Global Placement in Mental Health
3-week mental health and cultural immersion programme in Sri Lanka
Apply Now
24/7 Support team
Our in-country team support you throughout the trip
Exciting Volunteering opportunities
Placements in diverse mental health settings
Exploring Sri Lanka
Experience the beauty of this paradise island with its diverse landscape and multicultural population
Nearly Three Decades of Healing
The UK-Sri Lanka Trauma Group (UK-SLTG) was formed in 1996 by British and Sri Lankan expatriate mental health professionals to help Sri Lanka address the psychological consequences of civil war. Registered as a charity in England and Wales in 1999, we have spent almost 30 years raising awareness about trauma and building capacity through professional training.
Our core objective is to channel UK resources and expertise to Sri Lanka — fostering sustainable mental health infrastructure rather than short-term relief.
From the civil war era through the 2004 Tsunami, the 2019 Easter bombings, and beyond, UK-SLTG and its sister organisation Samutthāna have been a steady presence whenever crisis has threatened the island's psychological wellbeing.
Samutthāna
Established in Colombo in 2006 with the support of King's College London, the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, and a generous CAFOD/DEC grant, Samutthāna — meaning renewal and regeneration in Sanskrit — has become a transformative force in Sri Lankan mental health.
-
2006 — Centre Established Headquarters in Colombo with outposts in Jaffna, Batticaloa and Hambantota.
-
2008 — Clinical Psychology Training Helped launch Sri Lanka's first clinical psychology degree at the University of Colombo, producing more than 70 graduates to date.
-
2019 — Easter Bombings Response Every frontline psychosocial responder had completed at least one Samutthāna training — a testament to two decades of capacity building.
-
55,000+ Attendances Workshops and courses delivered across the island over nearly 20 years of operation.
-
2024 — Doctoral Placements Partnership with the University of East Anglia (UEA) Doctorate in Clinical Psychology; additional universities now seeking placements.
-
2025 — Counselling & Consulting Board-approved expansion into direct service provision, already gaining momentum.
Volunteering & Placements
We are offering a unique 3-week programme for a limited cohort of 15 students in July 2026 (provisional start date 6th July). Over the years we have facilitated more than 75 UK health professionals: doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, counsellors and therapists to volunteer in Sri Lanka, from a few weeks to six months. Building on the success of our earlier partnership with SL Volunteers, we now offer our own high-quality placement and cultural immersion programme.
Health Professional Volunteering
We facilitate short and extended placements for qualified doctors, nurses, psychologists and allied health professionals. Mutually enriching for Sri Lanka and the UK alike.
Doctoral Clinical Psychology Placements
We welcome final-year trainees on the UEA DClinPsy programme complete 12-week immersive placements at Samutthāna and partner organisations across Sri Lanka.
Cultural Immersion Programme
Drawing on years of experience, we now run our own structured 3-week placement and cultural immersion programme — combining meaningful mental health insights with rich cultural insights in Sri Lanka.
What Volunteers Say
Spending time in Sri Lanka and learning from Sri Lankan people has made me a better psychologist. It broadened both my perspective and my compassion, and showed me what is possible when knowledge, culture, and humanity come together.
This placement provided invaluable learning within a context where psychology is still developing and resources are limited. We were inspired by the passion and dedication of professionals working to enhance psychological provision across the country.
The experience deepened our understanding of how cultural beliefs, stigma, and traditional practices influence mental health care, and underscored the importance of cultural humility and community-based approaches.
Experience Sri Lanka
Download Our Placement Brochure
Download The Provisional Itinerary
Loading brochure…
We couldn't load the PDF viewer. Please download it instead.
Download PDFPrefer to read offline? Download the PDF here.
Costs
Safe and comfortable accommodation: shared twin rooms, breakfast included
Safe and comfortable airport transfers
Insight placements at schools for children with special needs, palliative care units, charity organizations, and mental health clinics
Guided visits to mental health institutions, clinics and local universities
Sightseeing tours to experience the rich and diverse multicultural landscape of Sri Lanka
Accessible round the clock support by our in-country service team
Lunch provided on all days of placements and training sessions
Yoga retreat visit
Professional development workshops
3 Week Programme
Register your interest and we'll respond to check your eligibility
Once we've confirmed you're eligible and we have places available, you'll pay a £500 GBP down-payment to secure your place.
Apply Now