Former interns discuss their work on-site, the school and staff, and the impact on their personal and professional lives.
Social Emotional Learning in a Early Childhood Setting
Gain experience
- in a school setting
- with children aged 0-5 years-old
- in emotional intelligence and social emotional learning
Great for students with interests or career aspirations in:
- Child or family therapy
- Professional counseling
- Clinical psychology
- Social work
- School psychology
- School counselor
- Child protective services
- Play or Art therapy
- Teaching
- Psychiatry
- Medicine
- Law
For this service-learning designated internship course, the Department of Psychology at Texas State University has partnered with Children's Discovery Center. Interns gain hands-on experience providing social-emotional learning support to preschool students.
Children's Discovery Center, a play-based preschool with a focus on outdoor learning in South Austin, has a strong emphasis on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Interns work with Children's Discovery Center teachers and directors to support students throughout the day in their social-emotional needs.
Internships Available
- 8 Internship positions are available each long semester
- PSY 4396 Internship in Psychology: Social-Emotional Learning in the School Setting (Clegg)
Location
- Children's Discovery Center in South Austin (Convict Hill Road)
Prerequisites
- Junior or Senior in status
- Minimum 3.0 GPA overall
- Interest in working in a preschool setting, supporting young children
- Developmental Psychology (preferred, not required)
Internship Responsibilities & Expectations
- Complete 120-hours on-site during the semester (interns are scheduled for 8-10 hours per week at Children's Discovery Center)
- Weekly meeting with Dr. Clegg and weekly discussion assignments
- Applicants must be responsible - students must treat their placement like a staff position, be timely and reliable
- Applicants must attend all scheduled class meetings (1 class meeting per month, the first Friday of each month)
- Applicants must be able to pass a background check
- Applicants must have a free elective course available
Please make sure that there is room in your schedule for the internship. Recommended: no more than 12 hours of other coursework, and no more than 10 hours of outside work. The internship should be a priority for the semester.
For more information and to gain access to the application, please contact Dr. Jennifer Clegg at jclegg@txstate.edu