Communication Sciences & Disorders in Belize

Going into this program, I had no idea how much I would truly gain as a result of all of the experiences that are given through the two weeks of this program. Before coming to this program, I was not entirely sure that speech pathology was what I wanted to do with my life. However, now there is no doubt in my mind that this is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. Therapy Abroad not only gives students the opportunity to learn more about the life of speech pathologist and common tasks, assessments, and treatment activities but the program also gives the students the chance to implement and take charge in running said activities, while also sprinkling in fun along the way. I cannot say enough to truly grasp the level that this trip and experience truly impacted me, the lifelong friends I made, and all the memories it gave me. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to go into speech pathology.

I loved this experience and all of the things I learned while in Belize for two weeks. We led a therapy camp for children with special needs, visited villages for treatments, and also had lots of fun seeing Belize. I gained lots of experience writing SOAP notes, observing licensed SLP's and writing goals for the kids I worked with. We did lots of learning and work during the week, but had lots of fun on the weekends! I would definitely recommend this program to any undergrad or graduate student in communication sciences & disorders!

It was really fun. Good balance of education and free time. The supervisors were great and Ellen was amazing. I loved Monkey Bay and the trip to Caye Caulker was a nice way to unwind after working at narcie for the previous two weeks. The one thing I didn’t love was everything I was expected to know prior to this trip. I am not studying SLP at my university and felt as though I was supposed to already be accustomed with everything we did. It was less about learning and more about applying the information. I wanted to go on this trip to help me decide what I want to do in graduate school and whether or not I wanted to pursue SLP. Other than that it was a great trip.

Going to Belize for the two-week program was an amazing experience. The supervisors were nothing but nice, the food was delicious, and the hands-on experience I participated in was exciting. I loved how all of the meals and excursions were paid for and how we got to stay on an island for the last weekend in Belize. Working with the children both at NaRCIE and during home visits in Belize was a humbling experience. I would highly recommend this trip to all who love to travel and speech pathology!

This experience was incredibly beneficial not only educationally, but also socially. The other girls in our group have such great personalities along with the leaders, which allowed us to flow well together and stay positive. I feel I have received a strong perspective of speech pathology through our classroom discussions and observing our leaders. My favorite part of the trip was the home visits and being with the sweet children. Everyone on our trip has been so friendly and helpful! I am thankful now that I have some great resources for the future!

This trip is the most fun and rewarding trip I've been on! To anyone considering going, I would highly suggest it. The staff is so friendly and the other students on the trip have become some of my closest friends. The excursions are phenomenal and working at Tykes Camp was so much fun. I have learned so much more here than I could have imagined: about myself, other people, the belizean culture and speech therapy. If you go, take advantage of everything there is to do. I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

This trip was amazing. We had so much fun with all sorts of activities like cave tubing, zip lining, visiting a Mayan temple, and snorkeling. The camp that we held for the kids was a great experience that allowed me to learn about different things related to the field of speech language pathology. The home visits to meet people in villages with communication disorders allowed me to learn a lot more about the culture and how people with disabilities are treated in Belize. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone planning on becoming an SLP.

This program exceeded every expectation I had for it. I got to experience things that most studying SLPs will not get the chance to experience until Grad school. We were given the opportunity to perform speech and hearing screenings in schools, run a special education camp for students, and observe treatment sessions in the homes of children in the area. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in every way possible, but in doing so it made me into a stronger, better person. I came out of this program with a new sense of confidence in myself and my abilities as a clinician. I was able to learn things about behavior regulation, working with special education students, lesson planning, thinking on my feet, cultural competence in regards to the SLP profession, and most importantly I learned how to use my failures to my advantage and grow and change from them. Being surrounded by 12 likeminded people I was able to create lifelong friendships and connections with undergraduate students from across the US and Canada whom I never would have had the chance to meet otherwise. I was also able to create connections with 3 practicing SLPs from across the US and Australia who I know I will be able to turn to for help and advice in the future, as well as for letters of recommendation in applying to grad school. In addition to all the hard work we put into to bettering the lives of children in Belize, we got to experience the best of what Belize has to offer including incredible local food, cave tubing, zip lining, the Altun Ha archeological site, and snorkeling on Caye Caulker Island. I am beyond grateful to therapy abroad for this experience and everything they have done for me.