clinical student placements

The Early Career Program supports allied health students with hands-on experience in youth mental health through structured clinical student placements at participating headspace centres. 

Students from psychology, occupational therapy, and social work disciplines are supported to complete clinical placements aligned with their course requirements. During clinical placements, students deliver services under the guidance and supervision of experienced clinicians, gaining practical skills and confidence in a supportive environment. 

Clinical Educators are employed in headspace centres and provide supervision to students and graduates. They liaise with universities to establish and grow student placement programs across all disciplines. They also support graduates on rotation in centres including the translation of educational content into practice.  

 

“I was able to put my knowledge, experience and skills into practice with the help of a supportive environment. I have upskilled myself in many different sectors and learnt many things from the different multidisciplinary professions here”
- Student
“The placement at headspace helped me rediscover and solidify my passion for working in the mental health setting as well as the importance of having a supportive multidisciplinary team. It made me understand that the age group headspace focuses on is appr”
- Student

About First Nations Allied Health Student Placements  

We are offering enhanced placement opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying psychology, social work, or occupational therapy. Our goal is to create placements where First Nations students can thrive  

What support is offered?  

We provide additional, optional tailored cultural support to meet individual learning goals and embed cultural safety throughout the placement experience. This includes:  

  • Connection with peers – yarns with Indigenous undergrads taking headspace placements nationwide  

  • Professional Indigenous discussions – taking time to critically reflect on health services and the health system from de-colonial and anti-racist perspectives 

  • Exploration of First Nations’ approaches to health and wellbeing  

  • Cultural supervision 1:1 with an experienced Indigenous mental health clinician  

  • Cultural supervision and support for workplace supervisors  

Interested in a placement?  

If you are a First Nations student studying psychology, social work, or occupational therapy, please reach out to us at earlycareer@headspace.org.au  

 

FAQ

Information for universities:  

If you are a university placement coordinator and are looking to support your students to undertake placement at a headspace centre, please reach out to us at earlycareer@headspace.org.au 

At present, the Early Career Program is funded to support student placements in the disciplines of Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Social Work.  However, many centres in the headspace network host and value student placements in other disciplines, so we encourage you to make contact with your local centre directly.  

If you are a university placement coordinator and looking to support your Indigenous students to undertake clinical placement at a headspace centre. We have cultural and professional supports available for Indigenous students at their choosing, including 1:1 cultural supervision with Indigenous mental health clinicians. 

If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to us at earlycareer@headspace.org.au.    

FAQ

Information for Students:  

If you wish to undertake a placement at headspace, we advise you to reach out to your university placement coordinator and let them know you are keen on a youth mental health placement at a headspace Centre. They are best placed to connect you with a local headspace Centre if they are currently open to new student placements.

At present, the Early Career Program is funded to support student placements in the disciplines of Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Social Work.  However, many centres in the headspace network host and value student placements in other disciplines, so we encourage you or your placement coordinator to make contact with your local centre directly. You can find a list of headspace centres here: Find a centre - Australia wide | headspace  

 

  

If you are a First Nations student studying social work, psychology, or occupational therapy, please reach out to us at earlycareer@headspace.org.au to learn about additional, optional cultural supports that are available.  

If you wish to undertake your psychology internship at headspace, we encourage you to contact local headspace Centres directly. You can find a list of headspace centers here: Find a centre - Australia wide | headspace. You can also send your CV to headspace centres in your region to introduce yourself.  

Alternatively, please check out the headspace Careers page and contact the hiring manager about whether they would consider an intern for the role: Careers at headspace | headspace 

If you are interested in the headspace graduate program after finishing your internship, please complete this form to receive our updates on future Graduate program recruitment intakes: headspace Graduate Program expression of interest (qualtrics.com).  

Yes! Volunteering is a great way to get involved with headspace and support young people in your community. Opportunities vary across centres, so the best way to find out what’s available is to contact your local headspace centre directly.  

You can learn more about volunteering and youth participation opportunities on our dedicated page: Volunteering & youth participation | headspace