Service-Learning + Practica

Explore + enroll

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.

Service-learning courses

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 course:

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.

Practicum courses in Psychology

We are no longer offering the in house practicum experiences, previously known as X476, Practicum in Psychology as of Summer 2025 through the PBS department. However, students can still complete volunteer, community-based clinical experiences for course credit, including the applied learning requirement in the Clinical Science BS major, through the Walter Center. All of the previous practicum sites will continue to offer volunteer internship opportunities and will gladly accept PBS students for a semester or longer to shadow, observe, and engage in the same activities that were offered through X476.

If you are interested in any of the previous practicum placements, please reach out directly to the contact person listed below:

The Aldrich Project: The Aldrich Project is an interdisciplinary, multi-school project focused on the prevention of bullying, substance abuse, and other risky behaviors in school-aged children and adolescents. It also emphasizes teaching social and emotional skills to promote positive adjustment to help children reach appropriate social and developmental milestones. Students must be available ALL DAY Tuesdays in order to participate. For more information, please reach out to Dr. Kim Decker.
Centerstone Research Institute: Students working with Centerstone will learn to conduct research interviews with individuals who are receiving mental & behavioral health services, using trauma-informed interviewing techniques. They will also engage in other research-based clinical activities such as recruiting and tracking participants, cleaning and entering clinical data, and analyzing client data for literature reviews. For more information, please reach out to Linnea Bly.
HeadStart: HeadStart works to provide opportunities for low-income individuals and families to achieve personal and economic independence. Students will work with teachers to support educational classroom activities. Students will observe and use conscious discipline techniques in interactions with children, as well as the second steps curriculum. For more information, please reach out to Alissa Weiss.
IU Behavioral Health: The Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health (Peds IBH) program was developed in partnership between DMHA, Riley Children's Foundation, and IU Health. The model will deliver evidence-based interventions for the most common behavioral health conditions. Students will work collaboratively with Peds IBH staff to assist in direct care and administrative tasks around the delivery of evidence-based interventions for the most common pediatric behavioral health conditions in primary care settings. For more information, please reach out to Cara Jones.
Supportive Community Innovations (SCI): SCI focuses on providing assistance and guidance to individuals and families of those who have developmental differences. Our primary goal is to help our clients reach their individual potential by supporting skills they need to live a life well-lived. We provide individualized services based in Applied Behavior Analysis that are tailored to the needs of our clients. For more information about SCI, please reach out to Nikki Bilderback.

Students can complete these internships and enroll in the X373 or X374 classes offered through the Walter Center to gain course credit towards the applied learning experience or general course credits required for all majors. More information about these classes, how to set up your internship site to count for credit, and what the class will entail can be found here.

Service-Learning + Practica

Explore + enroll

Service-learning courses

Practicum courses in Psychology

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