12 Psychology Internships for High School Students
Psychology is a fairly broad discipline, as it not only relies on concepts in sciences such biology and neuroscience, but also extends to the social sciences. If you’re considering a career in psychology, you could expect to find a variety of roles that involve research, counseling, education, and/or disorder diagnosis and treatment, that is, mental healthcare.
Getting a glimpse into what a career in psychology might look like, while still in high school, could prove to be highly rewarding — which is why doing an internship is worth considering. Interning as a high schooler would also help you figure out if this subject is indeed what you’d like to pursue. Not to mention, having an internship under your belt can add great value to your profile and college applications!
To make your search simpler, we’ve curated a list of 12 psychology internships for high school students. Although some of the options listed below are not traditional internships, they do follow a similar structure and offer hands-on experience in the field of psychology.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Starting at $1,990. Financial assistance is available.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students who can work for 10–20 hours per week, for 8–12 weeks. The internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students! Application deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.
Program dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year. The summer cohort deadline is April 14, 2024.
Ladder Internships is a fairly selective program, founded by Harvard alumni. It provides high school students with virtual internship experiences at startups and nonprofits across the world. Students can choose the field and industry they wish to work in, based on their interests! Students interested in psychology internships can choose the Mental Health option while applying.
You will get to work on a real-world project that is relevant to the organization, and will present your work at the end of the internship. What sets Ladder Internships apart is its emphasis on mentorship, giving students the chance to work alongside experienced professionals, engage with cutting-edge research, and contribute to meaningful projects. In addition to working closely with your startup manager, you will be paired with a Ladder Coach, who acts as a second mentor. The program also offers one-on-one skills training and group training sessions with fellow interns.
Among some of the organizations interns can choose to work with are those that offer mental health services, life coaching services, corporate consulting and training, and one that works to offer an objective assessment of emotional disorders.
2. American Psychological Association (APA) Internships
Location: Remote or Washington, D.C.
Stipend: Both paid and unpaid internships are available. Information on the exact stipend amount is not available.
Eligibility: Exact requirements vary as per the position. However, students living in these areas cannot apply.
Application deadline: Varies based on the internship
Program dates: Internships are offered throughout the year on a rolling basis.
The American Psychological Association, known informally as APA, is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It offers both remote and in-person internship opportunities to high school students. The specific requirements and duties can vary based on the position, which can be in departments such as policy, research, communications, operations, ITS, and financial services. Additionally, internships at APA typically offer students the opportunity to participate in research, writing, and web-based projects. Interns may also assist APA staff with administrative tasks and special projects. The goal is to help students have a better understanding of the workplace environment in professional psychology. During the internship, students will also get to attend workshops and discussions and participate in group projects. Additionally, students get the chance to interact with senior psychologists. You can find internship opportunities here.
3. University of Texas Southwestern Inspiring Careers in Mental Health Internship
Location: Virtual
Stipend: No information is available.
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can apply.
Application deadline: Applications typically open in late September and are due in early February every year.
Program dates: The internship typically runs for 2 weeks in June
This is a 2-week virtual program offered by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It is meant to help high school students explore careers in mental health. The program involves interaction with clinician-scientists like licensed social workers, psychiatrists, physician assistants, and neuropsychologists. During these interactive sessions, professionals share their experiences in the field of psychology and what led them here. Additionally, you will learn about the kind of work available in mental health fields, including psychotherapy, neuroscience, neuropsychological testing, interventional psychiatry, and community psychiatry. In the process, you may be able to connect with leaders and form lasting mentoring relationships that can help in building a career in psychology.
4. Stanford University’s SHTEM Summer Internships
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 14 years old can apply.
Application deadline: February 23, 2024
Program dates: June 17, 2024–August 9, 2024
Stanford’s SHTEM (science, humanities, technology, engineering, and math) Summer Research Internships Program is a virtual internship opportunity for high school and community college students. It aims to provide students with early exposure to cutting-edge research in an academic environment. Further, the program introduces students to diverse research topics in engineering and the link between humanities and STEM research, with themes spanning psychology, biology, neuroscience, arts, linguistics, engineering, and more STEM and humanities subjects. Interns are placed in project groups and each group is assigned one or more mentors—usually students or faculty and staff of the Stanford Compression Forum and its affiliated organizations. During the program, students are expected to work on their assigned group research projects virtually while maintaining regular communication with the mentor and group members. For hardware projects, materials will be sent to students. Overall, they are expected to work 30–40 hours a week. The program ends with the presentation of projects. You can check past projects here.
