Getting the most out of a psychology placement

As a psychology student, you might have to do a placement module or even a year abroad as part of your degree to learn more about the application of psychology in a work environment. Today’s post will focus on the key aspects to get the most out of your placement.

Finding a placement

Depending on your university, a placement as part of your psychology course may be available to you. However, you might have to find your placement on your own at other universities. Looking for a psychology placement is very similar to looking for a job. The main difference is that it is often not paid because of the short amount of time you will spend in the organisation that will hire you. Start by thinking about which sector you would like to do your placement in. You should consider which industries most appeal to you or are best suited for your future job. Then there is no secret; you need to put yourself out there by contacting those that work in the fields in which you are interested. To do so, LinkedIn is a good place to start as it enables you to send direct messages to employers and people who operate in your field of interest. You can also reach out to your lecturers if you are really struggling to find someone that would offer you a placement. Using job search pages such as CV library and Indeed are also great tools to spot employment possibilities.

Do your research

No matter in which field you decided to do your psychology placement, preparation is essential to get the most out of it. First of all, you need to look up the particularities of the place you are going to work in: What kind of population you are going to encounter and what do you need to know about them? Are you going to work in a multidisciplinary setting or in a specific department? Knowing these pieces of information will help you to relate your experiences to your previous research. Besides, during the first few conversations with your supervisor, it is important to get some information about what is expected from you and also what you are hoping to learn from this experience. Knowing your objectives will help both of you avoid the sensation that you are wasting your time and will help you understand why you are being asked to perform specific tasks.

Ask questions

You need to ask every question that comes to your head during your placement. You might wonder why they are working the way they do or why are they using a test over another one. This can even be questions about their own career path and what they did to get where they are now. There are a lot of different routes available in the psychology field and having examples of others people's journeys is always valuable. Bear in mind that a psychology placement is intended to provide you with some insight into how to use your degree in the workplace. Therefore, you should try to learn as much as you can from it. Moreover, asking questions also demonstrates your engagement and passion for the field to your supervisor. Giving a good impression can always open doors for you in the future so maintaining a good relationship with your supervisor is essential. From a more academic perspective, asking relevant questions to your supervisor will definitely be useful in case you have coursework to submit concerning your placement.

Take notes

Depending on how long is your placement (and how good is your memory) you might forget some of the things you noticed or learned so it is a good idea to have a written record of your various activities and observations. Write the answers to the questions you asked. You can also write what you think about the organisation of the company and how it is run. Try to develop your critical thinking and your own opinion. How you would have handled the situation if you were in charge, what would you change or improve? By having these thoughts, you can go from being a passive observer to someone who can influence the field in the future. Even if you are not using every note you took in specific coursework about your placement, these notes can still be useful to you later on (e.g., in research projects, career, and interviews).

Ask for a feedback

To provide you with feedback at the end of your placement, schedule a final appointment with your supervisor. This is an opportunity for you to hear about what you can improve, what you did well and which impression you gave. Learn from this feedback as it will contribute to your professional development. Thanks to this feedback you will know what skills you need to acquire in your career. It is also your chance to discuss the areas you haven't been able to cover during your placement due to the limited time or restrictions you had because of your experience. It is also judicious to keep the details of your supervisor in case you need a reference in the future. As your supervisor, he/she will be able to articulate the skills you gained and the qualities you showed (reliability, motivation etc...) throughout your placement.

Reflect on your experience

Once your placement is complete, it is time to reflect on it. Being able to reflect on your experiences and work is a critical skill for psychologists. Here is a famous reflection model that can help you do this job.

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle was designed by Gibbs in 1988 to facilitate the assessment of experiences and learning from what went well or poorly.

This model is broken down into 6 stages:

• The description consists in depicting what happened

• The feelings that you had at the moment of the experience

• The evaluation of what was good or bad about the experience

• The analysis in which you try to make sense of the experience

• The conclusion in which you evaluate what you could have done differently

• The action plan, what you would do if the situation arose again

To summarise, to get the most out of your placement, doing your research, asking questions, taking notes, appreciating the comments provided by your supervisor and reflecting on your experience are key.