8 Psychology Internships For High School Students

High school is a time when career exploration is at its peak. One often finds themselves at a crossroads deciding the way they will choose to take after all. But, that is only the beginning. The search for the perfect career is a long road to walk on.

Internships are a great way for high school students to get more insight into their choice of subject and career path. They provide hands-on experience and are called a miniature version of what one plans on doing in the future.

For a subject like psychology that requires medical assistance and inclination, such experiences are offered in the form of research-based programs and courses that offer in-depth knowledge and insight while also maintaining ethical conduct and client safety. 

Psychology is a deeply interesting and intriguing subject. With the increase in awareness as well as education, the scope of psychology is increasing at a fast pace. With the subsequent encouragement, psychology has therefore become a subject that intrigues young minds for exploration and insight.

This article delves into benefitting and resourceful courses, programs, and internships that not only add to one’s knowledge but also give a way of exploration through practical experience and on-field presence. 

Insightful psychology internships for high school students 

Psychology as a subject is developing at a quick pace. Being interested in the subject comes with a great deal of intrigue and excitement, but also with confusion due to the diverse fields that exist within the subject itself. Internships, therefore, serve as a great opportunity to gain an in-depth knowledge of the prospects of the subject along with designing the opportunities that align with the student’s career paths. Listed below are eight resourceful psychology internship opportunities for high school students :  

1. John Hopkins University Psychology and Brain Sciences Summer Pre-College Programs

The John Hopkins University Psychology and Brain Sciences Summer Pre-College Programs provide worthy and beneficial internships for high school students. These can be greatly helpful to provide the required knowledge and practical experience of the field.

It lets you dive into major topics like neuroscience, neurobiology, mental health interpretation, psychopathology, and a general psychological overview of the mind. This internship can be a great knowledge factor for a student to explore their potential and their choice of contribution to the field. 

2. NSLC on Psychology and Neuroscience

The National Student Leadership Conference, under its youth leadership program, offers psychology internships as a valuable source of learning to high school students. This internship can be a great opportunity to learn more about topics like child psychology and development, mental health framework, and even practical experience and knowledge of neuroscience through inclusive workshops.

Such internships encompass psychology games and activities providing students with the best on-site learning experience and practical implications of the subject of psychology, giving them an in-depth exploration of what it must be like working as a psychologist.

3. Child Mind Institute Youth Mental Health Academy

The Youth Mental Health Academy is a community-based leadership program. In this, the students can have a great experience learning about mental health practices, clinical psychology, and interventions, as well as the role and interrelation between psychology and media communications.

It not only offers knowledge and hands-on experience in the field but also encourages them to be inclusive in community involvement. This program fosters collaborative and interactive learning sessions which enable the students to identify their growth and development in the field of psychology objectively, getting an apt sense of what their future looks like.

4. Psychology Institute at Wake Forest University

The Wake Forest Institute offers this great internship opportunity to students from the ninth grade and up to the twelfth grade. The most fascinating part of this internship is that it includes hands-on experience in the dissection of the brain and discovering its parts while also assisting the respective team of psychologists and researchers on-site.

Through this internship, students can dive into learning about cognitive components like memory, perception, thinking, and learning, along with getting an insight into human emotions and their working. This program provides an educationally comprehensive experience of mental processes and intricate knowledge of their structural and functional operations. 

5. Introduction to Psychology: The Frontiers of Psychological Inquiry at Cornell University

The Psych 101 internship opportunity at Cornell University is a three-month-long, online-based internship program. Fully equipped with learning about all areas of psychology, this opportunity is a credential-based internship for high school students accompanied by other undergraduate and percentile students.

This is a great chance for students to get a deep insight into the historical perspective of psychology as well as its current development in the modern world. Not just that, it also covers all the major fields and components of psychology including creativity, emotions, learning, perception, cognition, and many more. 

6. Science Mentorship Institute: Neuroscience Mentorship Program

The neuroscience mentorship program is an opportunity for high school students to explore the field of neuroscience and neurological processes. This internship opportunity is a research-based program that will include weekly lectures and research-based assignments.

This can be a great learning experience for those looking to explore the fields of neuroscience, neurobiology, and neuropsychology. It can serve as an insightful and worthy program for high schoolers who find working on neurological aspects of the brain fascinating.

7. Columbia University Summer Immersion in the Science of Psychology

The Science of Psychology internship provided by Columbia University comes under their Summer Immersion Program. This is an opportunity for students to learn about many topics like biological bases of behavior, learning and memory, sensation and perception, cognitive development, language acquisition, personality, and social psychology.

It is a research-based experience for students to attend and learn from. This can not only serve as a highly resourceful and valuable learning opportunity but also a worthy and credential-based experience for the students. 

8. American Psychological Association Internship

The American Psychology Association is the most respected, regarded, and worthy psychological institution with notable work and contributions in the field. As the most relevant resource in the field of psychology, the association offers psychology internships at its headquarters organization. The internship program falls under their Vision of Transformation initiative and aims to provide insightful learning opportunities to students in the field of psychology.

In this internship program, the students can learn a great deal about the workings of the mind and go thoroughly through intricate psychological processes. They can also explore various fields of psychology, getting an insight into each one of their prospects and respective opportunities. 

Wrapping it up

High school years are crucial for students to explore potential career paths and fields. Psychology internships can act as a bridge between conceptual knowledge and practical experience. They also serve to provide much-needed exposure to work life and professionalism.

Adding to it, they deepen one’s knowledge of the subject and give a much clearer idea of how one’s mental and psychological framework sets in, helping one analyze what it is they want to do that may contribute to this field of work even more.

Psychology internships help foster necessary virtues like empathy, compassion, problem-solving, and good communication skills. These experiences encourage high school students to become more compassionate, well-rounded individuals with a clearer vision of their future.