How to Find Psychology Work Experience

If you want to get into psychology, finding work experience is an essential first step. But getting the right experience can be challenging. This guide explores the different routes to securing psychology work experience, from school students looking for their first placement to support their university application, to graduates trying to take their first steps in their career.

We also discuss Dukes Plus’s own Young Psychologist Summer Experience, a fantastic opportunity for students aged 15-18 to experience a career in psychology.

Why do you need psychology work experience?

Finding work experience can be tricky, but if you’re aiming to become a psychologist, it’s absolutely vital.

For Year 12 students thinking about applying for psychology at university, work experience can make all the difference to your application. It can persuade admissions teams that you are serious about the subject, while the experience should give you something to reflect on in your personal statement. This will help your application stand out.

For undergraduate or graduate students thinking about career options, psychology work experience is even more important. Applicants to doctorate programmes in psychology (which are necessary for qualifying as a psychologist) will need extensive full-time equivalent work experience. This experience needs to provide you with an understanding of what psychologists in your chosen discipline do, and the types of clients they work with.

You can read more about the benefits of work experience in our blog.

Year 12 and Other School Students

Many Year 12 students seeking psychology work experience to boost their university application find it difficult to secure a placement.

Though you are unlikely to be able to shadow a working psychologist before getting to university, there are still many opportunities to gain valuable experience. Volunteering is by far the best route here. We’ve listed below some national charities which welcome volunteers, but there are also likely to be many serving your local area which may be the easiest means of getting relevant experience.

Volunteering

Clinical Psychology and Counselling

Mental health charities or those which support patients with brain injuries are the best way to get counselling or clinical psychology work experience.

Two national charities who are taking on volunteers are:

• SANE
• Mind

You could also research in your local area for charities doing similar work.

Educational Psychology

Volunteering for children’s charities is the best way to gain educational psychology work experience as a school student.

You might like to consider:

• Barnardo’s
• NSPCC
• KIDS 
• Mencap 

In your local area, you could approach nearby schools, playgroups, nurseries, and youth organisations.  

Forensic Psychology

There are various charities which support ex-offenders and victims. For instance:

• Nacro
• Victim Support

In your local area, research prison visitor schemes, substance misuse charities, homelessness charities, or asylum seeker support organisations. All of these may provide relevant work experience for forensic psychology.

Dukes Plus Young Psychologist Summer Experience

Dukes Plus’s Young Psychologist Summer Experience is an incredible opportunity to experience a career as a psychologist – plus you’ll have the chance to work towards a UCAS-accredited work experience qualification.

Open to students aged 15-18 and based in London, you’ll:

• Undertake training in techniques used by working clinical psychologists, including CBT
• Support a patient through their mental health journey, guided by experts
• Visit the UK’s oldest mental health hospital

Book your place on this once-in-a-lifetime experience today.

Undergraduates

As an undergraduate student, all the same routes available to school students are also open to you. But some additional ways of gaining psychology work experience are also possible.

Volunteer Research Assistant: some universities run schemes for students to volunteer as research assistants on a variety of projects within the psychology department. These usually take place over the summer, or sometimes the autumn term.

Some of these will be advertised on their websites and open to students of other institutions as well as internal applicants. There is also the possibility to come to an informal arrangement with an academic at your university – so keeping on good terms with your lecturers and politely expressing interest in any available positions is an excellent idea.

Shadow a Psychologist: Undergraduates may also be more likely to be given experience shadowing practising psychologists. These positions are not usually advertised.

A good idea is to use the BPS Directory to find a list of psychologists in your local area, and approach them, introducing yourself, your background, and why you are seeking experience with them. You may have to send a number of these before you are successful – 10 applications to one response is not uncommon!

On a placement you can expect to see the day-to-day work that a psychologist in your preferred specialism gets up to, though you may not be able to work directly with clients for confidentiality reasons.

Graduates

Graduate students have access to all the same routes as school and undergraduate students. However, as you need extensive work experience to apply for postgraduate psychology programmes, you will want to explore some other avenues too:

Assistant Psychologist roles are very sought-after, but are difficult to obtain for graduates with only limited work experience. Some of these roles are advertised in the Psychologist Appointments 

You might want to begin by exploring Health Care Assistant or Support Worker roles in the NHS, which are usually more attainable and a good first foot in the door. You can search for NHS jobs here.

Another option might be Brain Injury Support, who offer paid support worker positions.

Psychology Work Experience: Conclusions

Gaining psychology work experience is an essential step for anyone considering a career in psychology, whether you’re still at school, in the midst of an undergraduate degree, or looking for postgraduate work.

While securing a placement with a practising psychologist can be challenging, there are numerous alternative ways to build relevant experience, including volunteering, research assistant roles, and support work in various settings.

Persistence is key—gaining work experience often requires proactive applications and networking. However, each opportunity, whether paid or voluntary, contributes to a deeper understanding of the field and enhances your academic and professional prospects.

Young Psychologist Summer Experience

Experience a career in psychology, with the chance to earn a UCAS-accredited work experience qualification.

Book Now