Mentored Clinical Internship (MCI)
The Mentored Clinical Internship (MCI) course (two semesters -fall and spring consecutively) offers psychological science students opportunities to apply their academic learning experiences to a wide variety of mental health related placements. Placement agencies range on a continuum from advocacy to programs serving people of all ages experiencing mental health challenges. The course connects you to agencies that fit your interests and/or future goals. Second, the weekly seminar is an opportunity for all interns to share experiences, appreciate the importance of ethics and confidentiality in clinical psychological work, and offer advice about how to handle thought-provoking, sometimes perplexing placement situations. The seminar is a kind of “think tank,” a way to discuss situations, cases, and specific concerns in a safe and confidential environment. The Capstone Research Project (both semesters) provides an opportunity to apply what you learned academically to benefit your host agency. See the list of organizations in which students are currently enrolled below.
Recent MCI Collaborations
- Baird School (Howard Center Department of Children Youth and Families)
- Bellcate School
- Champlain Valley Head Start
- Chittenden County Public Defender’s Office
- Chittenden Regional Correctional Center (serving women)
- Converse Home Memory Care Program
- Howard Center Adult Developmental Services: Person Centered Thinking Program
- Howard Center Comprehensive Care Programs (Jarrett House serving children and Transition House serving adolescents)
- Howard Center Community Intervention Program
- King Street Youth Center
- Lund Family Center
- Mansfield Hall (Residential: Young adult students with social interactional and learning challenges)
- Migrant Justice
- Outright Vermont
- Phoenix House Drug & Acohol Treatment: RISE Supported Living Program
- Sara Holbook Community Center
- Spectrum Youth and Family Services
- Turning Point Substance Abuse Recovery Center
- UVM Athletic Dept. of Sports Psychology & Counseling Program
- UVM Department of Psychiatry, Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)
- UVM Dept. of Psychiatry, Vermont Center on Behavior and Health
- UVM Dept. of Psychological Science, Vermont Psychological Services (out-patient clinic)
- UVM Living Well - Step-Up Program
- UVM Living Well - Catamount Recovery
- Vermont State Department for Children and Families (DCF)
- Winooski Family Center
Other opportunities
Participate in a research study
Researchers are always looking for individuals to participate in studies they are conducting under the guidance of faculty members of the Department of Psychological Science, and most studies will compensate you for your time and equate to course credit. More about participating in a research study.
Get involved
UVM has an active psychology club which sponsors activities including colloquia, movie nights, volunteer opportunities in local mental health organizations, and “What's Happening in Research” nights, which feature exciting news in the psychological sciences presented by faculty and grad students in the department. UVM also belongs to Psi Chi, a national psychological sciences honor society; students with a GPA of 3.3 are inducted into the chapter during the second semester of their senior year.
Student Experiences
Exploring the Science of Stress
Rising senior Emily Young applied what she’s learned in her developmental psychology and neuroscience courses through a summer research project investigating how children respond to stress. Drawing on an analogy coined by Dr. Thomas Boyce of the University of California, San Francisco, she describes how children can be classified as “dandelions” (those who are fairly resilient in the face of adversity), or “orchids” (children who are sensitive and strongly reactive to their environment, whether positive or negative). “I took data from an earlier study where interviewers talked with parents, asking them how their kids responded to stress, and how they might help them develop coping strategies,” Young explained. “The best response would consider the dandelion/orchid question. A big part of what I’m looking at is peer victimization, like bullying.” She’s conducing her research project, titled “Is Your Child Even Listening to You?: Relationship between Socialization of Coping and Coping Behavior, Moderated by Stress Reactivity,” through Professor Dianna Murray-Close’s Social Development Lab.
Young received key support from the College of Arts and Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). The program provides a $4000 living stipend and additional money for research expenses. “I was beyond ecstatic when I got it,” Young said. “It’s allowed me to live in Burlington for the summer to concentrate on my research.”
A native of Western Massachusetts, Young was impressed by the physical beauty of Burlington and the friendly, open vibe on campus during her first UVM visit. During her first semester she discovered a fascination for exploring the roots of human behavior. “I love biology, which is why I decided on a neuroscience minor. Professor Murray-Close, who is amazing—one of the best professors I’ve ever had—is familiarizing me with the social development piece.”
Young eventually sees herself going to graduate school and working in a clinical setting, but plans on taking a gap year after graduation. “I’d like to see where this research leads, and explore what my niche will be."
Learn About Behaviors of Addiction
Lauren Woodard ’20 grew up in suburban Washington D.C. and envisioned herself attending a small liberal arts college, but she was impressed by her visit to UVM. “I had gone to small schools my whole life, but I could tell UVM was a place I’d be pushed to make things happen for myself, while also offering the infrastructure to make those things possible.” Woodard entered as an English major and wasn’t sure if she had made the right choice. After taking a semester-long sabbatical to reflect on what she wanted for her college experience, she returned to UVM and declared psychological science as her major. “I dove right in and took enough credits so that I’ll end up graduating on time,” she said. It was Professor Mark Bouton’s “Learning, Cognition & Behavior” course that ignited Woodard’s interest in research. She approached Bouton about joining his lab and found herself immersed in experiments about how organisms develop habitual behavior—behaviors which can be beneficial, or destructive, like drug addiction.
Woodard is interested in gaining experience in behavioral, neurological and clinical research which she believes all contribute to successful treatments. To that end, she is also working in Dr. Kelly Rohan’s lab exploring Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). And, she is interning this fall at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility for women in South Burlington. She works in a case management office helping inmates reintegrate into society by finding housing and support services. The internship has given Woodard perspective on the large percentage of people incarcerated for drug-related offenses. “Unfortunately a lot of women spend many years cycling in and out of jail –it’s especially challenging being released into the environment that encourages addictive behaviors. I feel like I’m developing the behavioral and clinical background to help come up with positive solutions.”