Psychology Internship Program (PIP) partners with local high schools to provide mentorship-based internships that facilitate awareness and knowledge about advanced degrees and career options in clinical psychology for historically underrepresented and excluded students. Currently PIP offers internships in two locations in the broader San Francisco Bay Area: East Bay and South Bay.
Psychology Internship Program East Bay (PIP-EB) meets for one full academic year. Weekly seminars are led by culturally similar graduate student mentors and undergraduate student assistants. PIP-EB has most recently worked with the following high schools in the East Bay: Life Academy, Berkeley High School, Contra Costa College’s Middle College High School, Oakland High School, and Oakland Technical High School. PIP-EB is based largely on the Taking Flight model. Currently, PIP-EB is under the supervision of Anu Orebiyi, M.A.
Psychology Internship Program South Bay (PIP-SB) meets for one full academic year. Monthly seminars are led by culturally similar graduate student mentors. PIP-SB has been working with Mills High School in Millbrae since 2018 under the leadership of Shiyu Zhang, M.A. PIP-SB is based on the Taking Flight model, serves predominantly Asian American students experiencing high academic stress, and is commonly referred to by the PIP-SB team as the Mental Health Awareness Initiative (MHAI).
- To increase interns’ understanding of the field of clinical psychology, including educational pathways and career options
- To increase interns’ overall confidence in their ability to pursue higher education and advanced degrees
- To increase interns’ sense of community and belonging with culturally similar students and professionals
Taking Flight is the main manual-based curriculum used by PIP. It was originally developed by Dr. Anatasia S. Kim. After many years of working with her graduate students and undergraduate assistants and testing, modifying, and streamlining the approach, Dr. Kim and her former graduate student Dr. Abigail Johal synthesized this work into a book that can easily be adopted by psychology programs and departments as well as mental health organizations invested in helping to grow a diverse and representative mental health workforce.
Clinical Psychology Internship for Underrepresented Students: An Inclusive Approach Toward Higher Education (Routledge, 2021).
- Overview of the field of psychology
- Common mental health concerns among adolescents and disenfranchised communities
- Self-reflection and insights
- Research approaches to mental health issues
- Clinical approaches to mental health issues
- Capstone projects and presentations
- Integration of knowledge, skills, and self-concept
- Didactic
- Hands-on application
- Project/presentation
- Guest speakers
- Field trips
- Pre-post surveys
“It made me feel inspired [to be mentored by graduate students and professionals of color]. It made me feel more reassured as a person of color because it gave me models to follow. Having these mentors was crucial to my own mental health. The fact that this was one of the first times I ever saw professionals of color made me scared but reminded me that they existed. They gave me strength when the world really feels like it is against POC.” Fernando, PIP-EB
“It really kick started my career by connecting me to psychology and the mental health field. My experience with the program made it seem possible that I can become a doctor or psychologist to people like me, other people of color.” Victor, PIP-EB
“[Being with other first-generation college-bound students and professionals of color] was inspiring and calming because I was being taught and given advice by people that were just like me.” Yá Hiness, PIP-EB
“Taking Flight has been a complete eye opener to the field of mental health for me and the many careers and study options available.” Yesenia, PIP-EB
“I love being a part of this group...maybe it (psychology) is something I would like to further pursue in the future.” Former PIP-SB Intern
“MHAI presents an opportunity to expand my interests in psychology and I believe that there is no better way to learn than seeking different perspectives and opinions.” Former PIP-SB Intern
“I hope to expand my awareness and knowledge on mental health, give a helping hand to those in need of it, and take on things I would normally shy away from. I'm very proud of myself for applying last year and for the amount of things I've garnered through the Zoom meetings. I hope to be another hand in making more progress toward breaking the stigma!” Former PIP-SB Intern
“I still feel a little discomfort opening up and talking about mental health with others, and I hope that MHAI will help me feel more comfortable and be able to freely share.” Former PIP-SB Intern