Internship

• The internship consists of 560 hours;
• The organisation of the placement should have a primary focus on improving the mental health of adult individuals or groups;
• The organisation offers evidence-based treatment and/or therapy according to validated psychotherapeutic approaches (e.g., CBT, CT, schema therapy) and/or standardized protocols based on the ICD-11/DSM-5;
• The placement organisations should be relatively large, enabling the student to learn from different qualified academic professionals – mainly psychologists, but other disciplines as well. One-man practices are therefore not allowed;
• Sufficient and expert supervision (one hour a week) should be available. The local supervisor should be an academically trained psychologist such as a mental healthcare psychologist, psychotherapist, clinical psychologist or an experienced psychologist with clinical expertise.
•  Other backgrounds are possible but must be approved by the internship coordinator;
• The activities should be on Master’s level (f.e. observing/ conducting intake sessions/ psychodiagnostics assessment and being involved in (parts of) treatment) and should enable students to make a connection between (academic) knowledge and practice;
• The student has to perform clinical work as independently as possible. The student is not to simply tag along or just observe;
• At least 60% of the student's activities should be client-related, including direct contact with the organisation's target group. The remaining 40% of the student's time should be devoted to activities such as reporting and studying literature.

• The internship consists of 560 hours;
• The organisation of the placement should have a primary focus on improving or promoting the (mental) health of adult individuals or groups. It is also possible to do internships in organisations that conduct research related to biological, psychological or social factors affecting health;
• The placement organisations should be relatively large, enabling the student to learn from different qualified academic professionals – mainly psychologists, but other disciplines as well. The student has to get the opportunity to make a contribution to multiple research projects;
• The research group consist of at least 3 researchers.
• Sufficient and expert supervision (one hour a week) should be available. The local supervisor should be a professional with a PHD. Other backgrounds are possible but must be approved by the internship coordinator;
• The activities should be practical as well as intellectual and should enable students to make a connection between (academic) knowledge and research practice;
• Because research is the focus of the internship, the internship assignment should be substantial as well as diverse. Aim of this assignment is to connect theory and practice. Think of giving a presentation about a small literature review or writing a protocol for ethical approval.
• Students will perform clinical and/or project-based work as independently as possible. They are not to simply tag along or just observe.

• Though you can start at any given time, most internships start in September or March. In the second semester (from February onwards) placements are scarcer and the competition is fiercer in the Netherlands.
• If you start between September – April, you will have courses in block 1, 2 & 3 (assuming you pick the courses of our programme) during which you will have to do your internship part time.
• Internships abroad should be scheduled in the second semester, after the coursework has been completed.
• If you do not speak Dutch (at C2 level or higher), it will be almost impossible to find a clinical internship in the Netherlands. 
• You may have an interview for a potential internship before you know whether you are admitted to the master (at the beginning of June). Discuss this with the organisation.
• International students should start looking for an internship while they are still in their home country as this makes the search considerably easier.

Step 1. Think carefully about what you want

To find out, you can ask yourself a few questions:

• What do I want to do and learn during an internship? Do you want to gain clinical work experience or maybe gain more experience in research?  
• What interests you? Think of the courses in your study that you found very interesting and explore your options.

Step 2. Select internship possibilities that match your personal preferences

There are various ways to find an internship, such as using your network, exploring organizations online or online job vacancy sites (e.g., Indeed). 

Once conditionally accepted to the Master’s, you'll get access to Brightspace and our internship database. 

Most clinical internship vacancies are for Dutch-speaking students, and there are not enough positions for all students. Internships that are further away from major universities will have less competition, so consider options outside major cities. 

For research internships at the UU, look at the research interests on staff pages and feel free to reach out. 

You can also take a look at the general page of the UU about internships for some extra tips.
If you are student member you can also use the database of SPS-NIP.

Step 3. Write your motivation letter and CV

You can apply for an internship with your curriculum vitae (CV) and motivation letter. 

Make sure you address the requirements outlined in the vacancy text, and remember that some vacancies will receive over 50 letters – so what makes you stand out? Everyone applying will have done a Psychology Bachelor's and will be doing the Master's – but think about distinguishing details such as your thesis topic and any volunteering work. If you use LinkedIn, make sure your personal page is up to date.  

If you haven’t got a resume yet, or have never written an application/motivation letter, please take a look at the (online) workshops of Career Services. Getting feedback from others in your network can also prove beneficial. 

Note that you will have to write many letters and may receive many rejections – this is not a reflection of your potential abilities. It is not unusual to have to send 20+ letters before securing an interview.

Step 4. Prepare for a job interview

You have secured an interview, that’s good news! Prepare yourself well. Make sure you can tell why you are interested in this internship in this specific organisation and what your added value is. For extra tips, take a look at the (online) workshops of Career Services about this subject.

Step 5. And then…?

If you found an internship (great!), approval of the Internship Coordinator is required. Send an e-mail to internshipCP@uu.nl. If you have already access to Brightspace, you can fill in the ‘checklist new internship’. 

If you are rejected after the job interview, ask for feedback and incorporate this in your preparation for the next interview. You may be more successful next time!

Join the Clinical Skills Lab (CSL): this is a clinical internship opportunity within the faculty for international students. For more info, mail the CSL coordinator (csl-cp@uu.nl). Please note that places are limited. They are advertised on the internship database site (under Clinical internships-international).