SLV.Global Reviews 190

Incredible experience

I absolutely loved this placement, the projects were rewarding and such a variety it really gave you a wide range of experiences that we would never get at home. I truly believe that SLV global was a life changing and career shaping adventure that tested my abilities in so many ways. People said it wasn't as psychological as they thought but the majority of us are not qualified for that level of intervention. It was just such a privilege and incredible experience to be on these projects with different service users with varying needs and conditions. I would recommend this placement to others whole heartedly, the staff are absolutely lovely and kind hearted, the family I stayed with treated us like their own and I came away feeling like I had made a difference.

Whilst I made some great memories because I met amazing people, but I did not feel this placement was worth the money. After a £1500 fee, you're then expected to pay for your own flights, visas, DBS certificate, insurance, extra activities during the placement (socials!?), resources (arts and crafts supplies), and something I wasn't informed of, (maybe I didn't read the fine print?), - but you cannot stay in the homestay during weekends. So when they say you're going to need £100 a week spending money, more like £150 for weekend transport and hotels. You cannot stay Friday night in the homestay and cannot arrive back to the homestay before 6pm on Sunday but you must be back by 9.30pm. Its just one expense after another. So it reached the point where I have zero idea where my £1500 went as none of the money is donated to the projects you work on and then more expenses start piling up when you arrive.

Moving onto the placement its self. This 'mental health placement' is just a glorified creative therapy placement. Out of seven weekly projects, over five days, only two of them gave me exposure to service users with mental health problems. I also had two teaching English projects and three projects working with those with both physical and mental disabilities.
I don't feel the price was worth the experience I gained.

You would be better off applying for the Samaritans or applying to work as a health care assistant for the NHS. You'd get better training and you could save your money for a charity that is more transparent in what your donations are funding.

I completed the 5 week mental health placement in Sri Lanka. I had my reservations about doing it because it was a LOT of money and a long time to be away from home but I had a feeling that the hands on experience would be worth it as I had read about people finding it easier to get a job in the field of psychology with that kind of experience.

It is true the experience is completely eye-opening and really puts into perspective the things we take for granted in western countries. Seeing how happy we made the service users was the best part. Their smiles and gratitude towards us for taking the time out of our lives to come help them was very rewarding and ultimately invaluable experience.

There were a few surprises once there such as we had to pay for all public transport ourselves, we were on buses for the majority of the days of the week, sometimes travelling 1+hours to get to a project and then back again (less time outdoors than I expected) and we were very rarely alone. If you are someone who values their independence (like me), you will have to get used to relying on your house mates and project people a lot as you are a team and always work together. However, this was also a good thing as we all became good friends very fast and made unforgettable memories, especially on the weekends when we could travel and explore the beautiful Sri Lanka.

Overall, I highly recommend this placement for anyone who's saved up enough money (~£3000) and is looking for hands on clinical experience + more experience in leadership and creative thinking + looking to discover a new country/culture!! You just have to keep an open mind at all times and remember SLV is only about 8 years old and therefore it's still learning and improving, and us volunteers are a huge part of it becoming better!

I just completed the India programme (for 1 week), and I am honestly so upset that it even had to end at all! Although I'm an Indian by nationality, this programme has opened my eyes to so many cultural intricacies in thought and behavior in my own homeland that I wasn't aware of earlier. The Clinical and Ancient Psychology perspectives provided to us gave an unbiased understanding of how both aspects can be used to promote mental health care. And of course, the 2 nights spent in Mysore was such a cultural treat! Although the programme was a short one, I have made friends for a lifetime. Looking forward to attending the other programmes offered by SLV Global! <3

I spent 5 weeks completing a mental health placement in Sri Lanka and it was grueling but amazing. I would recommend this placement to anyone with a mental health background wants to fully immerse themselves in a foreign culture and who is also interested in special needs work and teaching children. I learned many things that I didn't expect to learn and I came home more informed and passionate about a variety of topics. Thank you SLV for giving me this experience!

Once in a lifetime experience ☺
Volunteering in Sri Lanka was an amazing experience! This placement gave me a great insight into how a different culture views mental health while also providing hands on experience, which increased my skills and confidence. Something I feel I could not have gained elsewhere.
I highly recommend SLV global for anyone who is open to being out of his or her comfort zone, while experiencing a new culture and gaining psychology experience. I was searching for an organisation to volunteer with and I’m happy I found SLV for this reason. The people involved and volunteers were all extremely friendly and like-minded!

