Program Reviews

Directly following undergrad graduation, I hopped on a plane and traveled with Therapy Abroad to Belize! In just 8 days, my peers and I got to explore a new country, immerse ourselves in the Belizean culture, and gain valuable clinical experience heading into graduate school. After participating in this trip, I have more confidence in my abilities as a clinician. I enjoyed trying new foods; participating in snorkeling, deep sea fishing, and Belizean traditional drumming; and getting to work with my first ever clients.

This trip to Belize was my first time abroad and I couldn’t have asked for better. Experiencing the culture in Belize and all of the kind and wonderful people who make this community what it is was truly remarkable. Therapy Abroad made maneuvering a new country seamless, fun, and worthwhile. We had the best time delivering speech and language services to children in Belize who otherwise would not receive these services. Just amazing overall! I can’t wait to return or hopefully go somewhere else with Therapy Abroad. Can’t thank them enough for all they do for students and individuals in need of therapy services!

I had a great experience. I came through my university which just had an integration with two other schools. I was the only one from my specific campus. But have made great friends. I was so overjoyed to work with all the students in Belize and they were all so sweet. Our host and driver were amazing and took great care of us. There was not one moment where I was bored. Being able to be in the culture was so interesting. I never thought I would be able to leave the United States never the less be able to experience a culture so fully.

This was my first trip with Therapy Abroad to Belize and I had a blast! The trip was very well organized from the time we arrived until we left. We got to provide physical therapy services to a wide variety of patients. These patients don’t typical have access to any physical therapy services and were very grateful that we were able to help them. I learned so much from this trip about physical therapy, the healthcare system, and Belize in general! I had so much fun and I hope to go again next year!

This is my second year in a row traveling with students through Therapy Abroad to Belize to provide much needed physical therapy services to their residents. We say a wide range of ages from young children to a 100 year old! Everything is so organized and well done from lodging to the set of of our clinic, arranging activities, meals, and excursions. The students learn so much about the cultures, languages, and healthcare system in Belize and how it differs from the U.S. They also had invaluable patient care experiences.

This experience was probably one of the best experiences of my life. It was a perfect mix of giving back and receiving. We were able to see and learn so much about Belize, their way of life, and also participate in some fun leisure activities-like hiking up to the Blue Creek cave and afterwards going for a dip in the swimming hole and waterfall. We also went to a spice farm and got to taste the various spices that grew there. Another day we went to the local Cacao farm in Punta Gorda where we ground our own corn and made corn tortillas. We also ground the cacao bean and tasted them in their various stages. One day we even went to our bus driver’s sister’s house, who were kind enough to host and cater the best lunch for us! Shout out to Kenny and his family!! I was taken aback by the sense of community displayed. More than anything, it was such a rewarding experience as a grad student to be able to interact with the students and clients we met. This experience taught me SO MUCH about myself, the field of speech-language pathology, and the interactions I will be privy to working in this field. It truly was such a humbling experience and one I will keep with me always. One of my most memorable experiences was going to one of the elementary schools and there must have been about 30 little girls and boys that surrounded me, took turns telling me riddles (“Miss! Miss! Riddle me this!”), took selfies with me, and when it was time for me to go, THEY ALL gave me the biggest group hug I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of! Luckily I have pictures to forever remember that moment and those sweet kiddos! Thank you, Katie, and the team at Therapy Abroad for planning our wonderful trip and therapy sessions to a T and never missing a beat! 💛💜

This experience was unique because it was my longest trip ever (10 days) & it was the first time I took an international flight. It was also unique because I was able to really get some great insight about the culture of Belize: I interacted with communities in Belize, was able to partake in some of the things common in their culture like making fresh tortillas, making chocolate. I got to see how some people in Belize live. I am so glad that my observation hours were complete, because that gave me the opportunity to actually provide therapy & I loved providing therapy. It was intimidating at first, but Mrs Carter and Mrs Winslow really helped me to be more confident by providing materials and toys for me to use and encouraging me and jumping in to help me when I needed help. Katie was awesome, she was able to provide guidance and information on the culture of Belize. She also did a great job capturing special and unique moments of the students. She provided me with the opportunity to eat authentic food and I had so many delicious dishes that I never tried, conch was one of those foods. Our bus driver Kenny was great, his sister cooked us delicious authentic chicken, hot tamales and we even had lunch at his sisters home one day. This trip was put together very well, so thumbs up to all coordinators. Students studying any type of therapy should definitely make the sacrifice to go. This trip was nothing short of amazing. I made so many great connection with the other students as well.

I enjoyed my experience with the Therapy Abroad Program. I was able to gain clinical experience and more cultural awareness. The Therapy Abroad Program provided many opportunities for me to grow, conquer my fears, and explore the county of Belize. I was able to observe and assist with Therapy Sessions. I also enjoyed the cultural experience. We went to Blue Creek Cave, toured an archeological site, and went to a local spice farm. Katie was an amazing director. She had a lot of knowledge about the country of Belize and made this trip fun. All of these opportunities allowed me to engage with a diverse group of people. I am truly grateful for this experience and I am so happy that I went!

This is my second trip with Therapy Abroad, and it was still as fun and exciting as the first! Everyone is so kind and generous. Working with the students here builds more character and clinical skills than a simulation or class can provide. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see the world, work with amazing people, and grow in their clinical skills. These are memories I will keep close forever. If anyone is on the fence about going on this trip, take the leap of faith and have the time of your life!

I absolutely loved my experience in Belize. I got to learn a ton about doing hearing screenings and even got to do a few of my own. I also really thought that the activities were really fun, especially cave tubing because I love activities in the water. The food was also really good as well and majority of the restaurants that were selected I enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this to anybody and think that it’s a really unique and valuable experience. I truly had an amazing time and would definitely do it again.