Psychology Work Experience Open Now

Psychology work experience: what is available and how to secure it

Work experience in psychology is important for students considering a psychology degree and essential for those planning to pursue applied psychology careers (clinical, educational, forensic, occupational). It is also notoriously difficult to arrange, particularly in clinical settings, due to confidentiality and safeguarding requirements. For school students: the most accessible psychology work experience is in non-clinical settings — research labs at universities, charity organisations working with mental health, schools (as a teaching or support assistant), or health-related charities. Direct patient contact in NHS clinical psychology settings is rarely available to school or first-year undergraduate students for regulatory reasons. For undergraduate students: university psychology research assistantships are the most valuable form of work experience. Approach academic staff whose research interests align with yours, offer to assist with data collection or literature review, and aim to become involved in a study over several months. This demonstrates genuine research engagement and is widely valued for graduate psychology course applications. Volunteering: Samaritans, Mind, the Mental Health Foundation, and other mental health charities provide structured volunteering roles that demonstrate commitment to the field. These are widely recognised in psychology programme applications. For clinical psychology specifically, gaining Trainee Clinical Psychologist (DClinPsy) entry requires assistant psychologist roles, which in turn require undergraduate-level volunteer and work experience. Building this record should start as early as possible.

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