TXST psychology program connects students with opportunities that build career pathways

Beyond the classroom, students in the Department of Psychology at Texas State University are gaining real work experience to better prepare themselves for careers as direct support professionals, psychologists, counselors, and other related professions.

Through internship courses (psychology 4396), students spend a minimum of 120 hours a semester at organizations like Children's Discovery Center, Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, Rehab Without Walls, and LiveOak Living Community. The interns perform a variety of tasks, including shadowing counseling, and providing advocacy, education, and direct support.

One such internship program is the Learning Community for Cognitive Disabilities, which is an internship program at LiveOak Living Community, an assisted living community for adults with cognitive disabilities. The Learning Community was started in 2013 and has placed 194 interns over the last 14 years. At LiveOak, interns get hands-on experience providing support to people with brain injuries, mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and autism.

Krista Howard, Ph.D., internship faculty advisor and professor of psychology at TXST, recruits students for the internship course with LiveOak. She interviews the students after they submit their applications and provides coursework that reinforces and enhances their internship experience with LiveOak.

“This is a great stepping stone for our students to gain real-world experience as direct support professionals. This internship experience not only provides skills but shows intent as students apply to their graduate programs,” Howard said. “In psychology, students need graduate degrees for jobs in counseling. Participating in our internships as an undergraduate helps to enhance their applications for graduate programs.” 

Students in the Department of Psychology often have an idea of what it means to be a clinician but generally have rarely worked with someone living with autism, schizophrenia, or a traumatic brain injury. Howard said internship courses like hers help students see themselves in those roles.

One of those TXST students, Noor Dashti, just completed her summer semester as an intern with LiveOak. The psychology senior first heard about the internship courses through being a member of the TXST Psychology Association where Robyn Rogers, professor of instruction of psychology at TXST, spoke to the importance of them.

After searching through the various offerings, Dashti applied and was accepted for Howard’s LiveOak internship placement. 

Dashti worked to form bonds with the residents, learned how they live day-to-day, and shadowed LiveOak staff who provided the residents with a better quality of life. She also started a scrapbooking club where the residents made collages out of newspaper clippings.

She knew she wanted to go into counseling, and completing the internship helped her narrow down that choice to work with people who have cognitive impairments.

LiveOak’s mission is to foster independence and social interaction with their residents. “I loved how I became educated on what their day-to-day lives looked like and what they do,” she said. “They don’t need much help outside of certain reminders throughout their day, and that’s because of places like LiveOak. Before they arrived, they struggled and needed lots of support. But with all the care and support they have received, they’re able to do a lot of things on their own.”

Many TXST alumni who were once interns have moved into a variety of roles at LiveOak, including Pardis Fard, health coordinator. Fard, who immigrated to the United States from Iran in 2023, received her master’s degree in psychological research in May 2025.

She completed the internship course with LiveOak in Fall 2024 and was hired soon after the internship graduation celebration. Fard found the internship course, and now her job as health coordinator, to be beneficial because she wants to enter a clinical psychology Ph.D. program.

Giselle Ponce, an alumna with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in human development and family sciences, also works at LiveOak as the director of resident services. Giselle was recruited by LiveOak after completing her internship through the internship program. 

Through the course, she met a staff member from LiveOak who works with adults and was impressed with their facilities—enough so that she applied for a job soon after graduation.

Ponce started as a direct support professional and moved up to her current role, using what she learned during her internship to give the residents at LiveOak a better quality of life.

“Bobcats are so motivated and adaptable,” she said. “There is never a dull day here and things are always changing. Texas State students are very understanding and helpful, and they are willing to learn from our residents. That’s what makes them so successful here.”

Visit the Department of Psychology’s Internship and Service-Learning Courses website for more information on available internship programs, including the Learning Community for Cognitive Disabilities at LiveOak Living Community.