Psychology Internship Opportunities

Psychology majors have a few options if they want
to participate in a psychology internship.
Wellesley College offers the opportunity to complete an internship during the academic year,
or during the summer.
 

The first option is the Psychology Practicum Program - see below. The second option is to complete a summer internship through the CWS.

Psychology Practicum Program

Eligibility
Juniors and seniors can participate in the Psychology Practicum Program by registering for PSYC 299

PSYC 299

• one full credit
• cannot be counted towards the psychology major
• completion of internship required

Participation Steps
Students interested in participating in the Psychology Practicum Program must meet with Professor Sally Theran to discuss prerequisites and obtain admission into the Practicum Program, as indicated by her signature on the pre-registration form.

Once the pre-registration form is signed, arrange to meet with Katie Koski in the Center for Work and Service to finalize your site selections and receive the contact information for the sites to which you want to apply. (Download site selection list here) You need to make an appointment with Katie via MyCWS.  You must bring the following to your appointment:

• your pre-registration form
• a current resume

After you meet with Katie to review your pre-registration form and resume, you will submit your resume and a cover letter directly to the organization.  Please attend a drop-in session at the Center for Work and Service prior to your meeting with Katie if you need assistance in completing or compiling these materials.

Once you have secured an internship, please send Katie Koski an email with the name of the host site, supervisor, and his/her contact information.  Please also contact Professor Sally Theran who will give you electronic permission to register for the course.

Deadline is November 15th for the spring internship, and April 15th for the fall internship.

For Students Applying to Riverside Community Care: Instead of applying directly to the organization, you will need to submit your resume and the Riverside application form to Katie Koski who will submit the materials on your behalf.

Practicum Requirements
In order to receive course credit students must:

• complete a learning contract with their supervisor within the first two weeks of their internship (link to sample learning contracts);
• attend all supervision meetings (three to four per semester).

Supervisors must complete:

• the learning contract with the intern in the first two weeks
• a mid-semester evaluation
• a final evaluation

Transportation
The Center for Work and Service will assist students with reasonable transportation expenses to their practicum sites.  Students must select the most economical method of transportation, e.g. public transportation or the Exchange/Senate bus.  Students must email a budget to Colleen Calcagni outlining the following:

For students taking public transportation
Trips per week:
Cost per trip:                                     

For students driving their own vehicles
Trips per week:
Mileage per trip:                                     

Community service vehicles and Zipcars are available for participants use depending on availability.  Students should plan to meet with Colleen Calcagni in the CWS as soon as their placements are finalized to arrange transportation as the vehicles fill up quickly.  Funding is not available to pay for taxi cabs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If I don’t know what area of psychology I am interested in investigating, how do I narrow my placement search? Read about the different sites and see if any of the organizations stimulate your interests.  Consider your goals in psychology.  Do you plan to attend graduate school?  Maybe you should consider a clinical placement.  Additionally there are organizations such as Riverside Community Care that have opportunities in a variety of areas.  Observing their different services will increase your understanding of the field and all of its employment opportunities.

What if none of the sites on the list match my interests? If the organizations listed on the site information sheet do not satisfy your goals for participating in this program, feel free to research potential sites yourself.  Katie Koski can help you to identify other sites.

Can I apply to organizations that are not on this list? Yes.  Students should discuss other possible organizations with either Professor Theran or Katie Koski.