Clinical Experiences

Looking for Applied Clinical Experience?

In the field of clinical psychology, applied clinical experience involves providing intervention services related to mental health. It involves working with individuals who are seeking help for a mental health-related problem, implementing a treatment plan, working under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional, and participating in supervision with someone in your organization.

How Can I Find Applied Clinical Experience Appropriate for an Undergraduate Student?

Some examples include working for a crisis call center, grief counseling center, domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center, and working with children or adolescents facing mental health challenges and/or developmental disabilities (e.g., autism)

In the Santa Clara Valley area, some examples of agencies that provide clinical supervision include the YWCA Rape Crisis center, Bill Wilson Center (their Center for Living with Dying and their Crisis Call Services), KARA (their grief support services) and Suicide and Crisis Call Services (Santa Clara County). Other opportunities include working with children diagnosed on the autism spectrum by being trained as behavioral specialists doing ABA interventions.

Please refer to this document [pdf], as well, which provides more in-depth descriptions of different types of applied clinical experiences.