Internships & Career Opportunities in the Psychology field

Internships & Career Opportunities

Internships

Undergraduates at SUNY Potsdam are encouraged to obtain extra experience in their chosen field by doing on and off-campus internships. Contact the Experiential Education Office at 315-267-2803 or visit their site to learn more. Examples of previous internships in which Psychology students have participated include:

Adirondack Counseling Center, Saranac Lake, NY
Brasher Falls Elementary School, Brasher Falls, NY
Brookhaven National Laboratory-Medical Research Dept., Upton, NY
Brushton-Moira Central School, Brushton, NY
Canton Neurorehabilitation Center, Canton, NY
Canton-Potsdam Hospital Alcohol Rehabilitation Unit, Potsdam, NY
Canton-Potsdam Hospital Chemical Dependency Detoxification & Rehab Center
Carthage Area Hospital, Carthage, NY
Fort Drum Mental Health Clinic, Fort Drum, NY
Indian River School District Guidance Office, Philadelphia, NY
Ivy Ridge, Ogdensburg, NY
Madrid-Waddington Central School, Madrid, NY
Massena Central School Guidance Office, Massena, NY
Neuman Center/Special Programs, Potsdam, NY
Noble Medical Center, Canton, NY
North Star Industries, Malone, NY
Renewal House, Potsdam, NY
St. Lawrence Center/Children and Youth Services, Canton, NY
St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, Ogdensburg, NY
St. Regis Mohawk Mental Health Tribe, Akwesasne, NY

Opportunities in the Field / Employment

SUNY Potsdam psychology graduates have entered a variety of psychology-related professions, often via graduate school. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue graduate degrees and have commonly continued their studies at the master’s level in such areas of study as school psychology and counseling psychology. Several students also have continued on to pursue their doctorates in experimental and clinical specialties of psychology. Even without a graduate degree, Potsdam psychology graduates have obtained positions as counselors in a variety of settings (e.g., youth, addiction, geriatric).

Career Web Sites

Academic Careers Online

APA Online - Careers in Psychology

Dr. Lynn Friedman, Clinical Psychologist

Preparing for Employment: Recommendations

Get to know your psychology faculty: our professors can discuss what types of degrees are needed for particular fields and experiences outside the classroom that can add to their recommending you highly for employment.

Get involved outside the classroom: These experiences will make you stand apart from other psychology majors and will make you more marketable.

Select courses to demonstrate a focused area of study: Psychology is a diverse discipline. Select courses that will demonstate your interests (e.g., experimental research, counseling, working with children and/or adolescents in school contexts). See Suggested Tracks.

Draft an Academic Resume (or Curriculum Vitae) and Cover Letter: Although you may not know specifically what you would like to do in the future, beginning to draft an academic resume can be a fruitful process in developing your career identity. The process can be daunting, so it will be helpful to begin early and to seek help from experienced faculty in the Psychology Department and from professionals in Career Planning (Sisson 106, phone 267-2344, homepage). Personnel in the latter office will work with you to develop an academic resume. Why not take advantage of these services, especially since they are free of charge?

Develop your skills: We all have weaknesses that can hinder our chances in the job market. Are you unable to speak in front of an audience? Do you struggle with writing? Try to push yourself to overcome these limitations by enrolling in a course in public speaking or writing. Often, we take classes because they are required, e.g., for a General Education requirement. Think about taking (or auditing) a course in order to confront and overcome your weaknesses.

As part of developing your skills, we suggest you consider an internship. Click here for our Interships page.

SUNY Potdam