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What is a clinical psychology internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Jim Sliwinski Ph.D.
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Clinical psychology interns are responsible for assisting the clinical psychology staff. This internship will help them put their academic knowledge into practical applications. They will observe the daily operations in a healthcare facility and shadow medical staff. They will prepare reports for clinical psychology processes or psychological research. Also, they will perform administrative and clerical duties as required. This may include responding to the patients' inquiries and concerns, joining psychology professionals when counseling and conducting therapies to take notes, and interpreting the behaviors and practices of patients.

The internship is available to graduates in all APA profession-wide fields like clinical or counseling psychology. Participants will be trained in adult clinical and health psychology, pediatric integrated primary care, and clinical neuropsychology, among others. They must also possess communication and interpersonal skills. Clinical psychology interns make $29,805 per year, equivalent to $14.33 per hour. The range varies between $17,000 and $50,000.

What general advice would you give to a clinical psychology internship?

Dr. Jim Sliwinski Ph.D.Dr. Jim Sliwinski Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Psychology, Defiance College

I encourage all undergraduate psychology majors to consider graduate school. A bachelor's degree in psychology is becoming much more of a pre-professional program. That's not to say that there are not many jobs out there for individuals who only have a bachelor's, but full-time jobs, with benefits, are becoming harder to come by.
ScoreClinical Psychology InternshipUS Average
Salary
3.0

Avg. Salary $38,471

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.6

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.20%

Asian 3.34%

Black or African American 6.18%

Hispanic or Latino 10.44%

Unknown 3.44%

White 76.39%

Gender

female 75.22%

male 24.78%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress level
8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Clinical psychology internship career paths

Key steps to become a clinical psychology internship

  1. Explore clinical psychology internship education requirements

    Most common clinical psychology internship degrees

    Bachelor's

    59.2 %

    Master's

    30.1 %

    Doctorate

    5.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific clinical psychology internship skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Individual Therapy24.71%
    Patients10.89%
    Group Therapy Sessions7.04%
    Crisis Intervention5.75%
    Mental Health5.26%
  3. Complete relevant clinical psychology internship training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical psychology interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical psychology internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical psychology internship resumes.
  4. Research clinical psychology internship duties and responsibilities

    • Implement multiple curricula including mathematics, social studies, and literacy
    • Supervise cognitive behavioral therapy research bringing trend methods in the treatment of patients suffering a variety of anxiety disorders.
    • Provide individual prolong exposure therapy, as well as individual and group cognitive processing therapy to veterans with combat-relate PTSD.
    • Provide evaluation and treatment for hospitalize and medically ill patients who have developed psychological, psychiatry, or behavioral problems.
  5. Prepare your clinical psychology internship resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical psychology internship resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical psychology internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable clinical psychology internship resume templates

    Build a professional clinical psychology internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your clinical psychology internship resume.
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
    Clinical Psychology Internship Resume
  6. Apply for clinical psychology internship jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a clinical psychology internship job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first clinical psychology internship job

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Average clinical psychology internship salary

The average clinical psychology internship salary in the United States is $38,471 per year or $19 per hour. Clinical psychology internship salaries range between $26,000 and $55,000 per year.

Average clinical psychology internship salary
$38,471 Yearly
$18.50 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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