The purpose of an internship in counseling psychology is to give graduate students enrolled in Master's and Ph.D. programs supervised practical experience assessing and counseling patients within their chosen specialization. Along with satisfying graduation requirements at an accredited graduate school, the extensive hours of fieldwork completed during an internship are also required for licensure to practice counseling psychology.
Admittance to internships in counseling psychology is highly competitive and while many internships maintain minimum entrance requirements, a good academic record and prior experience in the field is necessary for admission to most programs. Students accepted into internship programs must generally maintain no less than a 3.0 grade point average, though many programs demand a 3.5 or higher. For admission to an internship, students must also have previous research or volunteer experience that demonstrates a commitment to the field of counseling psychology.
On average, an internship in counseling psychology lasts for approximately one year. Because counseling psychology internships require the commitment associated with a full-time job, most are done after all course work has been completed as a final graduation requirement before receiving a diploma. While every school requires a specific number of internship hours for graduation, every state has specific hour requirements for licensure.
Graduate students who participate in a counseling psychology internship receive hands-on experience in the specialty of their choice. Because all internships require that a trained psychologist supervises students, the internship allows students to work with experts in the field. In most states, completing an APA (American Psychological Association) accredited internship makes students eligible for licensure upon receiving a diploma from a graduate institution.
A good counseling psychology internship is APA accredited and has a variety of objectives, each designed to prepare students for work beyond the internship. Because counseling psychologists are generalists that learn to use a variety of theoretical frameworks, choosing an internship that focuses on multiple types of therapy in addition to basic psychological assessment is vital.