Summer Jobs and Internships: A Guide for Psychology Students

For psychology students, summer is an opportunity to gain valuable experience, explore career paths, and strengthen their resumes for future job opportunities or graduate studies. Psychology internships aren't often readily marked or advertised. Rather, they appear under titles related to community initiatives, human services, mental health support, or research. This article provides a comprehensive overview of summer job and internship opportunities available to psychology students, with a particular focus on opportunities in San Diego, as well as broader options.

Why Summer Jobs and Internships Matter

Gaining practical experience during the summer can be extremely beneficial for psychology students. These experiences provide exposure to the field, help develop professional skills, and allow students to determine if psychology is the right career path for them. The range of experience is more important to many graduate programs than whether it was paid. Even if some of them could begin as volunteer work, they nevertheless qualify as good experience and can lead to paid opportunities or powerful recommendation letters.

Finding Opportunities

Networking

Networking is crucial in the field of psychology. Many students secure internships through recommendations rather than job boards. Students should inform their lecturers, advisors, and fellow students about their search. Students can also attend local psychology-related events, career fairs on campus, or mental health panels. Have you tried to approach the alumni Association for your college? These are typically filled with individuals within your field and most will be willing to help. My experience is that the best way to get a job or an internship is to know somebody. The other thing you can do is go to the office for your program and talk with the staff. I’d also talk with professors and make it know you’re looking for an internship.

Broadening the Definition of "Internship"

It's also acceptable to define "internship" more broadly. Part-time jobs, paid support employment, organized volunteer work, and summer programs all qualify. It matters that you are learning professional skills, getting exposure to the area, and determining if psychology is the proper career option for you.

Opportunities in San Diego

San Diego offers a wealth of opportunities for psychology students due to its numerous hospitals, research facilities, community centers, and non-profit organizations. Look at positions such as research assistant, patient support intern, behavioral health assistant, or program intern at local clinics, hospitals, and health systems.

Hospitals & Healthcare Settings

Hospitals and healthcare settings are ideal for students interested in clinical, health, or pediatric psychology.

Rady Children’s Hospital: Offers opportunities in child life, behavioral health, and research.
UC San Diego Health: Provides opportunities in psychology research, neurology, and psychiatry departments.
Sharp HealthCare: Features behavioral health internships and volunteer programs.

Even volunteer roles in these settings can transition into internships later.

Research Labs at Universities

Research experience is one of the best ways to strengthen a psychology career path, especially for those considering graduate school. Check out the psychology labs at nearby think tanks, research hospitals, and universities. For psychology majors, research experience can be one of their greatest benefits.

UC San Diego Psychology Department labs
SDSU Joint Doctoral Program labs
San Diego State University College of Education research centers

Students can search for labs studying child development, clinical psychology, behavior, cognition, or neuropsychology.

Mental Health Clinics & Community Centers

These centers offer hands-on exposure to counseling, crisis support, and case management.

NAMI San Diego
Community Resource Center (CRC)
San Diego Youth Services
Jewish Family Service of San Diego

These places often accept students for part-time internship roles.

Nonprofits Focused on Mental Health or Social Services

Nonprofits provide excellent training in interviewing, assessment, and community support.

The Trevor Project (remote roles available)
Big Brothers Big Sisters San Diego
Mental Health America of San Diego County

Employers and graduate programs place a high value on these positions because they offer significant experience, strong supervision, and practical exposure.

Schools & Educational Settings

These settings are great for students considering developmental, school, or child psychology.

Students can look for internships with:

Local school districts
Early childhood intervention programs
After-school psychology programs
Learning centers (e.g., UCLA/UCSD-affiliated programs)

Crisis Hotlines & Support Centers

These centers provide amazing experience in communication and crisis de-escalation.

San Diego options include:

San Diego Access & Crisis Line
RAINN (remote)
Crisis Text Line (remote, flexible)

Other Opportunities

Social Services Division Internship

Geauga County Job and Family Services seeks enthusiastic students to join their Social Services Division. This internship is open to students pursuing a degree in social work, psychology, sociology, criminal justice, or a closely related field, with a strong interest in child or adult protective services.

Project FOCCUS at Michigan State University

Project FOCCUS seeks to increase the number of historically underrepresented EdS and ABA professionals who support students with high-intensity needs in Michigan schools. The project covers students’ tuition, travel expenses, and hardship costs.

Job Opportunities in Ohio

Lorain County Community College has compiled a list of job openings throughout Northeast Ohio that may be of interest to students.

PFLAG Cleveland Scholarship

The Dr. Jes Sellers PFLAG Cleveland Scholarship provides financial aid to undergraduate and graduate students interested in advancing equity for LGBTQ+ individuals through support, advocacy, and/or education.

Research-Focused Positions

Princeton Baby Lab

The Department of Psychology at Princeton University seeks a full-time research specialist to work in the Princeton Baby Lab.

Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC)

This position is at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), a multi-disciplinary center for research to advance the science of learning by bringing together leading researchers in the cognitive, developmental, social, and educational sciences.

Northeastern University

The Department of Psychology and Institute for Cognitive and Brain Health at Northeastern University invites applications for a full-time Research Technician.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A full-time academic hourly position in clinical psychology is available at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, beginning in Summer 2026.

