Psychology Internships: Intern abroad in Cape Town, South Africa
Psychology internships in Cape Town offer exclusive opportunities to learn about inpatient services, community health, addiction, substance abuse, and more. Interns assist experienced local professionals in multidisciplinary teams, shadowing and observing real life therapies to develop valuable experience and understanding.
What to expect from your Psychology internship:
- Gain a first hand insight into the daily life of psychologists
- Build your knowledge of psychological assessment and assistance by observing real life therapy sessions
- Enjoy spare time exploring the unique and eclectic city of Cape Town, and wider South Africa
Your internship abroad host organization:
- Private and public therapy clinics
- Special education schools
Internship details
Psychology internships in Cape Town offer exclusive opportunities to learn about inpatient services, community health, addiction, substance abuse, and more. Interns assist experienced local professionals in multidisciplinary teams, shadowing and observing real life therapies to develop valuable experience and understanding.
This is an in-country internship, with accommodation provided. Click here to view remote Psychology & Social Work internships which you can undertake from home.
With its legacy of Apartheid and the deep scars it created, South Africa has large numbers of poverty stricken communities, where violence and substance abuse are common. As a Psychology intern in Cape Town, you’ll gain rare insight into the unique factors contributing to these issues and many more.
Psychology interns shadow and assist local therapists in clinics in Cape Town, within multidisciplinary teams such as:
- Adult In-patient Services
- Adult Community Mental Health Services
- Child & Adolescent Services
- Consultation
- Prevention & Program Evaluation Services
- Addiction & Substance Abuse Services
- Neuropsychological & Psychological Assessment Services
There are a wide range of internship placements available, and interns can request placements within specific fields if you wish. These requests are accommodated wherever possible. Regardless of your exact internship placement, you’ll intern alongside an experienced supervisor during their day-to-day duties, including patient sessions, diagnosis and research. These are unique opportunities to put your theoretical understanding into practice and can and insight into the real life world of being a therapist. Note that all internship experiences require supervision as interns are not independently responsible for conducting sessions.
Due to the broad scope of Psychology internship placements, interns will be matched according to an analysis of your skills, experience, educational background, and duration of stay. Interns should submit a comprehensive application and state any placement/activity preferences. The specific details of the assigned placement will be provided prior to the program start date.
In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.
Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.
What are the career benefits of interning abroad as a Psychology Intern?
Psychology interns learn from a qualified and experienced supervisor, and can be involved in:
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Shadowing and observing therapy sessions
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Researching patient symptoms and interventions
Professional development opportunities:
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Understand the day-to-day duties of practicing psychologists
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Develop your experience providing assessments and treatments for patients with a range of issues and feelings
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Build professional understanding in running therapy sessions and establishing trusting patient relationships
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Develop professional communication skills
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Gain practical skills and boost your employability, with guidance from Intern Abroad HQ’s Experiential Learning Curriculum to support your learning and cultural intelligence.
Are you eligible for this internship?
Submit a free application so we can confirm your eligibility and check availability for your preferred dates.
Not sure which program to join?
South Africa photo gallery
Academic credit available for all internships
Get course credit from your college or university while completing your internship abroad or a remote internship program. It's a great way to meet your academic requirements and gain valuable experience at the same time.
Learn about course creditProgram fees
Applying for our Psychology Internship is completely free! The support package covers the assistance we provide in finding your internship and arranging your living accommodations in your host country, ensuring you thrive during your program.
Please note that a deposit of US$499 is required to confirm your place. The remaining balance (minus your initial US$499 deposit) is due at least 60 days before your internship start date.
Duration |
Program Fee |
|---|---|
| 4 weeks | $2,342 Equivalent to $83 /day |
| 5 weeks | $2,527 Equivalent to $72 /day |
| 6 weeks | $2,737 Equivalent to $65 /day |
| 8 weeks | $3,107 Equivalent to $55 /day |
| 10 weeks | $3,810 Equivalent to $54 /day |
| 12 weeks | $4,181 Equivalent to $49 /day |
| 16 weeks | $4,933 Equivalent to $44 /day |
| 20 weeks | $5,674 Equivalent to $40 /day |
| 24 weeks | $6,416 Equivalent to $38 /day |
- Airport pick-up
- Accommodation
- 24/7 in-country support
- Program orientation
- Dedicated support before, during, and after your internship
- In-country guidance for social and tourist activities
- Sourcing and securing your internship placement
- Personalization of your internship plan
- Coaching from your supervisor
- Documented portfolio of your experiential learnings
- Academic credit facilitation
- International reference letter
- Certificate of Internship Completion
- All meals
- All in-country transportation
- Transfer back to the airport at the end of your internship program
- Visa (if required), flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check
- Personal spending money for snacks, drinks, public transport, laundry, and leisure activities during your free time.
