Occupational therapists

People suffering from mental health problems are one of the most disadvantaged groups in Sri Lanka. VSO volunteers are helping develop more accessible mental health services that encourage recovery. There is a need to strengthen the pre-service education of staff delivering rehabilitation services, especially occupational therapy. An estimated 64 OTs are practising in Sri Lanka, largely within a secondary care setting, for a population with varied occupational therapy needs. To build a more flexible workforce, and improve retention and morale, University of Kelaniya is upgrading the current 2-year OT Diploma into the first ever BSc course taught in Sri Lanka. As an Occupational Therapy Lecturer at the University, you’ll play a pivotal role in launching the BSc course and guiding its initial development.

What does the role involve?

• Work with local colleagues, especially the course coordinator, within the Department for Disability Studies to support delivery of the OT BSc
• Teach and assess course units relevant to your areas of specialist interest or experience
• Support and develop clinical supervisors and assure the quality of clinical practice
• Mentor BSc students during their clinical training placements
• Work with the Sri Lanka society of Occupational Therapists to raise the profile of OT and the value of a multidisciplinary approach

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need to be a registered Occupational Therapist, with a BSc or MSc in OT from an educational institution recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. You’ll need at least 2 years’ clinical experience within the last five years, and experience of training, mentoring or developing others. Experience of formal teaching is highly desirable.

As you’ll be working closely with other lecturers at the Department and a core group of OTs, who have designed the curriculum and who will teach on selected modules, the ability to build strong working relationships is important. You’ll also need the ability to work proactively under your own initiative and adapt to a new way of living and working. Although academic colleagues and many OTs speak English, most other staff and patients have limited English, so you will need the willingness to learn some Sinhala: VSO will provide language training.

And the rest...

The University is located just outside the capital Colombo, in the ancient and historic city of Kelaniya, on the north bank of the Kelani River. The Department of Disability Studies is situated within the Faculty of Medicine, on a 35-acre campus at Ragama. You’ll be living in modest accommodation with electricity and running water. With a network of volunteers based in nearby Colombo, you’ll have no problem finding entertainment in the city.

We’ll ask you to volunteer for 24 months, to ensure the BSc is well established. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We provide extensive training before your placement, volunteering allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. NHS employees can volunteer with continued membership of the NHS pensions scheme.

People suffering from mental health problems are one of the most disadvantaged groups in Sri Lanka, with fierce social stigma and a lack of appropriate services leaving them excluded. Since the 2004 Tsunami, the imperative to offer accessible client-centred, mental healthcare has grown.

The Meedumpitiya Rehabilitation Centre is a peaceful and quiet place in the Sri Lankan hill country. The centre provides in-patient mental health care to women and is looking to improve its rehabilitative activities. Previously the centre often functioned as a long-term residence for clients rather than a rehabilitation centre. The aim is now to introduce recovery focused services that will allow clients to leave the centre and re-integrate into society. Some initiatives such as income generation projects, family meetings, referral and follow-ups are being introduced. As a mental health development worker you’ll feed into the development of existing projects and services and introduce new ones. You’ll work closely with local staff, introducing best practice in mental health care and client-centred approaches.

What does the role involve?

• Improving and developing rehabilitation activities such as income generating activities, community involvement, referral and follow up systems 
• Providing training for staff at the centre on rehabilitation therapy and other mental health issues
• Proactively working with staff and other volunteers on the planning of integrated mental health services in the province and feeding into VSO’s overall strategy to improve mental healthcare in Sri Lanka

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need to be a qualified and registered occupational therapist, psychiatric nurse or psychiatric social worker with at least three years’ experience in developing community-based mental healthcare and rehabilitation services. Good training, communication and interpersonal skills are important. You’ll also need to be patient and flexible and have realistic expectations of what can be achieved in a resource-poor and hierarchical environment. Cultural sensitivity is crucial and you need to be happy to ride a motorbike (we will provide training) and live in a remote (but beautiful) setting.

And the rest...

