Goal 5 of the of the American Psychological
Association’s (APA’s; 2013) APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology
guidelines focuses on professional development. We got an introduction to the
Professional Development Learning Outcomes in Chapter 8; for your convenience,
here they are again:
5.1 Apply psychological content and skills to
career goals
5.2 Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation
5.3 Refine project-management skills
5.4 Enhance teamwork capacity
5.5 Develop meaningful professional direction
In other words, your psychology major should
prepare you for what lies ahead. As such, you can expect your program to have
some form of internship opportunity embedded within the curriculum itself. This
chapter focuses on internships, discussing such topics as (a) what the
internship experience is all about, (b) how to obtain an internship, and (c)
the many benefits that follow from a successful internship experience.
The Undergraduate Internship Experience
An internship (or practicum) experience is
essentially a hands-on experience in which a student works in a professional
setting, shadowing professionals in the field and often helping out with
various tasks on an as-needed basis. Psychology students who have aspirations
to work in the field of mental health will often participate in internships
under the supervision of such professionals as clinical psychologists, school
psychologists, school counselors, or mental health counselors.
A solid psychology curriculum will often have
at least one internship experience embedded into the curriculum itself. That
is, there is usually at least one course that a student can take that provides
credit within the major for students. This class may be titled Internship in
Psychology, or Practicum in Psychology, or the like.
An internship class typically includes two
basic components: (a) an in-class component and (b) a site component. In such a
class, the in-class component is usually taught by a professor who has strong
applied experience him or herself. This may be a professor with a doctorate in
clinical psychology and a long history of conducting psychotherapy, for
instance. The class, which is often capped at a small number (e.g., 20) so that
there is ample opportunity for discussion and participation, will usually
include students who are working with a variety of placements. So a class of 20
or so students might be connected with five to 15 placement sites (i.e.,
locations where the students are actually working with a professional during
other times in the week). During the class component of the course, time is
dedicated to a combination of standard lecturing, with the professor discussing
issues regarding work in the applied areas of psychology, along with time
dedicated to discussion, when students can talk about some of the particulars
of their placement with the group. The class will also include a number of
readings and assignments designed to enhance the student’s internship
experience. A typical assignment for this kind of class would be the keeping of
a journal that connects with the work that the student is doing on the site.
The placement component of the class is what
makes it special. Typically, on the basis of prior agreements between the
department and some local agencies, students will be placed in one of several
possible locations working under the supervision of an experienced professional
in the field. These placement sites will vary from one another in terms of the
kinds of issues they address. Partly for this reason, it is typical for students
to be able to complete the internship class more than once. This feature of the
curriculum allows students either (a) to try an internship regarding a
different population or area of applied psychology or (b) to advance and focus
on the work at a site that is an extremely good fit for a student.
As already mentioned, placement sites might
include a number of specialties, including placements such as working
with a local clinical psychologist who is in
private practice,
with a local mental health counselor who is in
private practice,
with a local licensed clinical social worker
who is in private practice,
with a school psychologist in a local school
district,
with a school counselor in a local school
district,
at an agency that focuses on children with
special cognitive needs,
at an agency that focuses on children with
special emotional needs,
at an agency that focuses on adults with
special cognitive needs,
at an agency that focuses on adults with
special emotional needs,
at an agency that supports adolescents in an
after-school program,
at an agency that supports individuals and
families that are struggling economically,
at an agency that supports women and families,
or
at an agency that focuses on drug
rehabilitation.
In fact, this list is not complete. On the
basis of my experience working with students who have participated in
internship experiences, I can tell you that there truly are many different
areas available for students interested in internship experiences related to
psychology.