GEI Study Abroad: Global Mental Health
Hosted by
- Rwanda
- Kigali
- South Africa
- Cape Town
Frequently asked questions
You can apply to GEI Study Abroad: Global Mental Health by clicking the "Apply Now" button.
GEI Study Abroad: Global Mental Health is a multi-country program, visiting Rwanda and South Africa.
About Program
Mental health is shaped as much by schools, families, and communities as by clinics, and that is where GEI's Global Mental Health programs take place. In Rwanda and South Africa, you learn alongside local practitioners, advocates, and community organizations, and examine the social determinants of mental health and wellbeing.
Every program is built around learning by doing: site visits, community-engaged projects, and teamwork with local partners and student peers, with guided reflection on what you see and do.
Programs range from a three-week field course and a four-week practicum to an eight-week Summer Program. Every program is hosted by GEI's full-time in-country team, made up of nationals of the country you are in. There are no prerequisites, and U.S. academic credit comes through Hamline University, GEI's school of record.
Program Highlights
- Field-based learning: See how communities respond to mental health challenges, on visits to community programs, schools, and support organizations
- Hands-on experience: Work with local partners and mental health specialists in schools, from assessment to a plan the school keeps
- Interdisciplinary teamwork: Collaborate in one team with students from other tracks and local student peers
- Cross-cultural insight: Understand how culture and community shape mental health and wellbeing, guided by GEI's in-country team
- Leadership development: Build the skills of a global change leader through weekly reflection on ethics, cross-cultural engagement, and systems thinking
Expanding Program Portfolio
Video and Photos
Impact 🌎
Sustainability
Popular Programs
Three decades after the 1994 genocide, Rwanda rebuilt mental health care from the community up, with community health workers trained to recognize distress. From Kigali, choose a three-week field course, a four-week practicum, or the eight-week Summer Program. The Summer Program leads to the Certificate in Global Mental Health.
South Africa has a strong professional mental health sector and wide gaps in access, where the nearest support is often a school, a clinic nurse, or a neighbor. From Cape Town, choose a three-week field course, a four-week practicum, or the eight-week Summer Program. In the practicum, you work in one team with South African student peers and see the project through to completion.
