Internships

We encourage our Psychology majors to complete an internship during their college career. Internships allow students to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply those theories and concepts to real-world situations. In their internships, our students learn valuable professional skills while also making a significant contribution to our Portland community. Many of our students report that their internship experience helped them to discern their future career path, land their first job, or gain admittance to graduate school.

Students may not be permitted to take the Psychology internship as a
continuation of an ongoing internship, especially for which they have
already received course credit (i.e., HEAL and ELI internship courses),
however this may be waived subject to instructor approval.

Lewis & Clark College Psychology majors have two different options for internship experience while they are here.

  1. Many of our seniors (and some juniors) choose to take our Internship Capstone course (PSY445). Capstone courses are the culmination of our major. They are challenging seminar courses that ask students to integrate their knowledge from their major. In the Internship capstone course, students meet to discuss their internship experiences in class while also interning at one of our partner agencies for 10 hours per week. Other agencies are likely appropriate as long as they are related to the Psychology field (e.g., marketing, counseling, some social services) — when in doubt, check with your instructor (or instructor-to-be).
  2. Throughout their college career, students may get college credit for internship experience through a practicum where they work closely with a faculty advisor while also interning at an agency. The practicum form can be found here.

We are lucky to be located in the major metropolitan area of Portland, OR where there are over 100 hospitals, treatment centers, schools, social service agencies, nonprofits and government agencies that work with us to place our students in internships. For a recent list of opportunities posted to the majors listserv, see: LC PSY Opportunities & Programs

Agencies that Lewis and Clark Psychology Students have worked with in the past:

*Note: organizations change all the time — their teams, their mission, and their approach to the work may not be the same as when our students recommended them. This may be especially the case for orgs that changed their business name.*
ADULT MENTAL HEALTH

Cascadia Behavioral Health Care

NW Anxiety Solutions (formerly Deborah Mertlich Therapy) 

New Narrative Integrative Health (formerly Luke-Dorf Bridgeview)

Portland DBT Institute

AGING, HOSPICE

Cedar Sinai Park

Oatfield Estates - Elite Care

Providence PACE

Serenity Hospice

Sinceri Senior Living (formerly Autumn Hills Alzheimer’s Specialty Care)

ANIMALS/ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY

Cat Adoption Team Sherwood

Forward Stride PATH

Portland Animal Welfare Team (PAW)

ART/MUSIC THERAPY

My Voice Music

PHAME 

CHILD MENTAL HEALTH & THERAPY

Albertina Kerr Centers

Boys & Girls Aid Society

CARES Northwest child abuse evaluation

Centria Autism Services

Doernbecher Children’s Hospital

Family Relief Nursery

Forward Stride PATH

Friendly House

Insights Teen Parent Program

Janus Youth Programs

LifeWorks Adolescent Tx Day Program

LifeWorks Children’s Psychiatric Tx Cntr

New Avenues for Youth

OHSU Novel Interventions Child Health

OHSU Pediatric Psychiatry

OR Dept. of Human Services, Child Protective Services

Outward Bound

Pathways to Potential at Bend Learning Center

Portland Children’s Levy 

Portland Speech Clinic

Serendipity Center

Victory Academy-Autism

DRUG/ALCOHOL TREATMENT

Acadia NW

Fora Health (formerly DePaul Treatment Center)

Hooper Detox Center: Central City Concern

Lines for Life

Serenity Lane

Volunteers of America - Oregon  

HEALTHCARE

Asian Health and Services Cntr

Cascade AIDS Project

Ctr. for Natural Medicine

Feldenkrais Center of Portland

Legacy Emanuel Child Rehab

National University of Natural medicine

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

NW Portland Area Indian Health Board

Portland VA Medical Center

Quest Center for Integrative Health

OHSU Genetic Counseling

United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon & SW Wash

Wallace Medical Concern

HOMELESSNESS

Annie Ross House

Central City Concern- Living room

Council for the Homeless Vancouver

New Avenues for Youth

Operation Nightwatch

Outside In

P:ear: Homeless youth

Portland Rescue Mission

Transition Projects Homeless

VA Domiciliary Care for Veterans Program

IMMIGRANT/REFUGEE SERVICES

International Refugee Center in Oregon

Lutheran Community Services NW 

Portland Central America Solidarity Committee

JUSTICE SYSTEM/POLICE

Beaverton Police Department

Clackamas County Juvenile Court

Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)

Lake Oswego Police Department

Mult. Co. Juvenile Court

Mult. Co. District Attorney

Mult. Co. DA Sexual Assault Victim Advocate

Tigard Police Department

Washington Co. Community Corrections

Washington Co. Sheriff’s Office

LGBTQ+ SERVICES

Outside In

PDX Q Center

Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Resource

Quest Center for Integrative Health

MULTIPLE SERVICES (ADULT AND CHILD MENTAL HEALTH)

Columbia River Mental Health Services

Friendly House

Good Samaritan Ministries

Impact NW

Lifeworks NW

Lutheran Community Services

Metropolitan Family Services

Salvation Army

SE Works & Workforce Development

Sellwood Community Center

OTHER COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Community Cycling Center

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

PARENTS/PARENTING

Family Relief Nursery

Insights Teen Parent Program

Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center

Parents Anonymous

POLITICS

Student PIRGs New Voters Project

RESEARCH

Dr. Allen OHSU Neuroscience

Center for Outcomes Research and Education

Dr. Crabbe OHSU Behavioral Neuroscience

Dr. Nigg OHSU ADHD

Dr. Shinto OHSU Neurology

Heroic Imagination Project

Kaiser-Permanente Center for Health Research

Education NW (Formerly NW Regional Educational Laboratory)

Portland Alcohol Research Center

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

OHSU Child Development and Rehab Center

OHSU Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine

SCHOOLS, AFTER-SCHOOL, CHILD ENRICHMENT

Boys & Girls Club of Portland

Bridlemile Elementary School

Capitol Hill Elementary Portland

Cesar Chavez Middle School ELL Aide

Cooper Mountain Elementary Beaverton

Education NW (formerly NW Regional Educational Laboratory)

Elmonica Elementary School Beaverton

Girls, Inc.

Girls on the Run Portland Metro

Hallinan Elementary Lake Oswego

Ida B. Wells High School

I Have a Dream Foundation

International School of Portland

Irvington Elementary School Portland

Jackson Middle School

Lane Middle School

Laurelhurst Elementary School

Llewellyn Elementary Portland

Markham Elementary Portland/SUN

Milwaukie High School

My Voice Music

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Our Lady of the Lake (Youth Ministry)

Pioneer Special School Program (formerly Holladay School Pioneer)

Playback Theater

Reynolds Learning Academy Fairview

Riverdale High School

Roseway Heights School Portland

Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN)

Sellwood Middle School/SUN

SUN Community School Markham

The Marylhurst School

Tigard-Tualatin School District

Valley Community Presbyterian (Youth Group)

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

Portland Winter Hawks

Specialty Athletic Training

SpinW: Sports Psychology Institute NW

WOMEN

Advocates for Women in Science

Bradley-Angle House

Call to Safety Crisis Line

Clackamas Women’s Services

Domestic Violence Resource Center

Gateway Center for Domestic Violence

Multnumah Co. DA: Victim Advocate

Planned Parenthood Columbia/Willamette

Raphael House of Portland

Sexual Assault Resource Center SARC - Beaverton

The Cupcake Girls Portland