Mental Health and Psychology Internships Abroad

You learn by observing. You shadow psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health staff, and you watch how they talk with patients and plan care.

Outside the hospital you attend lectures and simulations, support Mental Health Awareness Clinics and teach hygiene lessons in schools. Interested interns can also join ongoing research projects led by local medical teams.

No. Interns do not provide counseling, therapy or psychological assessments to patients, whatever their training. Licensed professionals join as learners too.

You sit in on a session only when the clinician invites you and the patient agrees. What you hear stays confidential. You never record details that could identify a patient.

IMA’s sample schedule places mental health interns in the hospital’s outpatient psychiatry department and its gender-based violence recovery center. Community mental health work runs through IMA’s awareness clinics.

Mental health interns do not rotate to a new department each week as most IMA interns do. Your department is confirmed in your acceptance email.

Yes. Psychiatry shadowing is a core part of the placement. Instead of procedures, you observe conversations, assessments and treatment plans. You see how psychiatrists work with psychologists, nurses and families.

It is observation only, and the patient’s consent and privacy come first.

Most days run from about 8 AM to 4 PM, with six to eight hours at your placement. Afternoons can bring a lecture, a debrief or a community activity.

Weekends are open for treks, awareness clinics or extra hospital time. Here is a sample program schedule for Mombasa.

From two weeks up to 12, year-round. Programs start every Saturday.

Most interns stay four to six weeks, and IMA suggests at least two.

You receive a certificate of completion, and you can request a letter of recommendation. Your hours are logged by role and shift and validated by IMA’s U.S.-based Medical Director.

Academic credit is your school’s decision. Many interns have earned it, and IMA supplies proof of hours, letters on your duties and faculty evaluations. Settle the approval before you enroll.

No. The American Psychological Association accredits doctoral internship programs that are part of U.S. doctoral training. IMA’s program is not one of them.

It does not replace any internship, practicum or supervised hours your degree or license requires. Doctoral students should ask their program how, or whether, time abroad fits their plan.

IMA’s placements are all overseas. Closer to home, start with your college career center, your psychology department and local hospitals, clinics and nonprofits.

Many psychology students begin by volunteering or by joining a faculty research lab. Graduate students in counseling or social work usually arrange placements through their program.

Still in high school? IMA runs healthcare internships for high school students.

They are not paid and not free. You pay a program fee to attend, and need-based and merit-based scholarships can cover part of it.

Two weeks in Mombasa costs $3,995, and eight weeks costs $7,895. A separate $995 program deposit applies to every program.

Your placement, teaching, housing, meals, transport and insurance:

• Hospital placement and clinical mentorship
• Orientation, the Global Health Lecture Series and clinical simulations
• Shared housing in a gated residence with 24/7 security, three meals a day and Wi-Fi
• Airport transfers and private daily transport to your placement
• Travel medical insurance with $1,000,000 in coverage
• 24/7 in-country and U.S.-based support
• Weekly community outreach and local cultural outings
• Alumni graduate school admissions support

It does not cover international airfare, vaccinations, visa costs, optional laundry or personal spending. IMA-branded scrubs are required and bought separately. The $995 program deposit is extra.

Yes. IMA offers need-based and merit-based scholarships. IMA offers flexible, interest-free payment plans, and Program Mentors give specific guidance on the plans available for your program dates.

IMA’s Funding Guide covers outside scholarships, grants and fundraising on sites such as GoFundMe and FundMyTravel. Some interns also use financing through Uplift.

Plan on $50 to $100 a week. Meals, housing and program transport are covered, so spending money goes on meals out, souvenirs and weekend activities.

Optional treks cost extra. The Masai Mara safari starts at $3,595.

Most purchases in Kenya are in cash. Bring newer U.S. bills from 2009 or later, because older ones get a lower exchange rate.

IMA reports a 100% safety rating, with no incidents involving interns or staff in any of its programs. The details are on the program safety and security page.

You live in a gated residence with 24/7 security and travel only in private program vehicles. Staff are on call around the clock.

Orientation covers health and safety before your first day. Post-exposure prophylaxis is available at no cost, and families have a 24/7 U.S. contact.

Mental health work can be hard to watch, especially in a stretched public hospital. Your Program Mentor checks in often, and a physician mentor leads regular debriefs at the residence.

Tell your mentor early if something weighs on you. IMA can arrange access to licensed mental health professionals for confidential support and stress management.

In a shared IMA program residence near your hospital. Residences sit in gated communities with 24/7 security staff. Rooms hold two or three interns, and common areas include Wi-Fi, a kitchen, a dining area and a lounge.

An in-house chef cooks three meals a day, and housekeeping staff look after the house. Optional laundry costs $155 for the first two weeks and $55 for each extra week.

Only in Mombasa, Kenya. IMA does not run psychology or mental health internships in Europe or Asia.

Mombasa is IMA’s largest and longest-running program, and IMA recommends it for most college students. It runs in English and year-round, so it fits most calendars.

Whichever program you consider, ask five questions. What will you do, and who supervises you? What teaching is included, what is the full cost and who helps if something goes wrong?

This page answers each one for IMA.

Yes, and you can check the details yourself. International Medical Aid Foundation is a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at 1629 K Street NW in Washington, DC. It launched in 2012, and its alumni come from more than 1,250 universities.

You can read accounts from interns and parents on the alumni testimonials page. Every intern is covered by $1,000,000 in travel medical insurance.