The Psychology Department provides a variety of opportunities for students to experience the "real world" of being a psychologists by participating in an internship.  Both general information about internship opportunities and the specifics of those opportunities for the current school year are provided below. More information about these or other internship opportunities can be obtained from JW Heuchert, Ph.D. Call him at x2397 or send him email at jw.heuchert@allegheny.edu.

General Information

The Psychology Department sponsors internships for upper level psychology students at various sites within Crawford County, as a way of enhancing students’ learning and affording them a way to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. This sheet describes a few of the central characteristics of the internship program. 

Expectations

Interns are expected to spend between 8 and 10 hours at their internship sites per week. During this time they should participate actively, under supervision, in normal activities at the internship site, as assigned by the site supervisor. These activities could include (but are not limited to): 

     · Observation of direct clinical contact with clients/consumers; 

     · Supervised interaction with clients/consumers; 

     · Participation in staff meetings and/or in-service training sessions; 

     · Record keeping; 

     · Planning of programs, training, or other events.

In addition to their work at the internship, all interns from the Psychology Department are required to attend a weekly Internship Seminar in the Psychology Department, in which they discuss ethical, legal, and other professional issues, share descriptions of their internship activities, write a paper, and make a presentation on their internship experience. Each intern is also asked to keep a journal which records his/her reactions to the internship experience. 

Evaluation

Each internship site has a faculty liaison who maintains contact with the site supervisor, reads the intern's journal, and keeps track of the interns progress. The liaison will contact the site supervisor mid-way through the semester and at the end of the semester to conduct evaluations of the student's performance. The final grade for the internship is determined jointly by the site supervisor and the faculty liaison, and the grade is officially recorded by the liaison. The criteria for evaluating the intern will differ according to the particular site, but they should include: 

     · The degree of professionalism with which the intern conducts him/herself at the internship site; 

     · The extent to which the intern has successfully completed the tasks assigned to him/her at the site; 

     · The extent to which the intern has utilized the learning opportunities presented by the internship 
       experience.

Frequently Asked Questions About Psychology Internships

What is an internship?

An internship is an opportunity to gain practical experience that is integrated into your academic coursework. Completing an internship lets you see and experience how psychological theory and research are applied in real-life contexts, and an internship can help you decide what kinds of work might or might not appeal to you for the future. 

What courses do I have to take?

A Psychology Department internship consists of two co-requisite courses. One is the actual internship experience. The Department currently offers internships in a number of applied areas, especially in settings dealing with developmental and clinical psychology. The second is the Internship Seminar. Each of them is worth two credits, and they must be taken concurrently.

How many internships can I take?

You can take as many internships as you want, but you can only apply eight credit hours of internships towards the 128 credit hours required for graduation. 

What internships are available?

Psychology501: Internship at CHAPS
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
An internship at the Crawford County Center for Mental Health Awareness (CHAPS).   CHAPS is an agency with provides a drop-in center, housing assistance, job training, and other services for mental health consumers. The intern works with staff and consumers to assess satisfaction with services, conduct advocacy and education about mental health issues, and facilitate the work of the drop-in center. The student is jointly evaluated by the CHAPS staff and the faculty liaison: Credit: Two semester hours. Prerequisites:  Psychology 170 and approval of the liaison. Corequisite: Psychology 540. 

502 Internship at the State Correctional Institution, Cambridge Springs
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
An internship at the State Correctional Institution at Cambridge Springs (SCICS), a minimum-security women's prison. The intern works with the prison's treatment staff, observes group therapy and other group counseling techniques, typically in specialized group settings such as those for substance abusers or sexual offenders, and learns about the multidisciplinary approach to inmate rehabilitation. The student is jointly evaluated by the SCICS staff and the faculty liaison. Credit: Two semester hours. Prerequisites: Psychology 170 and the approval of the liaison. Corequisite: Psychology 540. 