Arrival and Orientation
When are internships in Cape Town available?
Internships in Cape Town, South Africa, begin every Monday of the year (except in December). Exceptions to this schedule may be made to this when start dates are shifted to avoid holiday disruptions, or closed when the program has already reached capacity. Interns may choose to spend a minimum of 4 weeks, up to a maximum of 24 weeks.
When do you need to arrive and check-in?
Airport pick up and accommodation are included in the Program Fee. The accommodation is covered from the Saturday night before the Monday start date.
The typical port of entry is the Cape Town International Airport, abbreviated as CPT. In order to receive the airport pick up service, interns are required to arrive on the Saturday (before their Monday start date). Upon arrival, interns will be met, greeted, and transferred to the accommodation.
The last night of the accommodation is the Friday night of the final week, leaving interns free to depart on Saturday. Return transportation to the airport is not included in the internship program fee but local staff can assist you to make arrangements.
If you are planning to spend time independently in Cape Town prior to your internship and will not require an international airport pick up, we can discuss alternative arrival logistics with you.
Requests for earlier pick-up times and/or extra nights of accommodation must be communicated in advance and are subject to availability. Additional cost will be incurred for pick-up requests outside of the scheduled timeframe for this service.
Please note that all participants are advised not to book flights until they have first registered to confirm their participation and internship placement details.
What does the internship orientation cover?
Interns will attend a two-day orientation in Cape Town, hosted by our local coordinators. The focus on your first day is to settle in and receive general safety and accommodation details. The second day will focus on a safety recap, introduction to your internship, and a city tour.
It is important that your coordinator shows you your travel route into the internship placement initially, so that you can familiarize yourself with the route to take (so you can organize yourself, gain your independence and submerge into the local culture). This time provides a great opportunity to settle in, ask questions, and meet other interns.
Check what's required to visit South Africa
Check out the widget below to learn about the visa requirements for the Psychology internship in South Africa, based on your country of residence.
Accommodation and WiFi
What kind of accommodation is provided for interns in Cape Town?
Interns are accommodated within shared lodging, making it easy to connect with fellow program participants.
It is important to note that an accommodation bond is requested at check-in. The cost of the bond is US$200, so you must budget for this. This bond is refundable, less a US$30 cleaning fee, upon your departure, provided that an inspection has been completed to confirm that you have not caused damage to the property or a need for extensive deep cleaning. Lost keys will incur a replacement fee, which will be deducted from your bond.
Please note that the accommodation pictured in the photo gallery of this webpage is provided as an example. Since - depending on capacity - we can work with more than one accommodation address, the exact accommodation location or room that you’re assigned may differ from the photos. Rooms sizes, along with storage space, varies. However, you may expect similar arrangements to those that are demonstrated here. If you have particular requests/questions in advance, please communicate with us in advance.
Is the accommodation shared?
Yes, it is intended to be. Interns can expect to share a room with another intern (of the same gender). Bathrooms are also shared with a hot water shower and western toilets. WiFi is available and is also accessible at nearby cafes and restaurants. All accommodation provides cooking facilities.
Bedrooms are allocated as single-sex. However, the accommodation itself may be mixed-gender. Therefore, all guests must be prepared to share common living spaces which are accessed by mixed genders, such as bathroom, kitchen, living, and dining areas.
Requests for any exceptional accommodation arrangements (subject to availability) must be communicated in advance of the internship start date.
Where in Cape Town is the intern accommodation located?
In most cases, accommodation will be situated in the suburbs of Observatory and Mowbray, enjoyed for proximity to the CBD and other attractions. Alternatively, accommodations may also be situated within the Newlands district.
Internship placements are spread throughout Cape Town’s main city center and surrounding suburbs. Accommodation arrangements will be confirmed, once your internship placement has first been assigned.
What is required for commuting between the accommodation and internship placement?
Transportation is not provided for in-country commutes between the accommodation and internship placements, so all interns must budget for this independently. Efforts are always taken to place interns near to main transport systems to provide convenient commuting options. The maximum travel time is typically no more than 60 minutes each way (depending on traffic congestion in the city). In all cases, internship placements will be assigned in consideration of commute logistics and opportunities to ride-share with other interns, where possible.
