Lena volunteered with us on a Psychology and Mental Health programme in India late last year. Hear how it was from her below!
“Overall, my experience and impressions of my time in India were impressive, unmatched and priceless: a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is hard for me to generally put into words what I learned and how much I feel I have grown during this time. Let me try nonetheless.”
Settling in in India
The accommodation was perfect: I had my own room and bathroom; the food served was delicious and I had my privacy which is always good. I found it very easy to settle in, everyone at the house was very open and welcoming. The house, room, food, and area were perfect – and the girls were so welcoming. My first impression was that they were well organized. They all presented themselves to me and were friendly with me. I could see the involvement and positive impact on the children when I was at the location. Me and the other volunteer got along very well and we’re good friends now. I worked well and hard for the hospital as well.
Working on the Psychology Programme
I got to carry out work that was directly related to my university course – mostly related to the hospital, involved in lessons with doctors, and seeing patients. I also worked in the psychiatric ward. It was all interesting regardless of the language barrier. I went out with the community outreach team and visited the women who receive support for their children’s education and mothers who need support taking care of their kids.
The most educational element for me however was being at the hospital and getting lessons from the doctors. I generally had a good time at the hospital, and although there was a large language barrier, I feel that I was able to make the most of this experience. I spoke a lot to Mr. Chaturvedi about the De-addiction program and Alcoholics Anonymous. I had some classes with Dr. Reeva which were interesting, but most of all, my time with Reema stood out the most and was the part where I learned the most. She taught me about the history taking and Mental Status Evaluation (MSE) of a patient. It was interesting and she added her personal experience of different cases. In India, there is a greater importance on the role of religion in a case – in terms of pathology, this is called culture-bound pathology or religion-bound pathology.
An interesting practice I picked up is that they ask whether someone is left or right-handed indicating which brain hemisphere is dominant, this can point to neurodegenerative disorders (such as dementia or Alzheimer’s). Of course, no conclusions can be reached nor can a diagnosis be made: but these are useful hints to someone reviewing the case. Also, when we noted down the main symptoms, we learned to write them down word for word as the patient is describing them – as giving clinical terms can lead clinicians to be biased in their evaluation of a client.
Another interesting note is that when a patient is harming themselves or has the intent to harm themselves (or someone else) the guardian HAS to be notified. This is also the case if the patient is an adult. It doesn’t matter the extent to which they wish to self-harm: if the intent is there the clinician is obligated to notify someone, otherwise they can go to jail. I made the point that this can be quite problematic if the parents themselves are abusive or the cause of the self-harm. Reema agreed saying that in some cases, this is where friends get notified.
Reema and I had some interesting exchanges on the topic of rape and different forms of rape – as well as the importance of asking about marriage in Indian patients due to the high prevalence of arranged marriages here and its effects on mental disorders.
Generally: mental status includes any disorders of speech, perception, and thought. Naturally, these are things that the patient does not know themselves but something that you have to note down based on your observations of the behaviour that they exhibit. A particularly interesting discussion was to do with delusions: when someone has a certain unshakable belief about something, is fully convinced of it and acts upon this. There are a lot of disorders of delusions, often these are symptoms that are products of disorders such as psychosis or schizophrenia, or a disorder on their own, namely, delusional disorder.
Reema told me about a patient she had, she had persistent delusional disorder that a colleague was in love with her to the point he had to call the police, and she still believed him to be in love with her. I asked Reema why it was so severe, and she explained that her background lacked love so the delusion may have evolved out of longing for this love and connection. It’s impressive and heartbreaking to hear about these cases and to think that as a therapist your goal is to help that person let go of that kind of delusion. It is insanely complex and seems almost impossible.
Reema said that it takes years of practice to successfully treat patients with delusions, that it’s one of the hardest specifications to get into and that there is actually a lack of training for this. Reema then specified that if the delusion is related to a religion, we do not call it a delusion anymore. Here there are ethical concerns involved as well, and in India this is quite a large problem as people are very religious.
The last aspect of my experience at the hospital was that I held three presentations in total, one about addiction disorders, another on the schools of psychology and lastly about sexual disorders. They all went very well and Dr Reeva enjoyed them. I applied the schools of psychology to the clinical context to show how different forms of therapy can be applied to different disorders, and I applied cultural influences on female sexuality. Overall, I am very satisfied with myself regarding this aspect as I was able to prepare and succeed in my presentations while still spending lots of time with the girls at home.
