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Master Internship as an Opportunity for Personal Transitions: Analysing the First Experience with Psychological Practice of 3 Master Students

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Abstract

A large and important part of the MSc studies at all Austrian and many European Universities is the mandatory internship, which takes up to one semester in duration. During this significant time, students should look for a place that offers internships to prospective psychologists and hopefully also corresponds with the thematic area of their interest. This step has already proven to be incredibly difficult for many, since internships tend to be booked years in advance and, out of what is left, the selection is very tough. Thereby, the individual experiences of this study phase vary significantly: from an incredibly productive and interesting time to boredom and torture. Although first participation in active psychological work is formally seen as an important step for knowledge and skill expansion, for many young individuals this time determines what they want and do not want to do in their future. This paper shall become a guide through the MSc internship and experiences of psychology students during this time. All the steps — from the decision in which field the internship will be done, to the final essay that is a mandatory formality accompanying the internship — will be described and analysed in terms of personal experience, individual development and future-oriented decision making.

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Notes

  1. As most universities in Austria offer just those MSC specialisations. Sometimes there are other options too, but clinical and health psychology is offered at every university that has Psychology MSC studies.

  2. The Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM), which will be described later in this article, is a methodological device for psychology. It is based on the systemic view and takes the notion of irreversible time seriously (Sato et al., 2016).

  3. In Vienna, in the subway station “Karlsplatz” you can find a count for consumed Schnitzel in a Day. Usually, it is a four-digit number in the morning hours and rapidly grows as the day progresses.

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  1. Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Natalie Jancosek

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  1. Natalie Jancosek
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Correspondence to Natalie Jancosek.

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Jancosek, N. Master Internship as an Opportunity for Personal Transitions: Analysing the First Experience with Psychological Practice of 3 Master Students. Hu Arenas (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-022-00298-3

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