In service learning courses and practicum courses, you’ll use knowledge and skills acquired in your class to meet genuine community needs.

You must apply to enroll for most of these courses. To receive permission to enroll, you may just need to email the instructor for approval or you may need to submit an application or be interviewed.

Instructions for enrolling in a service-learning course will appear in the description of that course in the Registrar’s Schedule of Classes.

Our current service-learning courses:

PSY-P 457 Therapeutic Interventions for Early Childhood Behavior Problems

You'll get first-hand, supervised experience designing and evaluating an intervention to help a young child at Head Start improve social skills, manage negative emotions, and get ready to succeed in school.

PSY-P 474 Psychology of Adolescent Girls

Get first-hand accounts of adolescent development during visits to local middle schools to host a discussion with middle school girls about issues important to them. See more at Service-Learning that Guides Local Girls Through Adolescence.

PSY-X 370 Real-World Program Evaluation: Applying Psychology Research to Service

Enrolled students volunteer at either Middleway House or The Rise (which provide transitional housing and programs). The class will consider the needs of the groups served by Middleway/Rise and evaluate the quality of programs and interventions for those groups.

You can also explore the Service-Learning Program at Indiana University.

To see the service-learning courses offered each semester, use the Special Course Listings search database. Beneath "Report", select Other Special Course Offerings, and for "Org/Dept" select PSY.

The Practicum in Psychology (PSY X-476) is offered as part of the Clinical Psychology Certificate Program. Students enrolled in the certificate program receive preferential placement, although students who are not in the program are accepted. To apply to participate in a practicum you must submit an application and complete an interview.

Current opportunities include:

• In the Centerstone Research Institute (CRI) Practicum, you'll work with a team that evaluates services provided at Centerstone and conducts research to answer important questions about mental health and interventions. CRI is affiliated with Centerstone, one of the nation’s largest non-profit community mental health providers. You'll contribute to one or more research projects, gaining skills relevant to clinical science along the way.
• Students enrolled in the Aldrich Project Practicum will be trained in and deliver three interventions designed to motivate children, adolescents, and young adults to engage in healthy behaviors and reduce risky behaviors. You’ll primarily be working in schools and after-school programs alongside an interdisciplinary team of students.
• In the Catholic Charities Practicum you will work as an assessment assistant during intake interviews. Community members come to these interviews seeking mental health services and/or resources. During the interview, you will see how a licensed professional diagnoses mental disorders, plans treatment, and provides referrals to services. Under close guidance, you'll develop your clinical case conceptualization skills, which are relevant in all mental health care settings.
• At the College Internship Program (CIP), you'll work as a social thinking mentor at a comprehensive program that supports young adults on the Autism Spectrum or with Learning Differences. Social thinking mentors help CIP clients develop social skills using techniques they learn from assigned readings, observing CIP staff members, and discussion in weekly social mentor meetings.
• Milestones Clinical & Health Resources offers accessible, comprehensive, integrated community mental health and behavioral support services for south central Indiana children and adolescents and for individuals with disabilities of all ages. You will serve as a therapist's assistant for group interventions for children, adolescents, and at-risk adults. You will learn about the type(s) of group therapy you will be assisting with and then help to design and implement activities to meet specific therapeutic goals.

Apply for a practicum

Join the Canvas site "Applications for PSY-X476 Practicum in Psychology" to learn more. Don’t worry; this self-enrollment process will not enroll you in a credit-bearing IU course. Instead, it gives you access to all of the information you'll need to plan your semester around taking a practicum. It is also where you can apply for a practicum.

Visit the Canvas site

Self-enroll in the Canvas course for more information about practica and to apply.