Internship and Initial Job Placements in Counseling Psychology

Abstract

A 26-year retrospective study was conducted on internship and initial job placements of counseling psychologists. The results indicated that university counseling centers consistently supported the highest percentage of the field’s predoctoral interns followed by Veteran Administration Medical Centers, other hospital settings, and community mental health centers. Initial job placements indicated relative parity among placements in academic, community mental health, counseling center, and private practice settings with Veterans Administration Medical Centers and other hospital settings accounting for significant percentages of the field’s initial job placements. In addition, changes in internship and job placements across time indicated that various contexts have waxed or waned in their contribution to the training and placement of counseling psychologists. Results are discussed in relation to the evolving identity of counseling psychology as a specialty and the contexts that support and challenge that development.