Mental Health Placement in Sri Lanka with SLV.Global

Clarice Lee Start Date: Mar 9, 2019 - End Date: Jun 9, 2019
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Sri Lanka

My Travel Story

by: Clarice Lee Start Date: Mar 9, 2019 - End Date: Jun 9, 2019
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
Hi, I am Clarice, a second-year Psychology student in Durham University. I will be going on a 4-week Mental Health Placement trip to Sri Lanka in August 2019 with SLV.Global. SLV.Global is an organization which runs placement programs for students with the aim of promoting positive psychology and giving their volunteers a greater knowledge of global mental health. During the trip, I will take part in a wide range of projects including English language teaching and support activities in schools, the local community, psychiatric facilities and in clinical settings. 

I applied for this program not only to gain work experience in the field of Psychology, but also to experience the local Sri Lankan culture and to help promote mental health in the community. As a country which is still recovering from a 25-year civil war and the damage caused by a tsunami in 2004, Sri Lanka's population is in need of more psychological support than current resources can provide. By taking part in this program and working with local professionals, I hope I can play a part in reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and bolstering resources at preexisting initiatives in the community, and also in providing service users with much-needed stimulation and human contact to improve overall wellbeing and increase self-esteem.

I have always loved to experience foreign cultures first-hand through travelling. This placement trip will allow me to work with a community which is entirely new to me for a positive cause in a field that I am very interested in. I would be deeply grateful if you could support me on this trip, be it financially or spiritually!
  • Sri Lanka