I applied for the international volunteer bursary to help fund my mental health placement with SLV Global in Bali.

I love travelling but I also wanted to gain experience in the mental health sector and this particular placement allowed me to achieve both. I came across this opportunity through social media when I was searching for work experience in mental health. 

Whilst on placement I worked closely with mental health professionals and other volunteers to create daily session plans to enhance the psychological skills of the service users for example improving motor skills, memory, cognition and critical thinking.

I gained invaluable experience working with a variety of different service users such as exploited children, schizophrenic patients, autistic children, isolated members of the community and patients within a psychiatric hospital.

This opportunity has provided me with the confidence that I can work with service users effectively and has helped shape my future career aspects. I had the privilege of living with a Balinese homestay family and fully experiencing the culture from the food to the ceremonies and this made my placement even more memorable.

I strongly recommend getting out of your comfort zone and joining a SLV Global team to gain valuable experience with the opportunity to travel such a beautiful country.

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To learn more about international opportunities, please visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/