participates. Skipping this check is the most common reason STEM OPT extensions get denied.
Apply early relative to your OPT start date
Psychology hiring cycles at hospitals and research institutions can run 6 to 10 weeks. Submit your EAD application to USCIS at least 90 days before graduation so your card arrives before your intended start date.
Psychology OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do psychology jobs qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Some do, but not all. Psychology degrees classified under CIP code 42.0101 are STEM-designated, which means qualifying roles in research, data analysis, or behavioral science can support a 24-month STEM OPT extension. Clinical or counseling-focused roles may not qualify if the work is not sufficiently STEM-aligned. Confirm your degree's CIP code with your DSO before counting on the extension.
Can I work as a licensed therapist or counselor on OPT?
You can work in a role that prepares you for licensure, but most U.S. states require a license to practice independently as a therapist or counselor. On OPT, you can work under licensed supervision in roles like clinical coordinator, behavioral health technician, or research associate. Independently licensed practice typically requires a separate visa and permanent work authorization, not OPT.
What types of psychology employers sponsor or support OPT students?
University research labs, academic medical centers, behavioral health nonprofits, and federal agencies like the VA and NIH are the most OPT-friendly psychology employers. Private therapy practices rarely sponsor because of their small size. To find employers actively hiring OPT students in psychology, browse Migrate Mate, which filters for roles open to F-1 work authorization.
How does the 90-day unemployment rule apply to psychology OPT jobs?
During your OPT period, you cannot accumulate more than 90 days of unemployment. Psychology job searches, especially for clinical or research roles requiring specific licenses or clearances, can take longer than expected. Start your search before graduation, apply broadly across research and behavioral health settings, and report any new employment to your DSO promptly to keep your record accurate.
Does volunteer or unpaid psychology work count toward OPT employment requirements?
Yes, unpaid work in a psychology role directly related to your degree can count as qualifying OPT employment, as long as it is not prohibited by other laws and meets DSO reporting requirements. Unpaid research positions, supervised clinical hours, and nonprofit roles can all qualify. Document the role clearly and report it to your DSO the same way you would paid employment.