Psychology Internships | 4 Must Know Information On Internships In Psychology

In this post, I discuss Psychology Internships covering the following aspects which could give you a good idea, information and psychology facts about the subject:

Let’s discuss this interesting topic of Psychology Internship in detail.

Psychology Internships

Psychology, the study of human mind and mental processes, is an applied discipline whose theoretical concepts find their applications in real world settings. It is essential for students undergoing psychology undergraduate and graduate coursework to take the tangible feel of the discipline by seeing its real-world application. Internships help them to go for “preliminary try-outs” before entering into the professional settings. They come to know about the various kinds of job, role and position that a professional psychologist may take up after completion of higher education. It also gives them an opportunity to build professional networks by meeting apprentices, novices and experts of the field. Many a times, internships lead them to take up a full-time job offer in the same organization after they complete their studies. Thus, doing internship while pursuing psychology major or master’s coursework is beneficial in many aspects for students.

Psychology Internships Requirements

While pursuing coursework in certain sub-disciplines of psychology like clinical psychology, business psychology, forensic psychology, school psychology, sports psychology, counseling psychology etc., it is mandatory for students to have compulsory internship experience for a certain number of hours. This is to build a strong hold of the field by applying it in workplace settings. Depending upon the elective subjects of a major or a master’s degree, a student can work in a variety of settings and perform various roles during internship.

Some of the common work settings for doing internship are listed below:

• Hospitals and mental health clinics to become a clinical psychologist
• Schools, colleges and vocational institutes to become a school psychologist / school counselor / career or vocational counselor
• Well-being clinics and counseling center to become a professional counselor
• Prisons, law firms and judiciary establishments to become a forensic psychologist
• Organizations (civil services, government and private) to become a business psychologist
• Sports center and team to become a sports psychologist
• Spiritual center to learn about positive behaviors to become a transpersonal psychologist
• University departments to learn about psychological research and educational projects

Psychology Internship Opportunities

In order to take internship as per your discipline and field of interest, a student must hunt for best positions in advance. It is advisable to start looking for internship opportunities 6 months in advance to secure the position of your choice. Students can look for internship opportunities on various websites, university departmental portals and career and job posting gateways. Students can also apply for positions and summer programs abroad in some other country to gain multicultural understanding and experience of the subject. The American Psychological Association (APA) also flashes various accredited undergraduate and graduate research assistant opportunities and internship programs on its portal. A student must do a strenuous hard work in searching and selecting an internship position as it will shape a foundational framework to take up the career in future.

Psychology Internship Application Process

After searching for a probable opportunity, a student has to follow and complete the internship application process which may vary from position to position. In general, an internship form is to be filled up along with submission of necessary academic documents. Some university positions also ask for drafting of academic plan, scholarly accomplishments and research proposals. One must read carefully and fulfill the requisite documents for an opportunity. A student must apply before the due date deadlines which are generally 3-6 months in case applying for abroad internship offers.

Submission of forms is followed by interview and screening process to take up the advertised position. Make sure that you must show your zeal and passion about the field of psychology while giving interviews. Certain internships also offer credits to interns depending on the contact hour program in which they are supposed to do a minimum hours of work. This gives an additional advantage to intern in completion of a degree coursework.

Remember, internships are essential for psychology students to gain first-hand experience of the subject and explore career options in the future.

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