UCLA Department of Psychology

A reliable, highly organized, and independent individual is sought for a full-time Staff Research Associate (SRA) Position in the Brain and Body Lab (BABLab) and Social Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab (SAND Lab), in the UCLA Department of Psychology.

McLean Hospital

Seeking a highly motivated college graduate to provide support for several research studies at McLean Hospital within the Division of Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction and the Division of Women’s Mental Health.

Brown University Health

The position is for 2-3 full-time Research Assistants (RA) at Brown University Health. The RAs will work with Jennifer Wolff’s research team and the Adolescent Mental Health Collaborative.

University of Illinois in Champaign, IL

We are looking to hire a staff member to conduct and coordinate research for ongoing longitudinal study in the Brain and Cognitive Development Lab at University of Illinois in Champaign, IL.

Boston Children’s Hospital

The Research Scholars Program offers an intensive two-year post-baccalaureate training experience at the intersection of research and clinical practice.

The Ohio State University

This position serves as the Research Senior Technician in the Deepest Beliefs Lab (DBL) within the Department of Psychology at The Ohio State University.

The TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago

This position will be involved in interdisciplinary studies focusing studies related to early autism identification, remote assessment, infant and toddler development, and community-engaged research.

Georgetown Laboratory for Relational Cognition

The Georgetown Laboratory for Relational Cognition, directed by Adam Green, anticipates hiring a research coordinator. The position will focus on NSF- and foundation-funded research investigating creativity and learning.

UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

We are excited to share a job opening for a Staff Research Associate / Administrative Assistant in Dr. Catherine Lord’s Lab at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

UC Irvine

The Development of Social Cognition Lab at UC Irvine (Director: Dr.

UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry

We are seeking up to 3 full-time research assistants (RA) to join the Pelham Lab at the UC San DiegoDepartment of Psychiatry. The PI is a licensed clinical child and adolescent psychologist. The RAs will work onprojects related to externalizing problems, substance use, and parenting in children and adolescents.

University of California, Davis

Professor Yuko Munakata seeks to fill a full-time lab coordinator junior specialist position in the Cognition in Context Lab in the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis.

Visual Learning Lab at UC San Diego

The Visual Learning Lab in the Department of Psychology at UC San Diego is hiring two full-time Laboratory Coordinators.

E.P. Bradley Hospital Sleep Research Laboratory

The E.P. Bradley Hospital Sleep Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Mary Carskadon and affiliated with Brown University in Providence, RI, has opened the Dement Fellowship summer apprenticeship application for 2026.

Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project

The Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project is looking to hire research assistants (RAs).

BaBL (Brain, Behavior and Broader Learning) Lab

The BaBL (Brain, Behavior and Broader Learning) Lab, PI: Dr. Brianna Yamasaki, is seeking a regular, part-time Research Specialist to join the team.

Virginia Tech

The Cognition, Affect, and Psychophysiology Lab (CAP Lab) at Virginia Tech, headed by Dr. Martha Ann Bell, is seeking 2 full-time Research Assistants for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study at Virginia Tech.

Moral Development Lab at Texas A&M University

The Moral Development Lab in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University invites applications for a full-time lab manager position to start July 15th, 2026.

Gallaudet’s Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) Research Center

Applications are officially open for our upcoming 2026 REU ASL-English Bilingual CENTRE Summer Internship Program! At Gallaudet’s Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) Research Center, undergraduates will join us on campus for 8 weeks during the summer. In this program, students learn about neuroimaging and get hands-on experience with research in our labs.

Yale Child Study Center

Introduction of School/Department:The Yale Child Study Center, which serves as the Department of Child Psychiatry for the Yale School of Medicine, has been serving families through the integration of evidence-based clinical practice, training, and research for over 100 years. Within the Child Study Center is The Before and After Baby Lab (The BABL).

Michigan Summer Program in Cognition and Early Development (MSPICED)

In 2026, the Michigan Summer Program in Cognition and Early Development (MSPICED) is jointly hosted by the developmental psychology laboratories of Drs. Susan Gelman, Ioulia Kovelman, and Felix Warneken. We are seeking motivated students to participate firsthand in developmental psychology research. Our research investigates the cognitive and social foundations of young children’s behavior.

Direct Care and Support Roles

Grafton Integrated Health Network

At Grafton Integrated Health Network, we’re united by a shared purpose: helping individuals with complex needs live their best lives. As a Summer Intern, you’ll be part of a mission-driven team providing compassionate, evidence-based support to children and adults with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other complex behavioral needs.

Maimonides Health

At Maimonides Health, our core values H.E.A.R.T drives everything we do.

Child Mind Institute

The Child Mind Institute is looking for accomplished and motivated individuals to join our team as interns for our Summer Program for children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, and related learning, social, and behavioral challenges.

TrustPoint Hospital

TrustPoint Hospital is hiring Full-Time & Part-Time Behavioral Health Associates! The Mental Health Technician functions as an active part of the multidisciplinary treatment team to ensure the safety, dignity, and respect of all patients by providing continuous patient care, observation, direct interaction, de-escalation support and role modeling of coping skills to patients.

Skills to Highlight

When applying for summer positions, students should emphasize skills such as:

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