Psychology and Mental Health Programme in Ghana

My impressions of the foundation was mostly positive. There was some room for improvement but I was highly impressed by the work being done on the school and the farm. The plans for further development were promising and showcased the organization's commitment to enhancing the lives of the children and the community. I had the opportunity to engage in one-to-one counseling sessions with the children, which was an incredibly insightful and meaningful experience. These sessions allowed me to connect with the children on a deeper level and provided them with a safe space to express some of the emotional challenges and heartaches they had experienced. It was clear that these sessions were highly beneficial both for the children and for me as a volunteer.My time at your foundation was an incredibly fulfilling and heartwarming experience. I genuinely looked forward to each day spent with the kids, and it quickly became one of my favorite memories from this volunteering program. I was deeply touched by the children's gratitude and enthusiasm. My time in the health clinic had both positive and challenging aspects. While the nurses were friendly and welcoming, and I appreciated their willingness to explain the circumstances, I did feel that the clinic was somewhat unorganized. There were occasions when we found ourselves waiting with little to do. It was evident that the lack of patients was a contributing factor to this issue. During our time at the hospital, I noticed that we had the chance to interact more with patients, gaining valuable insights into mental health in Ghana. This experience was not only eye-opening but also instrumental in our understanding of the local mental health landscape. I had the opportunity to participate in the community health outreach program, and I must say it was my favorite part of the entire volunteering experience. Interacting with the local community, reaching out to individuals in need, and providing essential health services was incredibly rewarding. It allowed me to directly connect with the people we were there to serve and make a positive impact on their lives. I had the opportunity to participate in several outreach programs and field visits during my time in Ghana. The most educational and profoundly life-changing aspect of my volunteering experience was the time spent at the psychiatric hospital. Sitting in counseling sessions and witnessing the conditions and atmosphere within the wards gave me a true, unfiltered reflection of Ghana's mental health landscape. The educational value of this experience cannot be overstated; it provided me with valuable insights into the mental health challenges faced by the local population. It deepened my understanding of the intricacies of mental health in Ghana and the urgent need for improved mental health services and support. On a personal level, this experience was truly life-changing. It broadened my perspective, instilled a deep sense of empathy, and ignited a passion within me to contribute to mental health initiatives and advocacy. It was an experience that will stay with me, shaping my outlook and future endeavours in a profound way I strongly believe that my placement in Ghana will significantly benefit my ongoing studies and career progression. One of the most valuable takeaways from this experience is the unique perspective I've gained into multicultural mental health. This placement has equipped me with a deeper understanding of mental health challenges within a diverse cultural context. It has provided insights into the cultural factors that influence mental health, as well as the variations in approaches to treatment and support. This perspective will undoubtedly be a valuable asset in my ongoing studies and future career in psychology or related fields. As I pursue my studies and career, I can draw upon the cultural competence and awareness I've developed during my time in Ghana. It will enable me to provide more effective, culturally sensitive care and support to individuals from diverse backgrounds.

I completed clinic work, mural painting at the children's home, and leading a therapy session in the psychiatric hospital. Had 1:1 sessions as well with a few kids, and i would have loved more of that as well as group therapy time. I loved working with the children and bonding with the amazing team. It was a bit of a culture shock, especially experiencing cultural views around mental health. I got to do art therapy murals and counseling as well as psychoeducation - It helped me get my art therapy registration!

My first impression of the Foundation was that it was full of joy and love. For the most part, I got on well with the other volunteers. I interacted lots with the children at the foundation. Particularly, there was one day when we managed to speak to some children individually after reading their files -- this was a very interesting experience, and I wish I could have done more of this to give the children a listening ear. I hope I impacted the children positively. I also sat in on counselling sessions at the Psychiatric Hospital and went to the local hospitals, as well as the traditional hospital. Perhaps more could have been done to inform me of what exactly I would be doing at the hospitals and at Becky's, so that I could prepare more. It is really so different from everything I have experienced before, and I hope to be able to be involved in improving these systems somehow in the future.

Although some of the communication could have been better, I would definitely recommend this placement to my friends and university peers.I loved being at the foundation and spending time with the children. The children were very welcoming towards us and made us feel very comfortable. Some days were good in the clinics when we were at one of the hospitals because Alex talked us through his job and we discussed psychology and mental health issues with him. We did a presentation to a school the next day, it was terrifying but so rewarding. The most educational was the psychiatric hospital in Cape Coast, I learnt so much being there. When working there, I did counselling with patients. It was amazing and such good experience for my university degree. This placement has helped me so much with my future career getting to experience counselling for the first time as well as working with children and working in a hospital and a school.

