Fieldwork & Internships

• Placements Involving Children — Main Campus
  • Adirondack Helping Hands
  • Chazy Central Rural School
  • Clinton County Department of Social Services
  • Headstart Program
  • Momot Elementary School
  • Nexus: A Social Competence Program for Children with Asperger Syndrome & High-Functioning Autism
  • North Country Kids
  • Thomas Glasgow Elementary School
• Placements Involving Adults — Main Campus
  • Advocacy & Resource Center
  • Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital — Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit
  • Clinton County Probation Department
  • Meadowbrook Nursing Home
  • PROS Program, Part of Behavioral Health Services North
  • STOP Domestic Violence
  • Traumatic Brain Injury Center
• Internship Placements —  Queensbury Branch Campus
  • Shine On!
  • Translational Literacy Lab
  • WAIT House Homeless Youth Shelter
  • Catholic Charities — domestic violence project
  • Open Door Mission
• Other Placements
  Placements at other sites may be available, both in Plattsburgh and in your home community. Contact Dr. Durant if you have further questions.

Steps to Apply

• Step 1: Meet PSY 497/498 Prerequisites

  You must meet the following prerequisites before proceeding:

  • Minimum 2.5 GPA (both cumulative and psychology major GPA) 
  • Junior or senior status. This is meant to ensure that you have completed a substantial number of psychology courses prior to doing an internship. Most students find it best to do fieldwork late in their junior year or in their senior year. Even if you have junior status, you will want to make sure you've taken most/all of your 200/300-level psychology courses before attempting an internship. 

  If you do not meet these prerequisites and cannot take fieldwork for credit, you can still volunteer for many of the same sites to gain professional experience. If you wish to volunteer, you arrange that yourself and do not need to  go through the fieldwork coordinator. Ensure that you present yourself to the site as a volunteer and not a psychology internship student if you take that route.

  Personal Transportation

  While not a formal prerequisite, having a car does affect where you will be able to do your internship. There are some sites within walking distance of campus, but you will have more options if you have a car. Some sites might have formal expectations for interns to have a car, and there may be logistical issues of being able to arrive in a timely manner. Please indicate in your application if you do or do not have a car, as this helps the fieldwork coordinator to organize placements.  

• Step 2: Submit the Application Materials

  You must apply and be approved for fieldwork/internship in psychology. Applications are due to Dr. Durant by the Friday at the end of the advisement period in the the semester prior to the semester when you wish to take the internship. You should submit your application as early as possible to ensure that your preferred placement is still available. 

  Note: A completed application does not ensure approval or successful placement.

  Application Materials

  1. A Professional Letter that describes:

  • Your career interests, your goals for the internship, and your interest in particular placement sites and populations. The placement process will go the most smoothly if you are very clear about your career goals, and if you list several possible placement sites.
  • Any relevant coursework and/or previous experience (paid or volunteer) that has prepared you for the internship you are applying for.
  • Whether you have a car — this will affect your placement options, as described in Step 1 above.
  • How many credits you would like to take. One credit is for the academic work in the fieldwork course, and the rest are for the hours spent in the placement (3 hours per credit). For example, taking 3 credits requires the academic work plus 6 hours per week in the placement, 4 credits requires the academic work plus 9  hours per week in the placement, etc. You may take 2 or more credits. Be sure to realistically consider your workload (other classes, employment, etc.) in deciding on the number of credits. 

  This letter is solely for Dr. Durant. There are no length or format requirements. You are expected to know how to write a professional letter. 

  2. An up-to-date DegreeWorks report

  3. Faculty References

  Two recommendations are required, using the Faculty Reference Form. If possible, both recommendations should come from full-time psychology faculty members at SUNY Plattsburgh. If you are not sure who is full time and who is an adjunct instructor, our faculty directory on the psychology department web page makes that clear. Full-time faculty have many advantages as sources of recommendations; however, if that is not possible, at least one letter should be from a full-time psychology faculty member, and the other could be from a supervisor from a recent and relevant job or volunteer experience. 