For convenience and safety, local coordinators can arrange a dedicated shuttle service for ongoing placement commutes (Monday through Friday). The cost for this service ranges from approx. US$200 - US$300 a month, per person, depending on the location of your placement. If you want to organize this service, please communicate with coordinators when your placement details are being arranged in advance.
Alternatively, for the use of Uber, it is possible to spend US$10-US$20 per day on rides, depending on where you’re going. Please budget for this, especially if you intend to use this transportation method a lot during weekends and free time.
Meals
It is important to note that internships in Cape Town do not include meals. The accommodation is located within short walking distance to an affordable supermarket, as well as great cafes and restaurants. All accommodation also provides cooking facilities.
You can readily drink the tap water throughout the city. However, it is advised to bring your own water supply when traveling to and interning in the townships.
You should aim to budget approximately US$100 per week for food. If you like to go out frequently (rather than going to the grocery store to prepare some of your own meals) then you need to budget up to US$150 per week, at least (this budget can vary depending on personal spending habits). Note that, when you go to a restaurants, there is a cultural expectation to tip at least 10%.
Essential country information
| Capital | Pretoria (Executive), Bloemfontein (Judicial), Cape Town (Legislative) |
| Population | 55.91 million |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Tswana |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 |
Weather and climate:
South Africa is generally temperate, however due to varied topography and oceanic influence, a great variety of climatic zones exist. This ranges from the extreme desert of the Namib (northwest South Africa), to the subtropical climate along the Mozambique border and the Indian Ocean (eastern South Africa). Winters in South Africa occur between June and August.
In Cape Town, the summers are warm, dry, and mostly clear; the winters are long, cool, wet, and partly cloudy. It is windy year round and common to see windsurfers enjoying the surf. Over the course of the year, the temperature in Cape Town typically varies from 48°F (9°C) to 76°F (24°C). The warm season in Cape Town usually ranges from December through March and the coldest months are June through September.
What recent Psychology interns said about their experience
I've always wanted to travel the world and I saw this internship opportunity as a way to start this process. I took a chance and decided to just go for it! My Psychology internship really left a lasting impression on me, how I see the world and how I am in the world. The internship work predominantly revolved around the family structure and services to the community. Here I was able to visit different townships and hold sessions and activities for children that focused on developing resilience, self awareness and ways to control emotions when placed in different environments. Seeing the different modes of treatment, how different healthcare systems work, how organizations make use of these systems, the resources available to them and how the community interacts with these taught me so much. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, so this experience has really allowed me to enrich my perspective on how I would position myself better and help my future clients. My supervisor in Cape Town pushed me to learn how to operate in a different social and cultural context. They provided a lot of resources to help me understand how to run sessions and manage different clients from different backgrounds and challenges. I felt very supported and secure with going to them with any questions and concerns.
This internship opportunity has allowed me to develop myself and enrich my life goals through immersion and understanding of African culture. I am glad to have taken that opportunity as I was challenged, stretched, and developed in many ways. During my Psychology internship, I developed a keen understanding of the holistic perspective of a person and project, and enhanced my flexibility to create compelling and productive programmes. My overall internship entailed working alongside social workers to develop and facilitate programmes focused on emotions, family strengthening workshops, and local community enhancement. For anyone considering a similar internship abroad, go for it, explore, make mistakes, learn, have fun, and embody the better version of yourself you know you want to be!
My internship was incredible!! It has really opened my eyes to different cultures and different ways of life! It was a month long in South Africa and I’d go back in a heartbeat! My internship placement wasn’t the greatest because it was more focused on administration than I would have liked it to be, but I emailed Daniel while I was out there and he couldn’t have been more helpful! Even now that I have been back 4 months if I need anything for my university course he will provide it for me! Honestly this internship was amazing and I’d highly recommend it to anyone! It’s a bit on the pricy side but with what you get included it is actually value for money! I’d recommend Intern Abroad HQ to anyone! So good!!
I had the most amazing experience doing an internship in Cape Town, South Africa over this summer. I did a psychology internship for four weeks. Intern Abroad HQ, thank you for giving me the trip of a lifetime. The internship I did is very helpful for my future career and I am so grateful that Intern Abroad HQ gave me this opportunity. Intern Abroad HQ really helps you find an internship that is right for you. They were so helpful every step of the way. I met amazing interns and I made everlasting memories. I got to see a beautiful country while doing an internship related to what I am studying. Everyone I met was so friendly. I got to learn about a new culture. I definitely recommend this program to anyone who likes travelling and is looking for a trip they will never forget.
To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.
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