5. Child Mind Institute Youth Mental Health Academy
Location: Remote, hybrid, and in-person options are available
Stipend: Up to $2,000 offered.
Eligibility: High school students in California with an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher can apply. Applicants should be from marginalized communities as defined in the FAQ here.
Application deadline: March 15, 2024
Program dates: June 2024–July 2025
The Child Mind Institute Program is a long-term internship program, lasting 14 months. It is designed to help students get hands-on learning in mental health science, practice, and communications. The program involves 3 phases: first, 5-week project-based learning in the summer, then, monthly workshops, mentor support, and other program activities throughout the school year, and finally, up to 6 weeks of internship in the next summer. During the first phase, you will get to attend interactive discussions on topics like mental health, treatment, research, and related careers. Then, you will work on a capstone project to demonstrate what you learned during the summer sessions. Throughout the school year, you will attend workshops every month to keep learning about mental health and be better prepared for college. During your second summer at the program, you will get to work as an intern in a mental health-related field and will be paired with a youth-oriented community-based organization or research organization. You will be expected to work for 100 hours in total on research and analysis of data and using the data to come up with recommendations for mental health interventions and advocacy. You can apply here.
6. National Institute of Drug Abuse Research Intramural Research Program
Location: Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus, Baltimore, MD
Stipend: Paid. Information on the exact amount is not available.
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors who are at least 17 years old can apply
Application deadline: February 1, 2024
Program dates: 8 to 10 weeks in the summer. Exact dates are not available.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is one of the institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its Intramural Research Program is a selective research opportunity offered to high school students interested in exploring the scientific basis of drug abuse and its impact on mental health and human psychology. Each summer, NIDA opens up a few positions to encourage students to conduct research on drug abuse. You can apply via the NIH HS-SIP program. You will get to work under the guidance and mentorship of leading researchers. At the end of the program, the Summer Poster Day is organized for interns to share their research with the NIH community.
You can learn more about the virtual session here and the in-person sessions here before applying. The program has previously accepted approximately 12% of applicants.
The programs listed below are not traditional internships, but do follow a similar structure and offer high school students with valuable hands-on experience in psychology.
7. Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X) at Stanford University
Location: Virtual and in-person at Stanford University campus, Stanford, CA
Cost: The virtual session costs $1,495 while the in-person session costs $2,795. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school students who are 14–18 years old can apply.
Application deadline: March 1, 2024
Program dates: Students can choose from 3 two-week sessions:
Session 1 (virtual via Zoom) June 17–28, 2024 | Session 2 (on campus) July 8–19, 2024 | Session 3 (on campus) July 22, 3034–August 2, 2024
Stanford University’s CNI-X is a 10-day program offering high schoolers exposure to topics in neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology along with an opportunity to work on a collaborative capstone project. During the program, you will explore research conducted by the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Additionally, you will get to attend interactive seminars and lectures with Stanford faculty and researchers and learn concepts in neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry, psychiatric epidemiology, neuroscience research, and behavioral and social sciences, among other topics. You will work in teams of 8–10, guided by staff mentors, to come up with innovative solutions to social issues related to neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry. You will then present these ideas at a final capstone session with classmates, families, and the program faculty. That’s not all. During the program, you get to explore professional and career opportunities in medicine and science too!
8. USC Pre-College Program Psychological Science & Society
Location: University of Southern California campus, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $10,480 for residential participants and $7,482 for commuters
Eligibility: High school students can apply.
Application deadline: March 29, 2024 (international students) and May 3, 2024 (domestic students)
Program dates: June 16, 2024–July 13, 2024
The University of Southern California offers this psychology program as part of its pre-college program. While this is not a traditional internship, over four weeks of the program, you will learn about the life of a psychological scientist and conduct their own research projects. Through daily class activities like meditation exercises, games, and psychological tests, you will learn about key concepts of psychology. Further, you get to explore career paths in research, psychology, clinical, and social sciences. Some of the topics of study covered in this program are—the history of psychology and research methods; cognition, intelligence, and learning; the mind-body connection; narcotics; social media and mental health; and relationships.