I thought both the children's home and the hospitals were very interesting and insightful experiences. I loved meeting the children and this was defo one of the highlights for me as someone who has studied child psychology! I found the arrival quite a difficult process. In a new country after a long day of travelling, I found this quite overwhelming and intimidating, but overall I feel it has enabled me to develop my interpersonal skills with people with different cultural backgrounds, furthermore it has given me a wider perspective of the challenges faced with mental health in other countries.

Settling in was great as I knew exactly who to talk to if there were any issues. Myself and another volunteer had a fantastic welcome to the children's foundation. We were set with the task of counselling three children at the children's home. I always looked forward to the afternoons with the children. I feel I made an impact at the home and it was amazing to develop bonds with some of the kids. Ankaful psychiatric hospital is where we gained our most hands-on experience with psychiatric patients. I found the clinics so educational. I would say that, particularly due to the nature of this placement, and mental health awareness in Ghana, volunteers should be aware that there is a difference in approaches and there is some work to spread awareness of mental health topics, such as depression and anxiety. I think volunteers should be prepared to go in with an open mind and be encouraged to have the moto that "you get out what you put in" - so just don't hold back, say yes to everything (within reason) and go looking for experiences above and beyond. It is nothing like one can experience in the UK and just gives a fresh perspective on life. It has made me appreciate so much more of life.

This was a truly transformative experience. The work experience we did was extremely valuable, and I gained so much from it. It has contributed positively to my CV and career pathway. I had an amazing time, and always felt safe. Although we did run into some issues on the ground, the team were extremely communicative, and we were guided through them with lots of support. The charity work that vocational impact is supporting in Ghana was incredible, and it was so special to be a part of such an impactful charity. I loved spending time in the amazing country that is Ghana!

I couldn’t recommend the Vocational Impact placement enough. It has given me vital experience I can use when applying for my PGCE as I want to be a PE teacher after uni. Doing something like this will make me stand out and I’ll be able to give practical examples of when I overcame sports related challenges - Ashley, Sports Management & Development, Portsmouth University

Meet Lora, a student studying to work as a mental health professional. Lora recently spent two weeks in Ghana, working in the medical clinic at Senya-Beraku with her friend, Alex, who’s also studying medicine. During their two week stay, they were able to pack in loads of things, from daily visits to the clinic, to medical trips to rural Ghanaian villages, to quick beach trips. They somehow even managed to squeeze in some time for exam revision. While it was quite a busy trip, Lora said it was an incredibly rewarding experience and would go back in a heartbeat. During their two week stay, Lora was able to settle in to a daily routine: We would be in the clinic from 8 in the morning everyday. We found that all of the nurses clocked off at about 3 o’clock, so we would always be there for 8 in the morning, and then at half 2, it would go really quiet. We’d often finish at half 2, get lunch and then walk up to the school and get the bus from the school to the children’s home in the afternoon. The fact that after the clinic we’d go up to the children’s centre and get the bus up there with all of the kids, it worked out really well. We would leave there about half five-ish and be back for dinner by about 6. However, they kept some flexibility in their schedule (which is great for all you students out there): While we didn’t go to the community centre every day, we went to the clinic every day. Sometimes if we got off from the clinic at half two, we’d go to the beach or just go back and chill and do a bit of revision because we’ve got exams in two weeks time, but we didn’t know that at the time of booking it, so that was lack of preparation on our behalf. Working in the clinic, Lora got the opportunity to see first-hand how medical care, particularly mental health care, differs between the UK and Ghana: I thought mental health care in Ghana was good, the nurses were good, they knew a lot. But they’re really underdeveloped in some areas still, like being gay was a mental sickness, which I thought was awful. And they thought if you had a disabled child, it was God punishing you for some reason. It was things like that I didn’t like from a mental health side, but the nurses were good. With schizophrenics and stuff, they were good, they knew their stuff for things like that. I think it was just their religion, that caused some of the other things. It didn’t make me not like my experience it was just like a shock. The way they practice and the way we practice, it’s really interesting to see. It’s tough, because you have to bite your tongue at some things. They do some things that you want to tell them not to do, but you can’t really say that because you don’t want to offend them, because obviously that’s how they were taught. While Lora went to Ghana to volunteer at the clinic, she also really enjoyed her time at the children’s home: Oh the children’s home was great! And the kids are so lovely, they’re just really well-mannered. It sounds odd, but the children actually had a lot compared a lot of to the other children. They had healthcare, they had all got chaperoned to school, they all had backpacks, toothbrushes, everything like that. Like a lot of the kids you would see in the more rural villages didn’t have anything. And it’s mad too, you never think you’d say that the children actually had a lot, but compared to what other kids had, they actually did. This is due to the support of Arms Around the Child and the money donated straight from the volunteer fees. We actually went out in the community to the rural villages to do the baby weigh-in clinic, to make sure the babies weren’t losing loads of weight, and that’s where you really saw the difference. She had some great stories about working with the kids in the children’s home; I was teaching some of the older girls, the ten and eleven year olds, how to sew, and just basic things like that. They loved it, because they knew the normal straight stitch, but I taught them the blanket stitch, the cross stitch, all that. They would practice it for hours. I was there over Easter, and on Easter Monday all the kids went to the beach to celebrate Easter. We went along to that and it was really good. They got given a special meal, because all they normally get is rye, and their special meal was rice and a boiled egg, and that was seen as a real treat. They had a meal on the beach, and went crazy and played in the waves, and built sandcastles. They also all got a proper shower, because they have showers on Sunflower beach. As a nurse student, Lora also believes that this experience can help her in her career after she graduates: I’m in uni now, and we’re not guaranteed a job at the end. So I think if you’re up for the same job as someone that hasn’t done something like this, it puts you a step ahead, definitely. Because there will be a lot of people who haven’t done something like this, and if you have, you have something extra to talk about, something extra to put on your CV. Overall, Lora had a great experience and felt it really opened her eyes about mental health in Ghana: It made me think how lucky we are here and how much we take things for granted. But it also made me feel for the people out there, because there are a lot of people that just suffer in silence. For people who suffer from mental health, the treatment isn’t awful, but there’s still such a stigma about it that people are scared to speak out. Overall, the experience was better than what we were expecting, I think, because we didn’t realise we’d be able to go to the school and the children’s home as well. We just thought we’d be in the clinic everyday, so the fact that we got to do all those extra things was really good. Especially because we were really conscious that we were only there for two weeks and I wanted to see everything. You could definitely do longer though and still not see it all.

