Key takeaways
- Locums can expand how psychologists use their expertise beyond direct patient care, including consulting, training, supervision and systems-level support.
- Flexibility allows psychologists to take on meaningful assignments while maintaining private practice or other commitments.
- Psychology careers don’t have to follow one path. Locums offers variety, choice and room to explore different practice settings.
For Dr. Jorge Wong, PhD, being a psychologist doesn’t always mean providing direct patient care.
As a consulting psychologist at a juvenile corrections facility, Dr. Wong’s locum tenens assignment breaks the mold of traditional psychology roles. Rather than direct patient services, he works at the systems level — consulting with staff on challenging cases, improving interventions, providing training and supervision, reviewing psychological testing and educating the judiciary about mental health services and evidence-based treatment.
“It’s high level work,” Dr. Wong explained. “I’m not doing direct services — I'm consulting with staff on challenging cases to help conceptualize or improve some of the interventions. It’s been a great opportunity to do something beyond direct services.”
We connected with him at the American Psychological Association (APA) convention in D.C. to explore how his experience demonstrates the ways psychologists can use locum tenens to pursue different aspects of the profession while maintaining flexibility and a strong commitment to patient care.
Sitting down with Dr. Wong at the 2026 APA LocumTenens.com booth
A different kind of psychology role
Dr. Wong’s work shows what day-to-day work for psychologists in a consulting role can look like outside of traditional clinical settings.
Rather than working directly with patients, he collaborates with the staff responsible for their care, which includes helping teams think through complex cases, reviewing psychological testing and providing training and supervision.
His impact extends beyond the facility’s clinical teams. By educating members of the judiciary about mental health services and evidence-based treatment, Dr. Wong brings his psychological expertise into spaces that shape how young people receive care and support.For psychologists drawn to problem-solving, education, leadership or systems-level work, consulting offers an alternative way to apply their education, training and professional experience.
Today’s psychologists are increasingly taking on roles in consulting, coaching, leadership, supervision and workforce development, expanding how psychology expertise can be deployed beyond direct patient care.
Building flexibility into your career
For Dr. Wong, locums work fits into a deliberate career strategy. He maintains a private practice where he also functions as an expert witness alongside his locums assignment, allowing him to pursue different areas of psychology simultaneously.
“It allows me to contract for a certain number of hours each week while still having the flexibility to continue with my private practice,” he said. “It gives me the opportunity to do different aspects of psychology while still staying close to home.”
For psychologists with other professional commitments, locums can create opportunities to work in different settings without stepping away from an existing practice or career path.
Dr. Wong and the LocumTenens.com team at APA 2026 in D.C..
Explore where psychology can take you
Variable contract lengths, from a few months to a couple of years, open doors that traditional roles don’t.
“One of the biggest benefits is the flexibility in where you chose to work,” he said. “Whether you want to stay close to home or explore new places and opportunities, contracts vary in length. With the range being a few months to a couple of years, it allows you the chance to discover more about yourself and the way you want to practice.”
Dr. Wong’s experience demonstrates that psychology careers don’t follow a single path. Consulting, training, supervision and other roles can give psychologists opportunities to apply their expertise in different ways — and locum tenens can provide the flexibility to explore those opportunities alongside other professional commitments.
Ready to discover your next opportunity? Explore locum psychology positions with LocumTenens.com.
