Have you always wondered how your skills are needed in other countries?

We have many places which need your help:

THESE HAVE EVOLVED INTO FASCINATING NEW OPPORTUNITIES
UGANDA: Child Marriage & Teen Mothers
Throughout Africa, girls are often forced to marry at age 12, 13 or 14 and then begin bearing children.
By age 24, a mother may have 7 to 10 kids. This program is a great option for people with beginning or no skills yet.
Mentor, counsel and encourage young mothers; do some family/ trauma work; teach parenting and interaction with their kids; help teens get education they are missing out on. Assertiveness & negotiating about child bearing may be in future.

MOROCCO: Mentoring youth to prevent violent extremism
Youth unemployment in Morocco is 22% and is probably THE most important issue in the MENA region – one of the driving forces of the Arab Spring. Experienced therapists and youth counselors needed in this innovative program to help youth identify their goals, their strengths and create or find gainful employment, thus creating positive futures for themselves. This program as an important antidote to disenfranchisement and disillusionment which can breed violent extremism. Beautiful country, awesome food, fascinating culture!

AFRICA
KENYA: Sexual Abuse –
While physical abuse/ domestic violence is beginning to be addressed throughout the world,
sexual abuse is still taboo and unaddressed. This program is an exception for Africa.
Interested in trauma, sexual abuse, gender based violence, EMDR and/or PTSD? We need you here!
You can intern this summer with very experienced psychotherapist so less experience needed by you;
but very experienced psychotherapists also treasured. Backgrounds in music, art or dance therapies especially helpful
as Freudian based therapies and most talk therapy is very new and foreign in Kenya.

UGANDA: Secondary School & new preschool
This is an excellent place to get counseling experience, especially if it is your first experience.
Help counsel students about their goals and how to get to them. (Goals & concrete steps are often key to therapy.)
…Uganda is just beginning to create preschools. Much like Head Start, they believe early childhood education will improve educational and societal outcomes. If you like kids 3-5 years old, this is the place for you! Most Africa schools, you will see lots of rote learning. The Ugandan welcomes people that demonstrate more interactive story time, singing… encourage children to explore and question not just sit quietly. This is a great place for beginners.

KENYA: Counseling Kids
This is another great place to get beginning counseling experience; run by innovative social work director.
Work with kids whose parents have died of AIDS, or abandoned their kids because of alcohol or drug addiction.
Possible to do individual or activities therapy, and join the social worker doing family therapy/ home visits.

CAMEROON: Alternatives to Violence
When a social worker from Canada asked an audience of 50 men, how many of them beat their wives. 48 hands went up!
“Why?” “How else would you get them to mind?” You will also see corporeal punishment in schools and homes.
Come teach positive reinforcement, non violent communication and positive interaction.
You would work in both the capital and remote, rural villages – a real window on how Cameroonians live.

GHANA: Out Patient Psychiatric Unit & Community Outreach
Two days a week, you would work in their Out Patient clinic. The rest of the week, you would do home visits or educational work in the community. Why is this important? Much of Africa, still believes that you are bewitched or cursed if you have a psychosis. The family & community may reject a family member with mental health problems because they are cursed. They would like “skills transfer” – showing their staff techniques or skills to improve standard of care.
This community is in the heart of the Ashanti empire, 2 hours from the capital and an hour from the coast.
Ghana is known for its drumming, dancing and friendliness. Ghana is also soccer crazy. If you are a soccer player,
we would love your help coaching soccer after your work in outpatient clinic or outreach work.

UGANDA: explaining Psychology & PTSD
We had a Canadian social worker come in last year to help youth women who are experiencing PTSD who had been child soldiers and sex slaves under Joseph Kony and Lord’s Resistance Army. It was not so straight-forward as we thought it would be. Many in rural Uganda think these women are possessed or cursed when they are experiencing flashbacks or nightmares. The Ugandan director said, “The people did not understand. We do not have psychology here.
She has asked that we establish a better foundation to work from, explaining psychology, therapy & PTSD.
Need social workers or psychotherapists with years of experience, ideally Africa experience and immense cultural savvy.

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA
COSTA RICA: Domestic Violence – Spanish fluency required
Work in the shelter: do crisis, individual or group counseling and/or play therapy with the kids; advocacy in court;
community education; help women become economically independent so they can leave abusive relationships.
This is great for both beginners & for clinicians with years of experience – we will adjust your role to fit your skills.
We welcome men to work in the Men’s Program to truly prevent domestic violence.

PERU: “Guidance Counseling” to Give a Brighter Future – Spanish helpful
Families from the highlands come to the cities looking for work. There is none so their kids shine shoes to make a living for the family. This organizations tutors both primary and high school students so that they can create a route out of poverty. Come help as a “guidance counselor:” counsel students about their goals and how to get to them. (Goals & concrete steps are often key to therapy.) Great place to practice beginning counseling skills. In spectacularly beautiful mountains!

HONDURAS: Youth – Goals & How to Achieve them – Spanish a must
If you read Enrique’s Journey: father leaves mother and kids for another woman. Mom is left raising the kids.
She might make $120/month if she works at he mall – not enough to feed her kids. So she looks for ways to make a living, including coming to the US. Like in Peru, we want the kids to have a brighter future.
Come help mentor & guide these youth; help them achieve their goals! Tropical beach setting.

ASIA
INDIA: Training Barefoot Counselors
This program was started by an Indian social worker. Because language poses a barrier to actually counseling,
they ask for people that can train their staff in mental health issues such as depression, suicide, abuse and psychosis;
and help their para-professional counselors build their counseling skills.

NEPAL: Sex Trafficking
Sex traffickers prey on young women in rural Nepal that want out of poverty.
Traffickers promise them a job; instead girls are tricked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in India.
Come help in the remote rural villages: teach English and literacy to create another life for these girls.
This actually does not involve counseling but it is a rare opportunity to help prevent sex trafficking.

MENA (Middle East & North Africa)
Since the Syrian Crisis we get more requests to work in the Middle East or MENA region.

LEBANON: Physical, Sexual & Child Abuse – on hold due to political/ societal uncertainties in Lebanon
This very professional organization does an extraordinary job with treatment and community education about abuse.
They rarely let volunteers do direct counseling but ask your help with community education. Arabic a plus.
For social workers who have years of experience with physical, sexual and child abuse, they ask that you train their staff.
Beirut has earned the moniker “Paris of the Middle East.” Amazing (small) country, food and culture.

PALESTINE: Youth & Children
Work in this after school enrichment program: psycho-social and trauma healing work does not happen via talk therapy but activities: dance, drama, music, sports or anything that you are passionate about that you think the kids would love. …astronomy, circus, capoeira. Or teach English or computers. Many find that the West Bank really captures their heart.

JORDAN: Women’s Empowerment – this program currently on hold due to uncertainties in region
This organization which is under the wing of the king and queen, is doing ground-breaking work with women:
1. economic empowerment – teaching job skills & entrepreneurship, including helping women work in the trades (which is really, really unusual for the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region);
2. social empowerment – launching discussions about women’s & men’s roles – which is also very unusual – and expanding what women can do and how they see themselves;
3. building leadership skills & political participation.
4. reproductive & sexual health. They would like social work students & professionals who can work with women at one of their 50 centers around country. You do not need to be able to speak Arabic but clearly it is great if you can.

JORDAN: Early Childhood Education & Disabilities – this program on hold due to unpredictability of events in the region
Disability program would like experienced social workers who can build the skills of their staff.
They serve people with developmental/ cognitive and physical disabilities….people of all ages.
It is great if you can speak Arabic, but they will translate if necessary. Jordan has earned its reputation as super friendly.