Study global mental health through immersive, ethically grounded programs that explore mental health systems, well-being, and care across diverse global contexts in Africa and Southeast Asia.
GEI’s Global Mental Health track is offered through a small number of structured program formats, each available in multiple destinations. Choose the format that fits your goals, then explore where you can study.
GLOBAL FIELD ENGAGEMENT
An intensive introduction to global mental health focused on well-being, care systems, and cultural understandings of mental health. Students explore how mental health is shaped by social context, policy, and access to care through site visits and guided learning.
GLOBAL PRACTICUM
A focused, applied program for students seeking deeper engagement with mental health systems and organizations. The practicum emphasizes learning from practitioners, systems-level analysis, and ethical reflection rather than clinical practice.
SUMMER
A combined academic experience integrating short-term field engagement and practicum-style learning. Designed for students seeking sustained immersion in mental health policy, systems, and culturally grounded approaches to care.
INTERNSHIPS
Customized internship placements aligned with mental health–related interests, designed in collaboration with organizations working in policy, advocacy, research, or community-based mental health initiatives.
GEI’s Global Mental Health track examines mental health and well-being through social, cultural, and systems-based lenses. Programs emphasize understanding how mental health is shaped by history, culture, policy, and access to resources rather than focusing on individual treatment or intervention.
Learning takes place through ethically grounded engagement with mental health professionals, organizations, and institutions. Students are encouraged to approach global mental health with humility, critical awareness, and respect for local knowledge and care practices.
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Regional expertise: Long-standing presence and partnerships across Africa and Southeast Asia.
- Ethical & reciprocal engagement: Programs emphasize responsibility, cultural humility, and respect for local mental health practices.
- Experiential, field-based learning: Academic content is integrated with site visits, practitioner engagement, and guided reflection.
- Academic rigor & credit support: Credit-bearing programs supported by GEI’s U.S.-based school of record.
- Global mental health systems and policy
- Cultural understandings of mental health and well-being
- Access to care and equity
Community-based mental health approaches
- Ethics, power, and positionality in mental health work
- Prevention, promotion, and systems-level responses
Global Mental Health programs are offered in multiple countries, each providing a distinct learning context shaped by culture, health systems, and approaches to well-being.
- Ghana: Community mental health initiatives and policy frameworks in West African contexts
- Kenya: Community-based mental health initiatives and NGO engagement
- Rwanda: Mental health, inequality, and policy in diverse urban settings
- South Africa: Mental health, inequality, and policy in diverse urban settings
- Thailand: Community well-being and culturally grounded mental health approaches
- Vietnam: Mental health care in rapidly changing social and economic contexts
The Global Mental Health track is well-suited for students interested in psychology, public health, social work, anthropology, policy, or related fields. Many participants use these programs to deepen academic understanding, develop cultural competence, and prepare for further study or careers related to mental health and well-being.
