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Psychology 497 Fieldwork/Intern/Volunteer Opportunities

Psychology majors have the opportunity to earn departmental elective credit for their fieldwork in areas related to psychology. The Psychology Department offers Psych 497, a weekly seminar open to students who are also engaged in volunteer work in the community. Students have the chance to gain valuable training and work experience in the fields of counseling, social services, criminal justice, education and human resources. In conjunction with the field experience, the Psych 497 seminar helps students to further define their educational and career goals by encouraging the exploration of larger academic questions which relate to the work they are doing at the internship site.

How do I register for Psych 497 credit?

In order to be registered for Psych 497, you will need to follow these steps. Please feel free to contact Tracy Maschman Morrissey in Psychology Undergraduate Advising if you have any questions about this process. Tracy may be reached at 119A Guthrie Hall, 206-543-3365 and tmasch@u.washington.edu.

• You will first need to find a fieldwork site where you can work in a psychology-related internship or volunteer position.
• Once your site is selected, you will need to talk with your site supervisor about the work you will be doing.
• During your meeting with your site supervisor, please ask them to sign the Psych 497 Application and Learning Contract forms
• Once your forms are completed, you may submit them to Tracy Maschman Morrissey in Psychology Undergraduate Advising, 119A Guthrie Hall. If your internship is approved, Tracy will register you for the Psych 497 class (please check the current UW Time Schedule for class day and time.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the popularity of this opportunity, the Psych 497 class for first time students has filled during recent quarters. Please contact Tracy early on in the process to let her know of your interest in Psych 497.

How do I find a Psych 497 internship or fieldwork site?

There are a lot of different ways to find an internship opportunity.

• Check opportunities listed at the bottom of this website.
• Visit Websites for Internships - this website lists fieldworks sites that have worked with psychology students in the past. When you find an organization, please contact the volunteer coordinator and let them know that you are a UW Psychology student who wants to explore the opportunity of setting up an internship. They should be able to connect you with individuals on their staff with work that might interest you.
• You may also look for internships on Husky Jobs (a list maintained by the UW Career Center) or at the United Way of King County or Volunteer Match.
• If you are interested in an area that is not covered in the above lists, please feel free to search out another organization that does psychology related work.
• Talk with psychology undergraduate advisers for additional guidance on ways to find internships.

How do I know if my Psych 497 internship is "psychology related?"

Psychology is a very broad field covering many things from child development to mental health; animal behavior to sensory perception. There are many different types of experiences you can have that are related to psychology. You are encouraged to reflect on your psychology coursework to identify how your internship may be related. Your site supervisor may be helpful, as you identify these commonalities. Tracy and the other Psychology Advisers are available to help you with this process. When you submit your Learning Contract, you will be expected to include specific ways that your internship is related to psychology.

What do I need to discuss with my site supervisor?

Your relationship with your site supervisor is very important. When you first meet to discuss your internship/fieldwork, please discuss the following topics:

• Discuss what you would like to learn about the organization and the work that they do.
• Discuss your future career goals and interests and how this internship may prepare you for that work.
• Discuss the type of work they will expect from you at this organization
• Discuss the number of hours you will be expected to perform and your schedule.
• Discuss the quality of supervision and the type of training you will receive as an intern in this site.
• Decide how many credits (2-5 per quarter) you want to receive (you earn 1 credit per 3 hrs/week)

What is expected from my site supervisor?

A critical component of your fieldwork experience is the training and supervision that you will receive at the field site. Below is an outline of what is expected of your field site supervisor. Please keep these guidelines in mind and refer to them when talking with the agency where you plan to do your fieldwork. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the training or supervision that will be provided by the agency, please don't hesitate to contact Tracy Maschman Morrissey, in the Psychology Advising Office.

The field site supervisor must agree to:

• Provide a good learning and training environment for the student, to include adequate orientation to the program and regular supervision, as necessary, keeping routine work such as data entry and filing to a minimum.
• Work directly with the student and make explicit arrangements with the student concerning the student's overall learning objectives, communication with the student, expectations, and records of the student's hours and performance.
• Complete an evaluation of the student's performance--this evaluation will be mailed/emailed to the site supervisor toward the end of the academic quarter, and must be returned to the Psychology Advising Office before the student can receive credit.

How many credits should I register for? How many hours do I have to work per week?

You may be registered for a minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 5 credits of Psych 497 for a single quarter. There is a total maximum of 10 credits of Psych 497. You may only apply 18 credits of Psych 496-499 to an undergraduate degree.

Each credit of Psych 497 is worth 3 hours of work per week. When you are taking Psych 497 for the first time, you must attend a weekly class session (please check the current UW Time Schedule for class day and time.). This class may count for 3 hours of work per week (Example: 2 credits = 3 hrs/week of work + 3 hrs/week of class; 3 credits = 6 hrs/week of work + 3 hrs/week of class).

If you are taking Psych 497 for a second or third time, you will not need to attend the class. Instead, you will be expected to work at your site for 3 hours per week per credit and you will need to submit final papers and homework as assigned.

What happens if I want to do an internship in during the summer? Can I receive credit for work completed in the past?

Psych 497 credits may be assigned in the autumn, winter, and spring quarters. If you want to receive credit for work completed during the summer, you should contact Tracy Maschman Morrissey before the summer quarter begins to discuss this process. She will asssit you with registering for Psych 497 for the autumn quarter and will send your site supervisor an evaluation in September. Unfortunately, you cannot receive credit for work completed in the past. If you are presently working at a site that you think might qualify for internship credit, please contact Tracy. If you have already been working at a site for a period of time before registering for Psych 497, you will likely be asked to do an additional project or take on additional responsibilities to further your learning.

What are my options if I cannot attend the class or if my opportunity is not considered "psychology related"?

Unfortunately, if is your first quarter completing a psychology internship and the class is full or if you have a time conflict, you will not be able to receive Psych 497 credit. In this case, and for students who complete non-psychology related internships, you have the option to apply for General Studies 350 credit. The General Studies 350 class is managed through the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center located at 120 Mary Gates Hall. You will need to find a UW faculty sponsor to register for this type of credit. Please contact the Carlson staff for assistance at 206-616-2885 or leader@u.washington.edu.

General Studies 350

What will I learn by completing Psych 497?

Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to learn many things about the application of psychology in the world of work. Below you can find a link to the specific learning goals for this experience.

497 Learning Goals

If I have further questions, who should I contact?

Please contact Psychology Undergraduate Advising at 206-543-2698, psyadvis@u.washington.edu

You can direct specific questions to Tracy Maschman Morrissey, 206-543-3365, tmasch@u.washington.edu

Current Internship Opportunities

Please contact individual internship sites to discuss the opportunities each site can offer. For a list of sites that students have worked at in the past, please click on "Websites for Internships" above.

Psychology Undergraduate Advising | Guthrie Hall, Rm. 119A Map | Tel. 206.543.2698 | psyadvis@u.washington.edu