9. Psychology Institute at Wake Forest University
Location: Wake Forest University Campus, Winston-Salem, NC
Cost: $3,000. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school students can apply
Application deadline: None
Program dates: Applicants can choose from 2 one-week sessions: June 9–14, 2024 or June 16–21, 2024
A part of Wake Forest University’s Summer Immersion Program, the Psychology Institute is a week-long experience that combines university-level learning with hands-on experiences in psychology. With the help of university faculty and industry professionals, you will conduct your own observational research, and learn about the brain and its structure, mental disorders, the role of emotions, sensation and perception, neuroscience, and the psychology of addiction. In the process, you may also get to participate in sheep brain dissection. You will get to present their research findings at the end of the program, and receive an official Wake Forest University Certificate of Completion. Wake Forest University also offers an online immersion program.
10. Camp Psych at Gettysburg College
Location: Gettysburg College Campus, Gettysburg, PA
Cost: $1,395. Financial aid is available
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors can apply.
Application deadline: Rolling until camp is full
Program dates: July 14–19, 2024
Offered by Gettysburg College, this one-week camp can be a fun way to learn more about psychology. Camp Psych can offer a sneak peek into first-year college-level psychology study, as the camp instructors and faculty do teach psychology at the college level. At the camp, you will learn about issues in psychology and cutting-edge research in the field. At the same time, you will also get to engage in research of their own. Additionally, the camp can help improve college readiness by offering campus tours and a glimpse of college life. Further, campers will live in a residence hall with resident advisors who are current or recent psychology majors. This could be an opportunity to get insight into college studies and student life. The camp is open to all high school students irrespective of current levels of psychological knowledge.
11. University of Chicago Summer Immersion (Psychology courses)
Location: Residential program at the University of Chicago campus, Chicago, IL
Cost: $8,600 per session (includes housing and meals). Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are at least 14 years old can apply.
Application deadline: March 5, 2024 (can be extended till May in some cases)
Program dates: Session I June 17, 2024–July 5, 2024 | Session II July 10–26, 2024
The University of Chicago Immersion program offers the chance to choose a course and participate in 3 weeks of college-level study. If you choose Session 1, you can opt for the Developmental Psychology course that covers theories and techniques in the field. This course will cover major theories of developmental psychology and a look at the changes in the brain from infancy to adolescence. Through lectures and discussions, students can explore the links between biological, psychological, and sociocultural elements in aspects such as language, emotions, morality, and intelligence. You will also get to work on their own experimental research projects in small groups.
If you opt for Session II, you can choose the Fundamentals of Psychology course that covers basic concepts in human behavior and research in the field. Topics such as sensation and perception, emotions, memory, development, and psychological disorders will be covered through lectures, readings (textbook and academic journal articles), discussions, and field trips. The course will also involve hands-on psychological research and lab demonstrations. You will work in small groups to develop and execute their experimental research projects.
12. EXPLO Psychology + Neuroscience Program
Location: Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Cost: $7,895 (residential) | $3,995 (commuter). Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: All high school students can apply
Application deadline:
Program dates:
- Session 1 dates: June 30, 2024–July 19, 2024 (residential) | July 1–18, 2024 (commuter)
- Session 2 dates: July 21, 2024–August 9, 2024 (residential) | July 22, 2024–August 8, 2024 (commuter)
EXPLO is a not-for-profit educational organization that offers pre-college experiences to high schoolers. Its Psychology + Neuroscience Program focuses on the intersection between the two fields. Here, you will get to learn how to apply therapeutic theories to diagnostics and clinical treatment of mental illnesses. The program also offers an introduction to behavioral neuroscience which covers the supposed biological bases for these illnesses, the relationship between brain activity and individual experiences, principles governing neuron activity, and the role of neurotransmitter systems in memory, motivation, and addiction. Through lab experiences, research projects, and networking opportunities (with experts in clinical psychology, behavioral neuroscience, or organizational psychology), you will explore the tools used by psychologists for making diagnoses and learn about nervous system anatomy and function. The lab experiences involve guided sheep brain dissection and neurochemistry procedures to examine the impact of medication on the brain. You will also learn from leading experts about the role of psychology in the interrogation of criminal suspects. The experience concludes with the presentation of research projects at the end-of-session symposium.
Looking for an immersive internship experience?
Check out Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries, with a large number of them in tech. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.