Cover letter for a psychology internship (4 samples)

By OptimistMinds

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.

OptimistMinds

This article will show samples of “cover letters for a psychology internship.”

Examples of psychology internship cover letters

When writing a cover letter as an intern here are some of the things to include in the letter:

• Mention your fresh knowledge. Use your recent learning experiences to your advantage; an employer might be more willing to hire you if they know you can help their business acclimate to new technologies or practices.

• Express your energy and enthusiasm. It shows the potential motivation you will bring to a job as a fresh college graduate.

• Check your grammar and proofread your letter. It is a way of showing employers your ability to write comprehensive, error-free messages.

• The first step is addressing the employer with a formal salutation. For example, “Dear/Hello (name of the recipient).” If you do not know the name of the recipient, you can refer to them as the hiring manager.

• The next step is to state the position you are applying for and how you found the opening.

• Make a brief statement about why you’re interested in the position.

• Since you are a recent graduate, it would help to emphasize your college coursework, internships, and other experiences that show your employability.

• Ensure your qualifications are similar to the job position.

• Conclude your letter with a forward-looking statement. For example, “I look forward to discussing the position with you further.”

Sample 1:

Smith Counseling, Inc.

Paramus, NJ, United States

Application for the position of Summer Psychology Intern

I am excited to submit my resume and cover letter for the Summer Psychology Intern job within Smith Counseling, Inc. in Paramus, NJ. With developed field knowledge and multiple important skills and qualities, I am confident I would be an excellent fit for the role. What’s more, I believe it would be a great opportunity for me to further improve my expertise and grow both professionally and personally.

To shortly introduce myself, my name is Dominika Zobor and I am a third-year Psychology student at the University of Bergen in Norway. At the university, I am not only among the top 10% of students with the best academic results (3.98 GPA) but I am also involved in multiple extracurricular activities, for example, Dance Club, Psychology Society, and Volleyball Club. Moreover, I served as a Project Manager at the Psychology Society for one year. This tremendous experience has helped me to become a good team player and allowed me to develop exceptional leadership and organizational skills as I was responsible for the planning and coordination of multiple society events.

Next, I worked as a Psychology Intern for three months at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy, Inc. last summer. Besides completing professional psychological assessments, educating clients on various mental disorders, and monitoring and evaluating clients’ progress, I also proactively participated in the development of new treatment plans and maintained confidential documents and records. During my time there, I had a great chance to not only collaborate with field professionals from around the world but I also acquired crucial critical thinking and analytical abilities. I am a patient-oriented individual offering a deep passion for Psychology, exceptional observation skills, and a strong determination to perform great work. It would be a pleasure for me to join your team and I would welcome the opportunity to provide further insight into my qualifications.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sample 2:

XXX Hospital, Eating Disorder Program

Dear Contact Person:

I am writing in regard to express my interest in a practicum placement at the XXX Psychiatric Hospital Eating Disorder Program. This position is of great interest to me because my professional goal is to work with adolescents diagnosed with eating disorders.

I am currently a first year graduate student working on my master’s degree in community counseling with an emphasis on child and adolescent counseling at Marquette University in the department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. Some strengths of mine include being a hard-working and self-motivated individual. These qualities are not only reflected in my grade point average and other academic achievements, but also in the successful completion of an internship working with at-risk children and adolescents at a women’s shelter.

I am eager to learn about and utilize empirically supported treatments for eating disorders, which is a practice that is central to your program. Furthermore, including a patient’s family in the treatment process and providing that patient with the necessary skills to achieve lifelong change is something that is important to both your program and myself. Therefore, I believe my skills, experiences, and interests combined with my psychological academic background make me an ideal candidate for this practicum position.

Enclosed is a current copy of my resume. If you have any questions regarding how my skills, experiences, and interests fit with your program, please call me at XXX. I may also be reached through E-mail at XXX. Thank you for considering me for this position and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sample 3:

“November 1, 2012

Dr. Gregory Rivera

Pepperdine Community Counseling Clinic

6100 Center Drive, 5th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90045

It is with great pleasure that I submit this formal letter of interest for the Marriage and Family Therapist Intern position offered at your clinic. In speaking with Julia Gulia, Clinical Training Coordinator at Pepperdine University, about my interests in the field of psychology, she highly recommended that I further my experience at Pepperdine Community Counseling Clinic. As you will see from my attached resume, I am a graduate of the MFT program at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology.

My experience working at New Directions for Youth afforded me the opportunity to develop new therapeutic skills and expand on personal attributes vital to the therapeutic process. I have a strong work ethic and am self-motivated, intuitive, and organized. I have a positive attitude, and most importantly, great interpersonal and communication skills. My position with New Directions for Youth enabled me to interact with and assist at-risk youth through individual, family, and group counseling on issues ranging from depression and anger management to interpersonal relationship difficulties and substance abuse. By facilitating gang prevention and

parenting groups, I developed skills in being a supportive, empathic, and efficient leader. Furthermore, my experiences volunteering for a variety of mentorship and tutoring agencies have instilled in me the desire to give back to the community. Specifically, I have become more adept at interacting with clients from a variety of backgrounds and have developed a passion for helping clientele that might not otherwise have access to therapeutic services except through a community agency.

I believe working at the Pepperdine Community Counseling Clinic will be a great opportunity to contribute my counseling skills while building upon my experience with children, adolescents, and their families. I am dedicated to fostering a safe environment and working with each individual to develop customized plans to improve their quality of life.

I believe that I have the professional and personal characteristics to be a successful contributor and team member at the Pepperdine Community Counseling Clinic. I welcome the opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you in person. If you have any questions or require any additional information, please feel free to contact me at (123) 456-7890 or email@pepperdine.edu. Thank you for your time and consideration; I look forward to hearing from you.

John P. Collette”

Sample 4:

Ms. Julie Andrew

Mosaic Community Services

6521 Some New Street

Please accept this letter as an application for a Psychology Internship at Mosaic Community Services. I am a senior at the University of Utah, currently pursuing my Master’s degree in Psychology. My skills and educational track record make me a strong contender for your internship program.

As can be seen in the attached resume, my classroom assignments, coupled with project experiences, have equipped me to perform counseling, crisis intervention, and psychological assessments. Additionally, I have a great ability to work with people who are facing psychological problems, including children, adolescents, pre-marriage/married couples, and older adults.

Furthermore, I have substantial knowledge of screening clients while following mental health laws and HIPAA privacy practices. These capabilities would enable me to contribute to the success of Mosaic Community Services.

In addition to my coursework and work experiences, I possess the patience, honesty, an exceptional work ethic, and excellent communication skills. I have attached my resume and recommendation letters from professors and service supervisors in order to support my application.

I will call your office after two weeks to follow up on my application and to provide any additional information you may require. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to discussing my qualifications with you soon.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do you need a cover letter when applying for internships?

No. However, a cover letter is one of the best ways to convey why you are the best candidate for the internship, allowing you to expand on and showcase key skills and experiences.

How do you begin a cover letter?

The Most Effective Strategies to Start a Cover Letter

• Start With an Accomplishment.
• Inform the Company of What You Can Offer Them.
• Show That You Love the Company.
• Name-Drop by Saying You Know Someone Relevant.

If you like this blog post, please leave your comments and questions below.

Citations