Psychology 390

Community Placement Experience in Psychology

Course Catalog Description: Practical work experience in a supervised psychology-related work setting with a cooperating psychological or human services agency, private business or industry. Psychology 390 may be taken for 3 hours credit at one time. Only 3 hours will count within the first 33 hours of a psychology major. Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to designated or assigned sites.

The Community Placement Experience in Psychology course is designed for students majoring or minoring in psychology. Students must be of Junior or Senior standing, obtain faculty recommendations, and hold a GPA of at least 2.5. Most placements also require particular psychology classes as prerequisites or co-requisites. In addition to these requirements, the student's schedule of classes should permit at a minimum half-day, if not whole day placements at the site.

Enrollment in the Community Placement Experience in Psychology requires advance planning and approval by the Community Placement instructor in order to be cleared to register for the course. After enrollment in the course, the student works with the community placement instructor to obtain a community placement. This step must take place the semester before the placement is to occur. The specific steps can be viewed in the Handbook.

The purpose of the course is dual in nature. The first purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in a setting outside of the university where concepts, practices and knowledge from the field of psychology are utilized. The second purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about professional behavior and ethics and the linkage between theory and practice.

As stated in the course Syllabus there are four objects for the Community Placement Experience in Psychology. They are:

1. Student will obtain supervised work experience within a community agency, program or business.
2. Students will integrate conceptual knowledge obtained in courses in the psychology major with applied experiences obtained in the community placement.
3. Students will learn to use reflective writings for professional growth and development.
4. Students will learn the professional ethics and work behavior.

Psychology 390 is designed to give majors an exposure to the practice of psychology and of other human service professions. Students in Psychology 390 do volunteer work and gain experience in a psychological service agency or in a related agency. The aims of the course are for students to see the work of these professionals firsthand, to integrate field placement experience with coursework, and to learn if they are interested in a career in one of these areas. Placements are available with many Area Agencies.

*If you have any questions or comments please contact Dr. Elizabeth Jones at Elizabeth.jones@wku.edu or Lisa Lorenzen at zenmyth@aol.com

Last Updated 9/4/07

©2002 WKU Psychology Department