Life-Changing Visit
Then the most life-changing experience was visiting the SAPNA organisation and working with traumatised patients. Smriti took me to Alwar in the first week and it was wonderful. It was first of all great because I got to spend quality time with Smriti and we got closer through that trip. Visiting Smriti’s house there was definitely one of my highlights of this trip. I felt very connected to my spirituality there, especially with the meditation hut. Having the ability to visit the headquarters and patient homes of SAPNA as well as meeting the president has been an honour as well.
The visit to the school was also a highlight, the girls are so wonderful and bright. Some of my most memorable moments are at the patient’s home, visiting those people and getting a feeling for the type of work needed there. It has given me new perspectives and ideas on the type of volunteer work I want to engage in in the future.
Extra Opportunities to Make a Difference
I also got to go to a conference!
Dr. Reeva, Tash and I spoke about the conference, ADDICON, a national conference in India where psychologists and psychiatrists meet for three days to discuss new research and so on. We could go!!! But the conference clashed with part of my programme – and while I am quite sad that I did not get to see any outpatients, the chances of the conference being where and when it was were quite small so I didn’t want to miss it.
ADDICON 2023 was an interesting experience. Tash and I were happy to be a part of the conference and be able to talk to doctors from all around India. I learned quite a lot. I especially got an insight into how bad the current situation regarding mental health and addiction is in India. It was also interesting to understand and see what long-term rehabilitation needs in terms of addiction as well as what long-term rehabilitation entails. The lunches were also great, so tasty. Generally, it was a great experience.
Life as a Volunteer!
In the evenings I did tutoring classes with the children, watched TV with them, talked to Smriti and Tash (the other volunteer) or wrote in my notebooks. Weekends were spent sightseeing.
I managed to communicate my needs to staff and everyone always has an open ear. Manmohan was always there to support me in whatever I wanted to do, and the whole organisation did really well. Spending time with the kids was some of the best moments I had in my life. They were wonderful. I spent a lot of time with them studying, playing and drawing.
My all-time favourite aspect of this experience was my time with Smriti and her girls at her home. I really bonded with some of the girls, especially Khushi and Kanchan. Leaving them in the end was very painful for me but luckily we are still in contact, we call sometimes and send each other pictures. I am so grateful to have made friendships and to have had such experiences, it means that the time we spent together in those 6 weeks was significant and impactful on both sides.
On the other side, Smriti and I also bonded. We had a very sweet relationship while I was there, bonding over spirituality, Hinduism, nature and her family. I am already very excited to see her again in the future. Having spent that time with her meant a lot to me.
I am very passionate about sculpturing and drawing and taught Khushi and Kanchan how to do these as well. Manmohan was very helpful in helping me find the materials I needed. I felt that they were happy to learn something new and generally, they were both very happy with their result. We always sat together in the afternoon, and I was happy to have given them an entry point into a potential new hobby.
I was also very happy to be involved with tutoring the girls in whatever subject I could help them with: I helped Priya with her chemistry and biology work; and I helped Khushi with her English, more specifically in her course for communication skills. I really enjoyed how Khushi was always eager to learn and was open to improving herself. That is a great quality to have.
Something else I really enjoyed was Smriti having tourist groups as guests over. This gave me room to meet so many different people with wonderful stories. I enjoyed those times as they gave a lot of perspectives on the type of people that travel at different ages. Especially from a psychological aspect, it was interesting to analyse the group dynamics.
Lastly, I was happy to have learned how to make a variety of different Indian dishes, everything from chai to snacks to dishes. I wrote down the ingredients and watched how they made the different meals or drinks to make sure I didn’t forget anything!
Adventuring while Volunteering Abroad
Another highlight was the Jaipur City Palace. The observatory is so interesting and holds so much truth to it, it has caused me to want to learn more about Indian astrology. I enjoyed going around the palace and it was wonderful to walk through and see the art, fashion, buildings, colours, and people there. The most memorable part of my day was that I spent an hour or two with two merchants outside of the palace gates. I felt welcomed by them. It was an experience I’ll never forget. It’s safe to say that I have learned to not be naïve in certain instances. Having ventured out on my own was also something I enjoyed a lot, having the freedom to decide on my own what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. Nonetheless, I was happy to have a safe refuge at Smriti’s home, especially through Manmohan who picked me up and helped me go home.
