Why Do a Summer Internship in Psychology?
Pursuing a career in psychology likely means you are considering graduate schools. You will soon discover that doctoral programs in clinical psychology are extremely competitive. In fact, securing a funded seat in a Ph.D. clinical psychology graduate program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) is actually more competitive than getting into medical school. Even if you obtain a highly sought-after seat at a graduate university, you then have to contend with applying for a psychology doctoral-level internship for your final year. Obtaining an APA-accredited internship is more difficult than years past as there are more students than internships available. Each year, there are a large number of students who are not matched to an APA site. APA actually refers to it as a "crisis" for budding psychologists in their APA Monitor article, "The Internship Match Crisis Continues."
Why is this important to you? Because graduate school in clinical psychology is competitive, requires a true commitment to see it through, and can be costly as well, possibly leaving you with substantial loans that should not be entered into lightly. It is smart to participate in an internship that allows you the opportunity to decide if a career in clinical psychology is what you really want before applying to graduate school. While there are plenty of research opportunities for undergraduates, likely in your current program, clinical opportunities are rare for undergraduates. Past ATSA Interns have said that being a part of the clinical scene has helped them formulate what path they want to follow for graduate studies.
A summer internship at ATSA is unique. You will serve as "confederates" in the treatment of children with a phobia called "selective mutism." You will have the opportunity to shadow therapy sessions, videotape sessions, create meaningful clips of therapy sessions to foster learning, and work with a multidisciplinary team of school psychologists, clinical psychologists, school social workers, speech language pathologists, occupational psychologists, school personnel, and general pediatric providers in an innovative intensive treatment protocol called Adventure Camp. You will have the opportunity to work alongside professionals, providing a rich opportunity for networking and potential recommendation letters. And the best part: seeing the children heal will be something you’ll carry with you FOREVER.
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Congrats to 2022 Interns Mudmee and Hannah!
Mudmee and Hannah will be presenting a Case Example at the SCCUR Conference in November!
Previous Interns
ATSA started offering our 10-week internships in 2014 and the interns have continued to impress us throughout the years! Learn more about our past interns by clicking on the corresponding year(s) below!
