Program Reviews

I had the opportunity to be a speech pathology supervisor for the trip to Grand Turk, and it was by far one of the most meaningful professional experiences of my career. The students did a fantastic job, and we were able to offer a wonderful camp to the local children and their families. The Therapy Abroad program was supportive from beginning to end, and we had plenty of opportunities to experience and explore the local culture while on the island as well. Participating in this trip has definitely made me a more well rounded therapist and clinical instructor. I would absolutely recommend that students participate in trips with therapy abroad. The exposure to new cultures and ability to provide therapy services in a setting that is so vastly different than a university based clinic or placement is an invaluable learning opportunity. I look forward to future opportunities to work with Therapy Abroad.

I had the opportunity to travel to Grand Turk, TCI with therapy abroad and overall it was an amazing experience. The support from the staff, supervisors, and other students was great, given that we had limited resources to provide services. In addition, it was my first time collaborating with PT's, which was an awesome opportunity! The only thing I would recommend is to have enough beds for each person. It is uncomfortable to expect students to share a bed with people they do not know. Other than that, it was an amazing experience where I had hands-on experience, learned about new cultures, and created lasting relationships. I would love to go again in the future.

Overall, this was an amazing experience. This was my first time doing a service trip, so I did not how it was going to go. After spending 10 days with other SLPs and PTs, I can say that this trip changed me for the best. I learned how to provide speech therapy with the limited resources we had and how to collaborate with a PT. It was amazing learning about the culture and trying the new foods! The only thing I would say that needs more work on is providing a more detailed itinerary in order to help me understand what the day/activity looks like. All in all, I met amazing clinicians, learned about the different cultures, and took another step closer into become a professional SLP. I would love to come back to Turks and Caicos or another location with TherapyAbraod!

Choosing to travel with Therapy Abroad was easily one of the best decisions I have made to enhance my educational experience in PT school. I actually have more experience working with the Geriatric population, but I still felt as though I was far enough in my education (5/9 semesters complete) to clinically reason through diagnoses and presentations. I was also fortunate enough to have one of my professors serve as my supervising PT, which was helpful because she had an idea of what I have been exposed to in didactic work and how to present new information to me in an effective manner. I couldn't have asked for better SLPs and SLP students to work with! They took the time to explain what they were doing, but it was also fun to see the the individual growth as they worked with their clients throughout the week. The support from the Turks and Caicos government was incredible and I look forward to staying connected with Therapy Abroad for future opportunities as a student or clinician!

I really was not sure what to expect when first signing up for this program. But I have been pleasantly surprised each step of the way. I learned so much about the culture and history of the Turks & Caicos Islands and met some amazing people who live there. The camp was such an amazing experience. I was honored to share my skills with these kiddos and they, in turn, left their marks on my heart. The government support is unlike any I have ever experienced. The location and beaches speak for themselves. It was so nice to have the opportunity be able to walk right into the ocean post camp! I am so excited to see this program flourish once they get all the tiny kinks of a new program in a new location worked out. I am excited to have made friendships that I can continue to grow and have made connections in multiple disciplines living in multiple states to further grow my professional network. Thank you for this incredible experience!

I was unsure how this trip was going to go. I knew my instructor (whom had invited me to join her on this opportunity) and a classmate from the cohort ahead of mine. I can say without a doubt that this trip changed me for the better. I have had little experience working with young children, even less experience working with children with special needs. We were only there treating the children for 5 days, but it was nothing shy of amazing seeing the progression these children had in such a short amount of time. This program was a win for all parties involved. It encouraged interprofessional collaboration that allowed for me (DPT student) to learn about what SLPs do. Unfortunately there were not any OTs that had signed up, but this would add to this valuable aspect even more. A wonderful benefit of this program was that it brought 3 groups of us together, some from Pennsylvania, some from Oklahoma, and us from Iowa. I can say without a doubt that I made some friends that I fully intend on staying in touch with. It should be noted that this trip was not all work, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience a different culture and food that I simply cannot get here in Iowa. I will never forget the absolutely stunning beaches that I was able to visit multiple times per day. I would be honored to go back or go elsewhere in the future if the stars align.

It was overall a great experience. The housing, activities, and camp were all wonderful! The government liaison were wonderful and treated us great! It was fun to try all the new foods! It was so rewarding to work with the kiddos there and see their lifestyle. It was cool to see Grand Turk (More remote) and Providenciales (more popular tourist area)- both were great! Turks & Caicos is a great place to start up a new program! Once the program is more established, a more structured itinerary would be helpful! 😊.

This is the second trip to Turks and Caicos I have been on with Therapy Abroad as an OT/PT consultant and faculty supervisor. I have taken students on multiple international volunteer trips through the years and Therapy Abroad offers the best professional hands on experience I have ever been involved with. Chad is a great communicator and gives excellent support to the faculty and students. Therapy Abroad makes sure everyone’s needs are met with safe clean accommodations. We are given plenty of resources to provide quality therapy interventions. The focus on sustainability and building local capacity is also why I will continue to work with Therapy Abroad.

My experience with Therapy Abroad has exceeded my expectations in every way possible! It was the perfect balance between gaining hands on clinical experience and exploring the beauty and culture of Thailand. The amount of support that was provided during this trip and the friends that came along with it made me feel safe and at ease all the way on the other side of the world. It is amazing how many activities this program fits into just two weeks: snorkeling, kickboxing, cooking thai food, visiting temples, walking around local villages, shopping on walking streets and getting hugged by an elephant in addition to clinical components such as practicing thai massage and learning about traditional medicine, observing OT and PT sessions, planning and implementing Tykes camp, and spending a day at an incredible day program in Chiang Mai, there is so much to do and learn! Words cannot describe just how amazing this trip was - Am, Dome, and Toon (three Thai folks) met us in Phuket upon our arrival and didn't leave our side until we were through security inPhuket two weeks later. The people are fun, knowledgeable, and make your safety and enjoyment the upmost priority.

I absolutely loved attending this trip with Therapy Abroad. The overall program was very organized and each day was filled with fun events and delicious food. We always had three meals a day of food native to Belize, including homemade dressings and desserts by one of the leaders. I was able to learn a lot about the culture in Belize as we attended numerous cultural events. I loved being able to immerse myself with the native people of Belize to understand how they live and their ancestors lived. I also learned more about speech-language pathology, especially through the knowledgeable group leaders that helped guide us during the entire trip. In addition, the other students in the same group were all very nice and open to learning new things in a new country. I enjoyed giving back to the community through providing speech and hearing screenings as well as administering speech services to local children. This experience allowed me to not only appreciate the country of Belize but provide services that the natives would not have otherwise received. I highly recommend students attend a study abroad with Therapy Abroad. The amount of support, organization, guidance of experts in the field, and cultural awareness one will receive is above par. You will surely experience another country at a more deep level and begin to appreciate it more.