The next day myself, Khushi, Akansha, and Kanchan went to Amer, which was also a wonderful experience. Going through the fort I had an audio guide which was quite interesting, however midway through we found a tour guide that visited Smriti’s a week back, so he did the rest of the tour for us as well. It is impressive to witness the size of these palaces and forts, and to see their advancements back in the 18th century.
Tasharnna and I went to the monkey temple on my birthday and it was the perfect experience. The spirituality in this place was overflowing. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better activity to do on that day. November is the holiest month in the Hindu calendar, so many families come to pray, take holy baths and pray to Lord Vishnu. It was crazy to see the amount of people and especially monkeys!! There was an endless amount. We walked all the way up to a temple and saw a view of Jaipur. We continued around the temple before heading back down. I just enjoyed my time here so much, soaked it up as much as possible and got so interested in the temple itself.
Standouts of the Experience and Programme
What stood out to me as a main experience was being with the children and exchanging things such as knowledge, memories, love, and moments. Even just sitting with the girls and just having a good time, I know they learned a lot from me and I from them. Another was going to SAPNA (another organisation dealing with multiple issues), where Smriti took me while in Alwar. That definitely stood out to me.
I experienced infinite amounts of the magic and beauty of India. Especially because of the people. I personally love Indian culture and it definitely reflected in my trip here as well. Every part of the trip was magic. The beauty I experienced by spending time with people there and ESPECIALLY from my experiences in Alwar.
Tips for Future Volunteers!
- Bring a laptop! Volunteers need a laptop or at least a tablet for the hospital as they need to prepare presentations, read literature online and take notes. Having a device to do this on makes it a lot easier.
- Volunteers can and should prepare activities to do with the kids once they come back from the hospital. Given that we spent a lot of our time and energy in the hospital, it was hard to plan and organize something afterwards. Additionally, it would be good to prepare activities that are not language-bound, for instance: any type of art or sports. I know that for myself, I would have loved to spend time and effort preparing activities from which the children could learn a lot.
- For me, a journal was one of the top things I packed or an app to record everyday experiences.
- Bring a white scarf to wrap around your head and neck/waist.
- Be open to a different culture, don’t take anything personally.
- Don’t be scared to go out there on your own! It is so rewarding. I organised my trips with the help of Smriti and Manmohan.
- Be kind and open to trying anything and everything.
Looking Back and Making an Impact
Given I had some visa problems (which were my own doing), I was so grateful to have been able to come back to Smriti’s home and stay there. Also, a big thank you to Manmohan for accompanying me through the whole process of going to the foreigner’s office, applying for the exit permit and constantly checking up and making sure I am okay. This was of so much help and he is just naturally such a helpful person which is why I didn’t feel like a burden.
I also want to thank everyone at Vocational Impact for being so helpful and patient in this process. In the end, the weeks I spent there were some of the best weeks as I got to spend so much time with the girls, studying with them, and going to Alwar again with Tash, Khushi and Suman. I am grateful that in the end, it all worked out smoothly.
To sum everything up: I’ve made some of the most beautiful memories in my life yet, everything from the bonds I’ve formed with the girls, to the experiences I shared with Tash and all the things I learned from Smriti. They really hold a place in my heart. Of course, the hospital was equally important for this experience. The whole trip was very well organized, everything went smoothly and truly there was no hiccup.
I definitely felt I made an impact and supported the projects. Specifically, a one-on-one impact with the girls. I would definitely encourage others to participate in this placement. I already have! Others should do this placement because any experience that is novel, any experience that puts them slightly outside of their comfort zone is essential for anyone, especially in a profession regarding psychology. Anyone should be confronted with a reality completely different from their own.
I cultivated so much compassion, empathy, and understanding that this will definitely help me in my future profession. I will be able to have a better understanding of situations that I cannot directly relate to. It gives me understanding and perspective for things that are not my own. I understand hardship on a new level and this understanding creates empathy and this empathy can only be of benefit to a psychotherapist.