I focused my volunteering programme in teaching Netball. Because when we arrived to Ghana it was exams week, I ended up going to the local school in the morning and doing teaching with the primary school kids and that was one of my favourite bits. In the afternoons I was going to teach netball to the secondary school, it was more challenging but I still really enjoyed it. I really loved introducing Netball because its a sport they've never heard about, and it was very inclusive. Girls and boys were excited and eager to learn. Most of the sports revolve around the boys, so seeing the girls participating was a key highlight.

Leeds University nurses share their experience working on the vocational impact placements in Ghana See below what to expect from this testimonial, and links to youtube to watch what these volunteers have to say about the Nursing Placement in Ghana with Vocational Impact. In summary you'll learn about the following topics: - What to expect from your first days in Ghana - Choosing the right volunteer abroad nurse medical elective for you - Top tips for student nurses before their nurse electives - Rural healthcare vs inner city hospital in Ghana FIRST DAYS IN GHANA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzAzdQvDu0s&t=2s - Leeds University Child Nurses share their International Elective experience - Learned about ‘Ghana Time’. - Food waiting on our arrival. - Started straight into the placement. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE VOCATIONAL IMPACT? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1p0RKXyJ0c&t=11s - Both wanted to go to Africa with a non-profit. The local touch. - We received the list from our university or advised placement providers. - We saw Vocational Impact speak at our university. They offered the personal touch. - We felt very supported before and during our placement. TIPS FOR FUTURE VOLUNTEERS NURSES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ17JioNqOc - 3 weeks wasn’t long enough. Stay as long as you can - Learn a bit of local TWI language. A little goes a long way - Try all the yummy food. It’s included. 3x a day and is locally prepared – - It is HOT. Take a hand fan. Pack s bed sheet. And get involved in the community HOSPITAL VS RURAL HEALTH CLINIC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAnn8E43CIE - Spent time in Intensive care and paediatric ward in Accra hospital - Hospital has more resources. The clinic in Senya is run by nurses - You need to prove yourself. Ask questions and show your interested WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE HOSPITAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPv7GzRw7v8 - Outpatients department at the start. Watching consultations. - Babies vitals and weights. Education for mums. Breastfeeding. - Outreach in the community for those who couldn’t make it to the clinic. - Spent a day at the lab, where they test for Malaria