Director of Psychology

Date: August 21 2026 | Location: Harlingen, TX 78552 (Rio Grande State Center, 1401 S Rangerville Rd)

About the role

The Psychologist IV (Director of Psychology) performs highly advanced and/or managerial psychological work under the direction of the State Hospital Medical Director. The Director provides consultation, training, and guidance to hospital administration, develops, implements, and revises policies and procedures to ensure evaluations, treatment interventions, and clinical documentation are accurate, timely, and compliant with applicable laws, rules, and standards. The role also ensures coordination and integration of psychological and behavioral health services with other facility programs to support continuity of care, consistent procedures, and system‑wide values, emphasizing trauma‑informed, recovery‑focused care and the reduction of restrictive interventions when clinically appropriate.

Essential Job Functions

• Provide consultation, training, and guidance to hospital administration, recovery teams, and interdisciplinary staff on psychological evaluations, recovery‑focused treatment planning, and safe discharge practices.
• Review documentation of treatment to determine compliance with policies, procedures, standards of care, quality service, and regulations.
• Design, conduct, and coordinate psychological and behavioral health programs and activities in accordance with agency policies, professional standards, and best practices.
• Conduct comprehensive psychological evaluations using standardized, evidence‑based instruments to assess mental health needs, suicide risk, and co‑occurring psychiatric and substance‑use conditions; collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to develop integrated treatment and rehabilitation plans.
• Oversee psychological programs and services in collaboration with medical, nursing, social work, and administrative disciplines to ensure consistency, quality, and compliance across the facility.
• Develop, implement, and revise policies and procedures to ensure evaluations, treatment interventions, and clinical documentation are completed accurately, timely, and in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and standards.
• Provide professional supervision, consultation, and clinical leadership to psychology staff and other assigned personnel; evaluate staff performance, identify training needs, and deliver coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance.
• Evaluate and review psychological and behavioral health services; develop improvement plans to address identified needs or deficiencies; monitor program effectiveness, documentation, trends, and outcomes; recommend corrective actions or enhancements.
• Ensure coordination and integration of psychological and behavioral health services with other facility programs to support continuity of care, consistent procedures, and system‑wide values.
• Participate in performance‑improvement initiatives, quality‑assurance activities, and collaborative planning efforts to strengthen service delivery and patient outcomes.
• Provide recovery‑focused care that emphasizes trauma‑informed principles, patient engagement, and reduction of restrictive interventions when clinically appropriate.
• Apply recovery and trauma‑informed care principles in all interactions with patients, staff, and treatment teams; support peer‑support concepts and initiatives throughout the facility.
• Participate in the selection, orientation, and onboarding of assigned staff to ensure appropriate screening, effective integration, and readiness to deliver high‑quality services.
• Perform special projects or assignments as requested by leadership and maintain current knowledge of professional standards, emerging practices, and developments relevant to psychological and behavioral health services.
• Participate in disaster response, recovery, or Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation as needed, which may require alternate shift patterns or locations.
• Attend work regularly; may be required to work specific, rotating, extended, or overtime shifts in accordance with agency leave policy.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge and experience in administering all aspects of psychological services to persons with psychiatric and substance‑abuse diagnoses.
• Understanding of the etiology and characteristics of psychiatric and substance‑abuse diagnoses.
• Familiarity with applicable laws, regulations, and departmental/agency policy.
• Skill in administering standardized evaluations.
• Knowledge of applied behavior analysis and behavior‑support plan development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Understanding of psychotropic medications and systems to track treatment effectiveness.
• Ability to train staff in programming and related psychological/behavioral areas.
• Ability to professionally supervise psychological/behavioral and programming staff.
• Capacity to work with minimal supervision and make varied decisions within broad guidelines.
• Advanced writing skills for technical reports, grants, research proposals, and related documents.
• Leadership skills in motivating staff and implementing change effectively.
• Proficiency with personal computers and relevant software.

Registrations, Licensure, and Certifications

• Must hold and maintain a valid, current license as a Psychologist issued by the State of Texas or a reciprocity state.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least three years of experience administering psychological services in an inpatient psychiatric setting (preferred).
• At least three years of experience administering standardized evaluations.
• Minimum of two years’ experience supervising psychological/behavioral and programming staff (preferred).
• Experience with applied behavior analysis and behavior‑support plan development, implementation, and evaluation (preferred).
• Bilingual in English and Spanish (preferred).

Benefits

• 100 % paid employee health insurance for full‑time eligible employees.
• Defined benefit pension plan.
• Generous time‑off benefits.
• Numerous opportunities for career advancement.

Pay

Salary range: $10,761.37 – $14,356.00 per month (pay frequency: monthly).

Schedule

• Shift: Day (First)
• Additional Shift: Days (First)
• Telework: Not eligible
• Travel: Up to 10 %
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Full‑time / Part‑time: Full‑time
• FLSA status: Exempt