503 Internship at the Meadville Medical Center, Pain Management Center
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
An internship at the Pain Management Center at the Meadville Medical Center. The intern observes and/or participates in various aspects of the multidisciplinary treatment of chronic pain, including educational presentations, individual psychotherapy, physical therapy, biofeedback, and medical procedures. The student is jointly evaluated by the Pain Management Center staff and the faculty liaison. Credit: Two semester hours. Prerequisites: Psychology 172 and the approval of the liaison. Corequisite: Psychology 540.

505 Internship in Psychological Research
Liaison: Professor Searle-White
Research experience at Allegheny College to be directed by any member of the Psychology Department.  The completed project is evaluated jointly by the supervising faculty member and the liaison person.  Credit: Two or four semester hours.  May be repeated for credit.  Prerequisites: Psychology 206 and 207 and the approval of the faculty liaison person and the faculty member in charge of the project.

506 Internship in Surveying and Data Analysis
Liaison: Professor Anderson
An internship with one or more local social service agencies in which the intern assists in the design, pre-testing, implementation, and evaluation of survey instruments.  Additional responsibilities might include cataloguing, evaluation, and other data management research methods, statistics, and data management.  Prerequisites: Psychology 206 and 207 or Political Science 299.

516 Internship in Wellness at PPG Industries
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
An internship working in wellness programs in an industrial setting at a local glass manufacturing plant. Students will participate in an ongoing program addressing wellness issues of avoidance of alcohol and drug addiction, smoking cessation, weight control, safety and health management. Two semester hour credits. Prerequisites: Psychology 172 and the approval of the liaison. Corequisite: Psychology 540. 

520 Internship at Bethesda Youth Services, Meadville
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
Work in therapy and evaluation programs for delinquent and dependent adolescents in short-term or long-term residential group-home or home-supervision aspects of treatment. Students are evaluated on site, through daily records and through a journal.   Prerequisite: Psychology 160 or 170. May be repeated for credit. Credit: Two semester hours. Corequisite : Psychology 540. 

522 Internship in Child Care
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
An internship at one of two child care sites: Allegheny Community Child Care Center or Head Start. The internship 1) acquaints the student with a child care agency serving children four years of age and under; 2) enables the intern to observe normal physical, cognitive, and social-emotional developmental processes in young children; 3) involves the student in planning and implementing appropriate activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; and 4) requires that the intern read current theory and research and reflect on social issues and public policies regarding young children and their families. The intern meets regularly with an agency administrator for discussion and supervision as well as having regular conferences with the internship instructor to review assigned readings. The intern's performance is evaluated by the on-site supervisor in consultation with the supervising faculty member. In addition, the supervising faculty member will evaluate the student's journal integrating the on-site experiences with the assigned readings. Prerequisites: Psychology 106, 160, 421, or 422 and the approval of the supervising faculty member. Corequisite: Psychology 540. May be repeated for credit. 

525 Internship with Active Aging
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
Active Aging is a state-supported area office on aging that provides a wide variety of services to senior citizens living in Crawford County. The center provides congregate meals, home-delivered meals, educational activities, health-promotive services and activities, and social activities for "active" seniors. The student becomes involved in several facets of operating a center for older adults, from developing appropriate activities and services to implementing them. The internship involves selected readings and discussion with the on-site supervisor and staff. Professional performance is evaluated by the on-site supervisor in consultation with the supervising faculty member. The student's academic performance is evaluated via a journal of internship experiences and a research paper. Prerequisites: Psychology 160, 423, or 560 and the approval of the supervising faculty member. Corequisite: Psychology 540. May be repeated for credit. 

527 Internship with Wesbury United Methodist Retirement Community
Liaison: Professor JW Heuchert
The internship provides students with an opportunity to observe and to be involved in the operation of a retirement community as well as interacting with residents. Depending on the student's interest, the internship experience can be tailored to include but is not limited to activities, programming, health advancement, community outreach, public relations, accounting, and administration. Performance will be evaluated jointly by the on-site supervisor and the supervising faculty member. Credit: Two credit hours. Prerequisites: Psychology 160, 423, or 560 and approval of the liaison. Corequisite: Psychology 540.

