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Internships

Academics / Departments & Programs / Psychology / Student Experience / Internships

An internship is one of the best ways to prepare you to use your abilities to serve God and the world in your career. Calvin will empower you to pursue world-changing action by working to better the lives of those around you.

If you are a junior or senior psychology major, you have the opportunity to join 10-12 other psychology students participating in PSYC-380, the department internship program each semester. A psychology internship is a valuable opportunity to earn credit, meet program requirements and gain practical experience in the field of psychology. Past internships have been in local hospitals, clinics, schools and business organizations.

Psychology 380

Course details

In the PSYC-380 course, you will work eight hours per week under the direction of an on-site supervisor. You will also participate in regular seminar meetings with other students in psychology internships. A project related to your internship will be part of your final grade. All internships are unpaid.

Course requirements

To be placed in an internship through PSYC-380, you must meet the following requirements:

  • junior or senior status
  • completion of course sequences related to the internship specialization
  • demonstrated good work in psychology courses
  • department approval of your applications

Applying to the program

If you would like to participate in the internship program, see the psychology department bulletin board in October and March to see internship opportunities for the following semester. This information will also be e-mailed to you.

To apply for the program, see the psychology department office for an application. You will receive notification of enrollment in the course prior to advising and course registration.

Paid and unpaid internships

Paid and unpaid internship opportunities are available in the Grand Rapids area year-round.

Where could I serve?

  • Volunteer at a low-income preschool or a community health clinic as part of a psychology course (PSYC-208 Child Development or PSYC-335 Health Psychology).
  • Take an internship course and get placed at a local mental health center, school, hospital, research organization, non-profit agency or business.
  • Do a full-time internship as part of an off-campus semester in Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco or Honduras.
  • Arrange paid or unpaid internships in the numerous Grand Rapids human service organizations, businesses, physical and mental rehabilitation hospitals, research centers and more.

Where to begin?

  1. Career Development Office: Visit Career Development for career counseling, career assessments, resume and cover letter review. They also provides practice interviews for jobs, internships or graduate school.
  2. Networking: Tell relatives and friends you are looking for internship opportunities.
  3. Handshake: Calvin's job posting system posts internships and full-time job opportunities for students and alumni.
  4. uKnight: Calvin's alumni online networking site lets you search for jobs and internships by city, state, major or industry. You can ask for advice about gaining experience in psychology or your specific area of interest.

Recent internships

  • Neuropsychology, Mary Free Bed Hospital: One internship involves the testing and assessment of brain-damaged patients. The other internship is a research internship, which involves analyzing data from research studies at MFB in preparation for research to prepare for publication.
  • Youth and Family Treatment Specialist, Wedgwood Christian Services: Work with in-patient adolescents on goals, behavioral treatment plans and on-going assessment and evaluation of progress.
  • Attention Deficit Disorder, Pine Rest Christian Hospital: Assist in conducting assessment and evaluation of out-patient children who may suffer from AD(H)D.
  • Rehabilitation, Behavioral Management, Hope Network: Work with in-patient developmentally disabled adults on treatment plans, behavior management and life skills.
  • School Psychology: Assist with practicing school psychologists in assessment and evaluation of a student population.
  • Data Analysis: Assist a doctor at DeVos Children's Hospital with research involving data analysis.
  • Research: Assist a professor at MSU with data collection and analysis.

Take the next step:

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