Study Counseling Abroad
Explore opportunities to study counseling abroad at Mercer
Mercer University’s College of Professional Advancement offers counseling students the opportunity to study counseling abroad through experiential service-learning. These immersive programs blend global cultural engagement with hands-on learning, giving students opportunities to explore wellness, trauma-informed care, and narrative therapy across different parts of the world. These short-term international experiences provide an opportunity to broaden your perspective, expand your counseling practice, and grow personally and professionally.
Bali
Explore holistic wellness through the lens of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of health and gain insights from Balinese culture and traditions.
Rwanda
Participate in a Mercer On Mission trip to Rwanda and work alongside faculty to train local volunteers in a group trauma therapy model based on narrative therapy.
Holland and Paris
Gain a new perspective on how culture and story shape mental health and identity in Holland and Paris.
Bali
In Bali, counseling students explore holistic wellness through the lens of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of health and gain insights from Balinese culture and traditions. The immersive journey includes engaging in wellness practices like yoga, meditation, nutrition, language learning, and community gardening. Students stay with Balinese families in traditional homestays—an enriching experience that further cultivates cultural immersion.
During the trip students also enjoy:
- Engaging with traditional healers and community leaders
- Experiencing ceremonial traditions, playing gamelan music, enjoying traditional cuisines
- Visiting the PKP community Women’s Center and learning how gardening, sewing, and outreach bring healing to the community
- Participating in guided meditation and relaxation techniques
- Learning about Balinese Hinduism, including visiting the Pura Tirta Empul and Tanah Lot, and how spirituality is integrated into every aspect of daily life
- Reflecting on wellness through a photo voice participatory research project exploring the impacts of cultural immersion on wellness on aspects of mental health
This journey expands students’ understanding of spirituality and its role in mental health and well-being. Students learned how spiritual practices can support clients and offer insight into how they might be thoughtfully integrated into counseling practice.
Rwanda
Counseling students may participate in a Mercer On Mission trip to Rwanda and work alongside faculty to train local volunteers in a group trauma therapy model based on narrative therapy. This experience is deeply meaningful both professionally and personally, offering a chance to contribute to long-term community healing following the 1994 genocide. Students earn six course credit hours through this service learning experience.
During this three week trip, students:
- Learn and apply trauma-informed therapy models
- Facilitate small group sessions with local participants
- Collaborate with partners like GAERG, a genocide survivors’ organization
- Engage in cross-cultural learning alongside Mercer Business students
- Experience a cultural immersion in Rwandan culture
This powerful experience allows students to see firsthand how counseling tools can support collective healing, while also expanding their own cultural understanding and group leadership skills.
Holland and Paris
Mercer’s narrative theory course through the Center for the Study of Narrative (CSN), includes a 9-day international component in Leiden, Holland and concludes in Paris, France. Designed to accommodate working adults, this short-term experience is ideal for students who desire to study counseling abroad.
In Holland students participate in:
- An interactive counseling seminar with Stichting Counseling Nederland (SCN)
- Visits to the Museum of Ethnography and the International Court of Justice
- Discussions on global counseling practices and training models
In Paris, France, students explore how culture and story shape mental health and identity. In this rich cultural setting, students deepen their understanding of narrative therapy by reflecting on personal growth and cultural influence.
Paris highlights include visits to:
- The Eiffel Tower and Museum D’Orsay
- Notre Dame Cathedral and Luxembourg Gardens
- Hands-on exploration of culture
