PY310 Psychology Internship

Welcome Students!

This page is for you if you are enrolled in PY310 for the Spring 2025 semester. I am Dr. Goodwin, your Field Placement Coordinator. I love the Psych Internship course and watching students grow personally and professionally through their internship placements! Throughout the semester, you will be engaging at your sites, learning about different careers, exploring opportunities in Psychology by learning about your classmates' internships, and meeting with me one-on-one to explore your career interests and goals. Contact me at any time if you have questions or need assistance. I can be reached at jgoodwin@monmouth.edu . I can provide you with information about specific sites, site suggestions or help you if you need a new site approved. Make sure to include your name, and that you are enrolled in the Psychology Internship course (specify which section), and what your career interests are!

Important dates for this semester:

Your internship must be secured by the week of February 10th.

Your hours must be completed by Tuesday, April 29th.

Let's get started! Read through the Top 10 Tips for choosing and applying for an internship and we'll meet up with you at the end of the list...

Top 10 Tips

1) For this course, you are required to complete 60 hours at your site, however many students choose to complete more than the minimum because they wish to gain more experience. The more you are at your site, the more you will see, learn and do.

2) If you want to work in a forensic setting, hospital setting, or with children, start your search as soon as possible. Background checks and fingerprinting is usually required. This process can take up to a few weeks.

3) Plan to complete at least TWO internships during your undergraduate career. This will make you more competitive for graduate school and for the job market. Employers want new hires to have had at least two internships! After you complete PY310, you can enroll in an independent study internship in the future.

4) Don't limit yourself by distance, by insecurities or by challenges. Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, pursuing challenging work and being willing to keep your options open now may lead to an amazing experience and possible job opportunities later!

5) Knowing what you DON'T want to do is as important as knowing what you DO want to do. If you have been deciding between different career options, pursue an internship in one of those areas. Then pursue another internship next semester in another area!

6) Consider pursuing an internship in an area that you've never considered before as a career but sounds interesting or rewarding. Now is a great time to explore. You never know!

7) Follow the rules. Internship sites are BUSY! Their first priority is not hiring interns. Follow the directions for applying for the internship listed on their pages, give them a few days (e.g. 3 business days) to respond and then respectfully follow up through phone or email. Some sites are bombarded by internship requests and only take 2nd or 3rd inquiries as serious interest.

8) Don't apply to more than a few internships at a time and only apply to internships that you would feel comfortable accepting. Be respectful of an internship site's time and resources. Once you hear back from a site and begin a formal process (interview, etc.) of getting the internship, be honest about where you are in the process if another site contacts you. For example, some sites require background checks. Once you have initiated a background check, the site is spending money on your application process and will most likely offer you the position if you pass. If offered the internship, you have an obligation to accept the position unless you have a good reason to decline.

9) Take your internship seriously. Internships can provide invaluable career-related experiences and lead to stellar letters of recommendation and employment. Make the most out of your opportunity.

10) Take your coursework seriously. College isn't just about passing exams. Your courses provide you with knowledge and skills that you may need to apply to be successful in your internship and in your career. What if you're working at a mental health facility and missed the lecture on Schizophrenia? Or you're interning for MTV in their market analysis department and you have forgotten how to analyze data?

Hi, it's me again. Keep reading :).

Details, Details

Now for some important details. You cannot pursue a clinical internship if you have not already passed PY208. If you're not sure, please ask.

You cannot pursue an internship at a workplace where you previously or currently have worked, interned or volunteered. You must complete a minimum of 60 hours by the date of our final exam. Calculate how many hours a week this will require when considering when you start your internship.

You must have an internship secured by the week of February 10th. Your hours must be completed by April 29th.

You may not begin your internship hours until the first day of class unless you request permission by emailing your professor.

If you need a little inspiration, read some of the Internship Stories of Success or some helpful articles about the importance of internships. OR Head over to the full list of sites to begin reviewing possible placements! Site descriptions, duties and directions to apply are included on each page. Sites are divided by category and are also searchable (right hand frame of wiki). The Department has approved all of the sites listed so feel free to begin the application process.

If you want to intern at a site not listed, the approval process is easy. Just email Dr. Goodwin with the name of the site, the name of the potential supervisor or contact person and what your duties would be. You cannot continue in the application process until the site is approved. Dr. Goodwin will then email you a list of questions that your potential supervisor will answer.

VERY IMPORTANT: Ex-ed is an educational experience with learning goals and objectives and coursework that you complete as you grow professionally and progress towards your goals. An internship/job/volunteer opportunity that you are currently completing or have completed in the past cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. It's also in your best interest to complete an internship at a different site for grad school and future employment purposes. This is stated on this page twice (here and above) because failure to follow this rule may result in failure of the course.

Mission Accomplished

Once you have been accepted for an approved internship let your professor know so we can celebrate and they can send you the Placement Confirmation Form. Include the following information in your email:

Your full name and student ID number

Supervisor name, postal address and email address

When you anticipate beginning your internship

Required Course Documents

During the semester you will be using various documents to complete course assignments. These documents will be included in the content section of your eCampus course, along with a detailed syllabus.