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While volunteer experience is not a requirement for psychology majors, it is recommended that students considering a career in psychology (or other mental health service areas) gain experience in working in the human services area. Besides providing a valuable community service, you will be able to judge whether this is an area that actually interests you, and demonstrate to potential employers or graduate admissions committees that you are committed and competent in the field. Many volunteers also report having had important personal growth experiences.
It is possible to earn academic credit through such volunteer work: Psychology 298 or 398, Cooperative Education Experience. The procedure for enrolling is as follows: (1) Identify a position that you are interested in. (2) Contact a faculty member who you would like to serve as an academic supervisor. (3) Contact the agency that offers the position and determine whether you may volunteer there. (4) Go to the Center for Work-Based Learning (Lommasson Center 172), get a Learning Agreement form, complete it and get the signatures of your academic supervisor and your agency supervisor, and return the form to the Center for Work-Based Learning.
The rule of thumb commonly used for determining the number of academic credits that you should sign up for is that for each credit earned you should spend 45 hours of time in your volunteer activity. Your academic supervisor is likely to ask that you arrange regular meetings with him or her to discuss your activities and that you keep a journal in which you write about your experiences, reactions and insights. Your academic supervisor may also visit your volunteer site. Some volunteer positions require that you receive training and/or that you commit to serving in the position for a minimum amount of time.
This list is not comprehensive. For additional volunteer opportunities, go to the UM Office for Civic Engagement web site: http://www.umt.edu/dhc/oce/
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