  Your references should be people who know you well so that they can accurately describe your academic skills as well as your maturity, professional skills and demeanor. To be successful in your internship, you must be dependable and conscientious, and you must conduct yourself in an ethical and professional manner, with the maturity and work ethic needed to perform successfully. The recommendations from faculty can help establish that you have those traits and behaviors. 

  Faculty will email the completed form directly to Dr. Durant at [email protected] by, or shortly after, the application deadline.

• Step 3: Interview with Fieldwork Coordinator

  If you meet the prerequisites, have supplied the necessary materials, and your faculty recommendations are sufficiently positive, you will be asked for a formal interview with Dr. Durant. The interview will help evaluate your suitability for an internship, assess relevant experience and coursework, and determine your best placements. Dr. Durant will then let you know whether you may proceed with seeking a placement.  

  Please be aware that Dr. Durant will contact you on the weekend immediately after the final deadline to set a time for the interview as early as possible in the following week, so please monitor your email regularly and respond promptly.  

• Step 4: Match/Interview with Internship Site

  If you are approved by Dr. Durant, an interview with the potential site supervisor(s) will be arranged.  

  Dr. Durant will decide which site you can contact for an interview, as some sites cannot accommodate all interested students. He will work with the site in those instances to select the student(s) who will be interviewed and/or selected for the internship.  

  The site interviews allow you to discuss your interests and goals for doing an internship with the particular site, your potential duties for the internship, and any potential scheduling issues; the interview also helps the site supervisor decide if you are a good fit with their expectations for an intern.  

  This is a professional interview and you should dress and behave accordingly. You are representing the fieldwork coordinator, the psychology department, and the college. You should take this very seriously in order to  maintain the sites’ interest in having our students as interns. Your application may be denied at this stage based on the performance in the site interviews. 

  It can be helpful to provide the site with a professional cover letter and resume prior to the interview. The Career Development Center can help  you prepare these materials.

• Step 5: Register for PSY 497

  Registration

  If your application is approved and the site supervisor accepts you for the internship, Dr. Durant will enter an override that will allow you to register.

  • There is one meeting time for first-time psychology interns (PSY 497 Fieldwork/Internship I) and a different meeting time for those who have already completed the first-time course (PSY 497 Fieldwork/Internship II). 
  • Be sure to check that you do not have a time conflict with the class meeting time.  
  • As noted previously, internships must be arranged during the previous semester. It is not possible to sign up for an internship at the beginning of the semester. 

  Credit Hours

  • For 2-6 credits, you register for PSY 497 and the proper section based on number of credits. 
  • For 7 credits or more, you will register for PSY 498. Dr. Durant will provide you with registration information in that case.
  • Fieldwork credit serves as an elective course in the major. Psychology majors cannot take more than 18 fieldwork/internship credits in total for their degree. 
• Step 6: Start Internship

  Behavior Contract

  Once you have been accepted by the site and your internship is confirmed by Dr. Durant, you will sign a behavior contract that will be kept on file. 

  • This contract ensures clear communication of the expectations for your professional behavior in the placement. 
  • If you violate the terms of that behavior contract at any point during the internship, the site will be asked to immediately notify Dr. Durant, who will discuss the situation with you. 
  • Plans for resolution of any concerns raised by the site will be formulated and you will return to your duties. 
  • If the situation is serious enough to warrant their withdrawal from the internship, that will be discussed among you, your site supervisor, and Dr. Durant. 

  Course Requirements and Grading

  Fieldwork in psychology requires the fulfillment of site duties and an academic component that is explained on the course syllabus. The academic component will be carried out in parallel with regular site duties.

  The fieldwork course is graded A-E during the academic year; summer internships have no course component and are graded pass/fail. 

• Summer Internships

  Summer internships are sometimes possible in Plattsburgh or elsewhere. You must find your own placements outside of Plattsburgh, and the placement must be approved by Dr. Durant ([email protected]).

  Contact Dr. Durant for more information if you wish to take a summer internship for academic credit (which will involve tuition per credit hour).