I took part in the India placement and I literally can’t fault the SLV team at all. Before I went the team were so helpful in helping me prepare and answered any questions I had. They replied so fast and were always more than happy to help me. The co-ordinators out in India were so amazing! They were so warm and welcoming! Such lovely and kind people! Overall the trip was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget so thank you SLV ❤️

My 5 weeks in Sri Lanka were the most wonderful weeks I've experienced. It was absolutely fantastic getting the chance to volunteer over there and contributing my time to the community, and getting the chance to travel over the weekends. I have recommended this experience to anyone who has asked for it and I will continue to sing its praises, its truly a life-changing experience and one I could not have experienced without SLV.

This was an amazing opportunity that I would happily do again!

If you get a chance to do Java, do it!!! It was the highlight of my trip.

The experiences I gained through the program were varied and we were given more freedom than I would ever get in Australia as an undergrad student.

Just a heads up though, for Bali you are not allowed to stay at the homestay on Friday and Saturday nights so budget for that.

I recently completed the four week SLV mental health placement in Bali, Indonesia. The Placement exceeded my expectations. SLV has placements in Sri Lanka, India, and Bali helping those with mental health needs. SLV Global provides psychology students and graduates from around the world the opportunity to gain valuable, practical experience in the mental health sector whilst being immersed in a unique and exciting culture.
Over four weeks in Bali the SLV team and I Worked in the only psychiatric facility in Bali along with in a schizophrenic facility, a centre for children with developmental disorders, and many other facilities to promote positive psychology and help the mental health of those without the proper care or resources. Together we worked everyday on sessions to help build the people suffering up and to bring them joy. It was beyond rewarding being able to use my experience in the field of psychology and my psychology degree from Dalhousie University towards helping those in need in Bali. Working in the facilities was extremely rewarding. Everyone on the SLV team were incredibly supportive and guided us to do our job To the best of our ability. I am so grateful I was able to participate in this experience I made some life long friends and had the trip of a lifetime.

Fantastic opportunity to be able to take part and gain experience in this field. The staff were very friendly and happy to help where they could. I would recommend the experience to a friend.

My experience was truely rewarding, working alongside some creative and talented people, helping to improve the mental wellbeing of others :)

I spent four weeks on the Advanced Mental Health Placement in Sri Lanka, from May 21st to June 15th.

The other volunteers in my home-stay were, undoubtedly, what made the experience most enjoyable for me. They were the most hard-working bunch of people, who were so passionate about improving mental health awareness, which made it an absolute pleasure to live and work with them. The amazing thing about this placement is that you're given the opportunity to meet people like this from all around the world. Similarly, the SLV staff are amazing and ridiculously helpful. They're approachable and easy to contact and they were a big help to me at several points during my placement when I felt like I couldn't do it.

The placement itself was tough but equally rewarding. Every project, whether it went well or poorly, gave you a sense of achievement at the end of the day as you knew that each little difference you made was part of a bigger goal towards promoting positive mental health.

If you're considering this placement then I'd say to go for it, simply because of the amount of practical experience it offers you that you may not be able to get at home. On top of this you get to explore a gorgeous country on your weekends and do some amazing things. I won't lie and say it was easy, because it wasn't, and it's probably not something I would necessarily do again, based on how mentally challenging I found it. However, I am unbelievably glad that I have completed this placement because it was one of the most unforgettable things I have done and it taught me so much about myself.

Spending four weeks working in another country really opens your eyes and allows you to see another side to a country that is often labelled as "paradise."

Bali really is amazing, living up to its label for sure. You're going to have ups and downs like doing anything in life - but being Bali makes it all worth it! The placement itself although quite intense, is such a good experience that is worth every penny and doubt you may have! The food, the people, the culture - it all ties together to help you have an amazing experience whilst out there volunteering with SLV. The SLV team in my opinion really helped to make the experience. They're so friendly and approachable and often, they have been in your exact position so know exactly what you're experiencing - so if you ever have any issues you can feel comfortable going to them. You can also meet some amazing fellow volunteers, who definitely help make the placement, especially during your weekends off when you can travel around Bali and see all the amazing things.

