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Internships and Careers

These resources are geared toward undergraduate students with a major in psychology and alumni with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Whether you are seeking a life-long career at the bachelor's degree level or just seeking employment for a year or two while preparing to apply for graduate school– this site is for you! Good luck everyone and happy helping! If you have suggestions to improve this list of resources, please contact Dr. Vicky Phares.

Please consider joining the USF Department of Psychology group on LinkedIn so that you can network with our vast array of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

COURSES

USF Psychology Undergraduate Internship (2024)

Speaker Series

Getting Ready for Your Career

Five Things to Know From the Career Development Course _{Paul Atchley, Ph.D.} _{USF Psychology}	Internship Opportunities During Undergraduate and Post-Bachelors _{Vicky Phares, Ph.D., Paul Atchley, Ph.D., and Nelson Mongiovi, MPH} _{USF Psychology and DCF Adult Protective Services}
How to Secure an Undergraduate Research Assistant position at USF and Beyond _{Elisa Carsten, M.A. USF Psychology}	Self-care and the Prevention of Burn-Out in Mental Health Professionals _{Elisa Carsten, M.A.} _{USF Psychology}

Jobs and Careers Within the Mental Health Field and the Helping Professions

Jobs in the Mental Health Field While In College and with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology _{Vicky Phares, Ph.D.} _{USF Psychology}	Careers in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling _{Richard Weinberg, Ph.D.} _{USF Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling}
Careers in the Helping Professions _{Vicky Phares, Ph.D.} _{USF Psychology}	Careers in School Psychology _{Jasmine L. Gray, M.A.} _{USF School Psychology Program}
Careers in Applied Behavior Analysis _{Rocky Haynes, Ph.D.} _{USF Applied Behavior Analysis}	Careers in Social Work _{Chris Simmons, Ph.D. and Dawn Brown, MSW} _{USF Social Work}
Careers as a Mitigation Specialist _{Bailey Hall, M.A.} _{USF Psychology}

Jobs and Careers Outside of Psychology

Applying Psychological Concepts to Jobs in Financial Planning _{Nicole Stokes, M.A.} _{Northwestern Mutual}	Getting Prepared for FBI and Federal Law Enforcement and Government Positions _{Bryanna Fox, Ph.D. USF Criminology}
How to Help Refugees _{Stacy Beauchamp, M.A. Lutheran Services of Florida}	Non-Clinical Career Options in Mental and Behavioral Health _{Debra Mowery, Ph.D. and Laura Rodriguez Lopez, M.Ed. USF Child and Family Studies}

How to Prepare for and Apply for Graduate School in Psychology

How to Apply to Graduate School _{Vicky Phares, Ph.D.} _{USF Psychology}	Creation of this video was supported by the APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science
USF Graduate Student Panel Discussion_{USF Psychology}	Building your Resume/Curriculum Vitae _{Erica Ahlich, M.A.} _{USF Psychology}
How to Write a Strong Personal Statement _{Bailey Hall, M.A. USF Psychology}

Resources for Mental Health Related Volunteer Opportunities and Jobs in the Tampa Bay Area

There are definitely lots of job opportunities with a bachelor's degree in psychology, but many of those positions require from six months to a year of experience. This experience can be gained through volunteer work, internships, or paid employment. Below you will find on-campus and on-line resources for finding volunteer positions, internships, and jobs. The next section lists agencies throughout the Tampa Bay Area that offer volunteer opportunities and that often hire psychology students and alumni. Some jobs only require a high school education, and are therefore appropriate for employment for current students, whereas some jobs are appropriate for alumni with a bachelor's degree in psychology and at least some level of work-related experience.

To help with your employment search, here are some job titles that are often available to current psychology undergraduate students before they graduate: mental health technician, direct service aid, and behavioral health technician.

Here are some job titles that are often available to individuals with a bachelor's degree in psychology (plus experience): Case manager, care manager, counselor, day treatment therapist, discharge planner, child protection investigator, adult protection investigator, economic self-sufficiency specialist, crisis counselor, emergency screener, family service coordinator, employment and housing specialist, residential advocate, rehabilitation technician, residential manager, and life skills specialist.

On Campus Resources

USF Career Services: Career consultants, Job search (Handshake for Students) and Internships
USF Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement: Volunteer opportunities, such as Bulls For Kids (formerly Dance Marathon) and Bulls Service Breaks
USF Department of Psychology: Discuss with advisors, faculty, and graduate students
- CLP 4941: Community Practicum in Mental Health (Internships—3 credits, graded)
- IDS 4942: Community Internship (Directed Study Internship, 1 to 4 credits, Pass/Fail basis)
- If you are interested, please contact Dr. Vicky Phares
USF Human Resources: Jobs at USF for students, alumni, and the general public

On-Line Resources

Volunteer Opportunities
- Volunteer Match
- Idealist
Job Opportunities

Local Agencies: Volunteer Opportunities and Jobs/Careers

Nearly all of these agencies provide both volunteer and employment opportunities. The large majority are non-profit agencies that survive primarily on donations, so when you are at a point in your career when you can help them financially, please consider doing so. Quotations are taken directly from the agency websites. See the full listing of local agencies.

Other Useful Career Resources

Psychology Career Advice Videos by Dr. Kit Nast
Preparing and Applying for Graduate School in Psychology by APA