Ideas for volunteer positions

[PsycUndergrad]

Does anyone have any ideas for volunteer positions that might look good to clinical psychology programs? I have some free time now due to previous volunteer programs ending, so I'm looking for new positions. I know volunteering isn't very important to PhD programs, but I want to do it anyway, so I might as well do something that'll help my future applications. 

I live in a pretty small city, and the typical places like crisis lines and psychiatric facilities are unfortunately full. There seem to be lots of opportunities for homeless/disadvantaged people, intellectual disabilities, recent immigrants/refugees, and physical disabilities like epilepsy, hearing/visual impairments, etc. Would any of those look better than the others? Or would they all be okay since they involve interacting with diverse groups of people? 

[Jay's Brain]

Hey fellow Canadian here!

I would say you can look into volunteer positions that cater to different populations. For non-academic or non-research positions, these should enhance your communication and empathic skills (all important for clinical practice). The ones you have mentioned are all very useful, and should provide you with key skills. Also, consider what population you plan to focus on in your graduate studies. What kind of research do you expect to do? See if there are any specific populations related to your research interests that you can get valuable experience with.

And, last of all, if you can academic, research-oriented experience, be it voluntary or paid, that will be an added boost and will be looked highly upon.

 

Good luck!

[PsychBoy]

supervisors are looking for research experience much more than clinical experience! 

you can volunteer in different labs!