If you have any doubts about doing the placement, you really don't need to! It is challenging, but 100% worth it all and you will enjoy every day!

If you're looking to travel abroad but don't want to waste time, then this placement is for you! I was able to gain amazing work experience and travel the beautiful island of Bali.

The people you will meet and the culture you will experience cannot be put into words! The skills you take away from this placement might not be skills you come across in life again. The simplicity of life and happiness of people will definitely be with me forever. It is certainly out of our comfort zones and very different from our day to day lives but it is the discomfort we need to grow our people and professional skills.

Anyone that is thinking of doing this DO IT. I completed the 5 weeks foundation placement in Sri Lanka beginning the 18th of June 2018. It was amazing.

I was nervous about the whole thing, as most are. Most of my worries included not having much experience working with service users. However planning is always done as a group and you are never left on your own. All the service users are so happy to see you, and if you ever feel out of your depth there will always be enough people around you for you to lean on. You'll be surprised at the relationships you build with people when your working with them everyday and also living together too.

The work was unbelievably rewarding, the food was excellent, and the weekends were beautiful. I wish I could have stayed longer. Our homestay family treated us like their own. SLV are a great company who are really looking after the volunteers there, with peer mentors in every household to help you. We also had Cary's our supervisor who is an absolute Angel. Mental health afternoons are included throughout the placement as are workshops and field trips that were so inspiring. I honestly learned so much.

I will never forget the experience I had in Sri Lanka and I am so thankful that SLV gave me the opportunity. Keep doing what you are doing guys! So much love x

I did spend 8 weeks in Sri Lanka doing an Advanced Placement in February to April 2018. I was very lucky with a lovely family that hosted us during the stay and provided us with everything we needed and amazing food. I met wonderful people all over the world with similar interest. I fell in love with the culture in Sri Lanka and the people. It was an eye opener and I believe that it has changed me as a person to work with all the wonderful people in this beautiful country. The only thing I wished to have different was if some of the activates we did with were a bit more related to mental health, although I did learn that just by us being there to do various activities we did make a difference in those peoples lives.
I 100% recommend going to Sri Lanka and gain experience that you won't regret!

My time in Sri Lanka (3 months to be exact), was truly incredible. I would say it was memorable, life changing and so on, but how can I truly sum up some of the best times of my life?! I am honestly so thankful to have been placed in Kotte, and in an amazing homestay with amazing girls. I appreciated the kindness and generosity that Sri Lankans showed us, and for the memorable travel experiences and adventures I gained on the weekends. The projects of the placement involving teaching english and mental health initiatives were very rewarding and worthwhile, I have gained so much insight and cultural and psychological knowledge as a result, so thank you SLV for making that possible! I can't imagine not returning to Sri Lanka one day, its such a beautiful country!! The sense of belonging and community I felt was beyond heartwarming.

I am so glad to have met everyone on placement, they were all so wonderful and like minded people. Learning some Sinhala via quick lessons every week was a treat and very useful, and facing the realities of people who face mental health problems in Sri Lanka was eye opening, not to mention celebrating unique Sri Lankan traditions. Thank you SLV.Global for the experience of a lifetime! I only wish I could have stayed longer! :) I highly recommend this organization if you are looking for immersive mental health experience! Also as a side note, I enjoyed the teaching english aspect far more than I would have expected, as it challenged me in just the right ways and was beautiful to see the difference I helped make in the communities. Expect to prepare yourself for the placement adequately before you come, and make sure you are respectful of the cultural norms within Sri Lanka are my two pieces of advice!

I had the best time in Sri Lanka with SLV! I cannot recommend it enough. I learned so much about the culture and language in Sri Lanka as well as gaining experience in the field I would not be able to get anywhere else. I would love to do another placement with SLV in the future, and will 100% visit Sri Lanka again. If you’re thinking about a mental health placement with SLV, DO IT!!

My time with SLV Sri Lanka both made clear to me the necessity of the work that the organisation carries out in a sustainable, effective manner on a regular basis, and solidified within me the idea that I had - that I enjoy and derive meaning from working with vulnerable populations. Psychology students generally have something to offer these populations, and if we have skills and services available and they are needed somewhere, why wouldn't we provide them? The volunteers and individuals who work with SLV are some of the kindest and most considerate people I've met in my life and I will hold my experience with SLV close to my heart for the rest of my time on planet earth. Thank you!