Hi everyone, I just thought I'd make a post about my experience volunteering abroad on a psychology placement. It gave me some great experience which was really relevant for applying for my masters in psychology.

I spent 3 months volunteering in Sri Lanka on a mental health placement with SLV. This involved taking part in a range of voluntary projects each week. I spent some time volunteering in a psychiatric facility organising therapeutic activities; which was challenging but definitely something I really enjoyed. I also volunteered in a few different schools for children and adults with special needs where I ran activities and taught English. Finally I also got some great teaching experience by teaching English in the community to both adults and children.

I loved my experience there - it meant I could travel which was something I really wanted to do, whilst also gaining some great experience in the mental health field. It was definitely an experience which challenged me but I found it really rewarding as well. The experience has also been really relevant for me since I got back; helping me gain a place on my masters course which I'm doing at the moment as well as helping me get a bursary for it! I'd really recommend looking into it for anyone who's applying for a masters or PhD in psychology who wants to get some hands on experience in mental health.