Communication Sciences & Disorders in Belize

I was so hesitant at first to go out of the country alone for the first time. But, this trip will be an unforgettable experience and made such a positive impact both personally and professionally. My heart is full from working with the children, indulging myself in a new culture and lifestyle, and making new friendships. Despite the trip being postponed due to Houston weather, Therapy Abroad made the accommodations and made it happen. They truly care about us and will make the necessary arrangements. Shoutout to the TA team!

I felt so supported and trusted throughout this trip. Our group provided therapy with just the right amount of supervision; we were independent much of the time but help was close by if we needed it. I appreciated the opportunity to be creative, exercise our clinical judgment, and try our own ideas in a safe environment. For example, we planned the activities for Tykes Camp stations and went to buy the supplies as a group. Then we executed those activities with the children while taking our own notes, and wrote reports on our assigned clients afterward. I feel that being a part of this entire process built confidence and independence.

This is my second time traveling to Belize with Therapy Abroad. However, this time we went to the more desolate southern region of Punta Gorda. This beautiful place offered a lot of opportunities, but challenged us to be extremely flexible. There are barely any speech therapy resources for individuals there. I feel more confident in my clinical abilities and this trip, like the first one, strengthened my abilities to be flexible and roll with the punches; this is a huge trait I believe future SLPs should have. We went into the surrounding villages, schools, and did some treatment at Hillside Clinic. We did not always have a plan, but that was part of the journey! This experience made me grateful for what I have and be able to enjoy little moments more. Life is so precious and I loved getting to know other humans that grew up differently from myself while providing my knowledge on speech and language therapy.

The therapy abroad trip to Belize was one of my favorite trips I’ve ever been on! Being able to observe and help facilitate speech therapy services was an incredible opportunity! I’m so thankful I got to experience this trip with my cohort friends! Being able to participate in clinicals first hand is not something we can do in the U. S. My time at therapy abroad validated there is no other career path for me. I learned so many skills that I will definitely use in my future as a speech pathologist!

This was one of the best trips I've been on. It was a perfect mixture of learning and fun. We worked in preschools and did clinical work for half of the trip and got to enjoy the beauty of Belize for the other half of the trip. The supervisors on our trip were very knowledgeable and I learned so much from them, which will be useful in my future. I loved learning about Belize's culture and the country itself. It was a very enriching experience that I am so grateful for. I definitely recommend this program!

This trip was a trip of a lifetime! I had the opportunity to travel alongside 16 other students from my undergraduate program at UGA. I definitely recommend getting a group together & going with people from your school! It made for a great adventure for all of us that I’m sure we’ll talk about until we graduate! & it helped we all at least knew of each other. We did a 7-day program over our schools spring break. We packed so much into 7 days but it was so fun! We had a great mix of both work and fun activities! We were able to do screenings in preschools and were accompanied by 2 wonderful SLP supervisors that Therapy Abroad found and placed with our group. The SLPs were so knowledgeable and very relevant in the field of Speech Pathology. I learned SO much from them, especially since both of them had two different areas of expertise within the field. We were immersed into the culture of Belize and were able to learn a lot about the country from our interactions with the locals there. Therapy abroad did a great job of giving us plenty of exposure to the culture in the areas of Belize we visited. One of the days we did a walking tour of San Ignacio led by a local guide and it was eye opening and very informative. We also got to go to the Maya ruins which was so cool!!! Also the food was delicious!!! Overall, I had a great experience and would recommend this program to anyone seeking adventure and some hands on experience in the field of Speech Pathology!!!

There was a lot packed into the one week we went to Belize. It was a beautiful country with lots for us to do and amazing experiences. There was great food, great hotel rooms/cabins, and beautiful scenery. Group flights made traveling easy and it nice to pay everything up front so we didn’t have to worry about anything while on the trip. This trip was a good mixture of educational experience, vacation, and fun. One thing that really stood out to me was how nice and accommodating everyone was in Belize, especially at the hotels we stayed in.

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.