530 Internship in the Teaching of Psychology
Liaison: Professor Searle-White
Designed to provide practical teaching experience in a variety of Psychology courses, this internship involves working closely with an instructor in a particular course such as Foundations of Psychology, Learning, os Physiological Psychology.  Although the specific duties vary with the course involved, students may be asked to attend lectures, act as discussion facilitators, hold regular office hours, assist with laboratory sessions, and act as writing tutors.  In addition to the practical work, the student intern meets on a regular basis with the supervisor to review his or her work.  Interns are also exposed to some of the basic principles of learning and cognitive psychology as they apply to teaching and learning.  Signature course.  May be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis only.  Credit: Two or four semester hours.  May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Permission of the liaison and supervisor. 

540 Internship Seminar
A corequisite for all students participating in applied internships in the Psychology department (i.e., all internships except Psychology 505, 506, and 530).  The course focuses on integrating students' internship experiences with their understanding of psychological theory and research.  Students meet biweekly during the first two weeks and last two weeks of the semester and weekly during the balance of the semester.  Topics such as ethics, appropriate workplace behavior, and relationships with supervisors and co-workers provide the focus of the early meetings, and the rest of the semester is devoted to examining students' internship experiences and the on-going ethical or practical issues.  A paper and formal in-class presentation, assessing the relationship of the students' field experience to current psychological theory and research, are required.  Credit: Two semester hours.  May be repeated for credit.  Corequisite: Enrollment in any Psychology Department internship except Psychology 505, 506, or 530.

In addition, the Psychology Department helps to administer the Women's Studies Internship:

501 Women's Services Internship I
A two-semester internship at Women's Services, a non-profit social service agency for women and children in Crawford County. Students complete the Women's Services volunteer training during part one of the internship and participate in one or more aspects of the organization's program: advocacy, support, information and referral, community education and crisis intervention. The intern meets regularly with the agency administration for discussion and supervision as well as having regular conferences with the internship instructor. The intern's performance is evaluated by the on-site supervisor in consultation with the supervising faculty member. In addition, the supervising faculty member evaluates the student's written work consisting of a journal integrating on-site experience with assigned readings. In the context of the corequisite, Psychology 540, the student develops an in-depth research project. The student is expected to take Women's Services Internship II the following semester. The sequence may be begun in either the Fall or Spring semester. Prerequisites: Women's Studies 100, Psychology 102 or 160, and/or approval of the supervising faculty member. Corequisite: Psychology 540. Two credit hours. 

502 Women's Services Internship II
An extension of Women's Services Internship I in which the student continues participation in the agency's program and completes the research project, as described above.  Prerequisite: Women's Studies 501. Corequisite: Psychology 540. Two credit hours.

Yes. Occasionally a student will want to do an internship at a site with which the Department does not have a formal relationship. If a faculty member is willing to serve as the liaison for such an internship, you can sign up for it as an independent internship. All the same procedures for applying to do a listed internship (talking to the faculty liaison, signing up for the Internship Seminar) apply for these internships, but you must also secure the approval of the Department Chair before you can register for one. 

What is the "Internship Seminar"?

The Internship Seminar is a 2-credit course that is a co-requisite for all applied internships in the Psychology Department and also for the Women's Studies Internship.

What are the requirements for the internship seminar?

As noted in the course description, each intern is required to attend the meetings of the internship seminar (biweekly during the first two weeks and last two weeks of the semester and weekly during the rest), to participate in the discussions, to make a formal in-class presentation on his or her internship experience, and to write a paper integrating the internship experience with psychological theory and research. 

When does the internship seminar meet?

This varies from semester to semester. For the most current information, please see WebAdvisor.

How do I sign up for an internship?

First, talk to the faculty liaison for the internship and find out what requirements (e.g., pre-requisites, interviews, etc.) are necessary to apply for the internship. Once you have secured that faculty member’s permission and signature for that internship, then come and see Dr. Searle-White to sign up for the Internship Seminar. Internship positions are limited; if you think you might want to do an internship, make sure to talk to the faculty liaison as soon as possible. 

What do I do if I have other questions?

If you have other questions, you can speak to the liaison for the internship you are interested in, or contact Dr. Searle-White.