You’ll be based in Badulla, a hill town with a range of amenities, such as an Internet cafe, good local market and a few small supermarkets. Uva Province has some stunning rural scenery with impressive ancient religious sites, green misty hills, waterfalls and tea estates. There’s also a variety of wildlife, even in the town, especially monkeys and you might see the odd elephant wandering past your house. The climate is hot and tropical with little seasonal variations.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12-24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. NHS employees can volunteer with continued membership of the NHS pensions scheme. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

There are estimated to be as many as 150,000 disabled people in Namibia and the majority have little or no access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities. VSO is working with a range of national and regional organisations to improve the standard of living for people with disabilities and eradicate stigma and misconceptions. The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) has a main objective of improving the health status of the Namibian population through the provision of preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services. As an occupational therapist you’ll strengthen the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programme in the Kunene Region.

What does the role involve?

• Providing on-the-job training and clinical supervision to community based carers to build their skills and confidence
• Providing technical support to colleagues and advising on the development of services to support people with disabilities in their homes
• Coordinating and implementing training events and workshops for community based carers
• Networking with relevant professional groups to improve rehabilitation services in the region

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll need to be a qualified occupational therapist with a minimum of 3-5 years’ post-qualification experience, including training of others. Ideally you’ll also have previous experience in community based rehabilitation. You’ll also need to be a good team worker. Flexibility, patience and a good sense of humour are important traits in all VSO volunteers as things often either take much longer than what you are used to back home or everything happens at a moment’s notice.

And the rest...

Namibia is one of the largest and least known countries in Southern Africa, with vast landscapes, the spectacular red dunes of the Namib Desert and game-rich national parks. The Namibian climate varies from arid and semi-arid to sub-tropical with the hottest months being January and February. You’ll be based in the Kunene region in the northwest of the country. Beautiful Etosha National Park with its enormous variety of wildlife and the remote wilderness of the ‘Skeleton Coast’ are both accessible from the area.

We’ll ask you to commit to 12-24 months to make a sustainable contribution to our development goals. In return, we’ll give you comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. We'll provide you with extensive training before your placement, and our financial package includes a local living allowance, return flights, accommodation, insurance and more. NHS employees can volunteer with continued membership of the NHS pensions scheme. When you return to your home country, we'll help you to resettle and many of our returned volunteers stay involved with us long after their placement ends.

Years of civil conflict and the Tsunami have taken their toll on mental health in Sri Lanka. Stigma against mental ill-health is strong. Until recently, services were concentrated in the capital, and relied on an institutional, medical model of care. For the past 10 years, VSO volunteers have been working with partners across the mental health system, helping develop quality community-based services. Sri Lanka developed a new national mental health policy in 2005, but much work is needed to implement it. At the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre in Deltota, staff are seeking support to improve their services and start income-generation activities that will help residents recover

What does the role involve?

• Supporting staff to continue improving the management of the centre
• Supporting staff to develop care planning and discharge planning
• Training and coaching staff to improve their knowledge, skills and confidence
• Supporting staff and residents to set up income-generation activities for residents
• Supporting staff to work with families to improve reintegration and fight stigma.

Skills, qualifications and experience required

You’ll be an experienced mental health practitioner, either a community psychiatric nurse or mental health occupational therapist, with at least five years’ experience in a community setting, which should include managing and training others. You’ll need patience, flexibility, and the ability to work with a wide range of people: from vulnerable service users, to senior health officials.

And the rest...

You’ll be based in Perideniya, a small town in Central Province, and travel to the rehabilitation centre in Deltota, located in the beautiful hills of the country.  At work your support will be primarily from the medical officer in charge of the centre, in addition to peer support from other mental health volunteers working across Sri Lanka.

We’ll ask you to commit to 24 months to make a sustainable contribution to improving mental health in Sri Lanka. In return, we’ll provide you with extensive training before your placement. Our financial support includes living allowance, return flights, accommodation, health insurance, and more. NHS employees can volunteer with continued membership of the NHS pensions scheme.