Section B - Internship requirements and diary
Duration and Attendance of the Internship
The internship can begin on March 15 or September 15 of each year.
The duration of the internship is six consecutive months, to be undertaken after completing the first-level degree.
The total workload is quantified as 500 hours—typically distributed over no fewer than 100 working days—and this workload must be reflected in the individual internship program (Articles 8 and 9 of the Agreement between the School of Psychology and the Order of Psychologists of Tuscany).
Weekly commitment must not be less than 20 hours and not exceed 25 hours, strictly distributed over 4/5 hours per day for 4/5 days a week, according to the specific activities and requirements of the project, while adhering to the prescribed total hours.
If the host institution does not comply with this workload, the School and the Professional Order may jointly suspend or revoke the institution’s recognition as an internship site at any time. The internship will be invalidated if absences exceed one-third of the prescribed attendance period for any reason (Art. 1, point 7 of Ministerial Decree 239/1992).
Attendance must be objectively documented. Certification of attendance is the responsibility of the supervisor, who will countersign the designated attendance logbook provided by the School's Internship Office.
Internship Activity Areas
As defined by law (Law 170/03), the professional activities that constitute the role of a "Graduate in Psychological Techniques" are specified as follows:
a) For the field of Psychological Techniques for Social, Organizational, and Work Contexts:
- Developing training projects to promote individual growth potential, social integration, improve communication processes, manage stress, and enhance quality of life.
- Applying protocols for career guidance, assessing training needs, and selecting and developing human resources.
- Using ergonomic knowledge to design technologies and improve the interaction between individuals and specific work contexts.
- Executing prevention and training projects on risk and safety topics.
- Using tests and other standardized tools to analyze behavior, cognitive processes, opinions, attitudes, needs, motivations, social interaction, and psychological suitability for specific tasks and conditions.
- Processing data for psychological diagnostic synthesis performed by a psychologist.
- Collaborating with psychologists in the creation, adaptation, and standardization of psychological investigation tools.
- Teaching activities within the specific competences characterizing the field.
b) For the field of Psychological Techniques for Services to Individuals and Communities:
- Participating in multidisciplinary teams to assess disabilities, resources, needs, and expectations of individuals, as well as environmental demands and resources.
- Implementing interventions for rehabilitation, functional re-education, and social integration of individuals with physical disabilities, neuropsychological deficits, psychiatric disorders, or substance dependencies.
- Collaborating with psychologists in interventions aimed at supporting parent-child relationships, reducing family burdens, and developing support networks in disability contexts.
- Assisting psychologists in psycho-educational interventions and activities promoting health, modifying risky behaviors, and fostering social inclusion and participation.
- Using tests and standardized tools to analyze behavior, cognitive processes, opinions, attitudes, needs, motivations, social interaction, and psychological suitability for specific tasks and conditions.
- Processing data for psychological diagnostic synthesis performed by a psychologist.
- Collaborating with psychologists in the creation, adaptation, and standardization of psychological investigation tools.
- Teaching activities within the specific competences characterizing the field.
Internship Settings and Conditions
Internships may be undertaken at university departments, psychological discipline institutes of universities, or public or private institutions deemed suitable by academic authorities in agreement with the relevant Professional Order Council.
These institutions must carry out psychological activities and guarantee the presence of one or more psychologists registered in Section A of the Professional Register for at least five years or with a systematic professional relationship relevant to the role.
Internships cannot be conducted at the private practice of an individual freelance psychologist.
The internship does not establish an employment relationship. Interns engage in training activities under the responsibility of a psychologist supervisor and cannot be used as substitutes for employees or as additional resources. The internship does not impose any direct or indirect costs on the administration where it is conducted.
Interns must perform activities in line with the agreed objectives and the goals pursued by the host institution, following the supervisor’s guidance, in compliance with sector-specific provisions and the host institution’s general regulations.
If the intern’s presence and activities conflict with the institution’s objectives, the institution may suspend or revoke the internship by a justified decision of its responsible officer, after consulting the supervisor. Written notice of this decision will be immediately sent to the School of Psychology's Internship Office.
Certification of Internship Activities
The intern’s daily attendance log, detailing the activities performed, will be documented through a designated diary provided by the Internship Office. Certification of attendance is the responsibility of the supervisor and the head of the institution where the internship is conducted.
Note that the internship will be invalidated if absences exceed one-third of the prescribed attendance period for any reason (Art. 1, point 7 of Ministerial Decree 239/1992).
Submission of the Internship Logbook Post-Graduation
At the end of the internship year, the completed logbook, containing all original and non-scanned signatures, must be returned to the Internship Office. The logbook should be completed for each semester and include:
- A daily diary detailing hours, dates, and activities performed at the institution.
- A certification of attendance specifying hours and days present at the institution, signed by the supervisor and the institution's legal representative or their delegate, along with the institution's stamp.
Last update
13.01.2025