Psychology Work Experience in Sri Lanka

Rosie Heape Start Date: Jan 22, 2018 - End Date: Jul 21, 2018
  • Sri Lanka

My Travel Story

by: Rosie Heape Start Date: Jan 22, 2018 - End Date: Jul 21, 2018
On 13th August 2018, I’ll be heading off to Sri Lanka for 5 weeks to do a Level One Mental Health Placement.

Sri Lanka’s population is in much need of more psychological support than their current resources can provide - they are still recovering from a 25-year civil war and the 2004 tsunami. Mental health is poorly attended too, with very few psychologists in residence (1 psychiatrist for 500,000 people) & a scarce number beds in psychiatric wards. Furthermore, the stigma surrounding mental health is huge. In Sri Lanka, mental health is unspoken of and misunderstood, meaning many people do not get the help they need & are shunned by society for being ‘crazy’.

Our goal is to promote positive mental health within the Sri Lankan community, and to lift the stigma! We’ll do this through working with staff at a psychiatric facility & community outreach programmes - helping them give the patients structure to their day and focusing on individual’s various stages of recovery. We’ll also be going into schools & after-school clubs to teach English to both special needs children and adults, for example helping those with autism develop their language skills.

I’ll be staying in the local community with a Sri Lankan family, who I'll hopefully get to know very well by the end of 5 weeks.

I'm so excited for this volunteering project, as not only will I gain skills & knowledge, but I’ll improve people’s lives by caring for their mental health and increasing their self-worth.

I am aiming to fundraise at least part of the placement fees myself...
Any support would be greatly appreciated! :)
  • Sri Lanka