Psychology and Mental Health Trip Itinerary

Day 1

Depart from Montreal, Canada and arrive at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba. Check into your hotel and get your first taste of Havana by participating in a sunset tour of Old Havana with an experienced English-speaking guide from the Jose Marti Center. Enjoy a welcome dinner with your colleagues at a restaurant in Old Havana.  

(Dinner included)

Day 2

Day of engagement in Havana. Visit museums, Plaza de la Revolucion, El Morro fort, people watch at the Malecon sea wall, catch a baseball game, go salsa dancing, explore vibrant Havana neighborhoods or spend your day in Old Havana.

(B) included

Day 3

Arrive by shuttle to the Jose Marti Center, a beautiful historic colonial mansion where you will be taking your courses on Cuban mental health and social welfare. After a tour of the facility, and a welcome reception, attend a lecture focusing on the life of Jose Marti, known as the father of Cuba.  After lunch, return to the Jose Marti Center and attend lectures given by faculty from the University of Havana on specific mental health related topics. Evening at leisure after returning to your hotel

(B) (L) included

Day 4

Participate in a case conference with Cuban colleagues during a field visit to a vibrant Havana neighborhood where a mental health professional will be employed .  Mental health care in Cuba is a community focused, prevention oriented, risk assessment based endeavor and many mental health professionals are assigned to small local neighborhoods rather than agencies and work on diverse and generalized mental health issues affecting a particular community. Tour the neighborhood and assess a prospective patient and confer on the case formulation and the proposed treatment regimen. After lunch, arrive at the Jose Marti Center and attend a lecture given by faculty from the University of Havana on a specific focus area of Cuban mental health curriculum and education and visit a hospital in Havana and tour facilities therein that focus on mental health care. Evening at leisure after returning to your hotel.

(B) (L) included

Day 5

Spend the day at the historic University of Havana. The University, founded in 1728 is the oldest in Cuba and one of the oldest university in the Americas. Tour the beautiful campus in the center of the Vedado district of Havana and engage with psychiatric faculty at the Medical School, mental health social workers and students training for careers in mental health and social welfare professions. Discuss the philosophy of care and treatment in the realm of mental health care in Cuba with your professional colleagues in panel discussions. Meet leaders of student organization groups committed to social welfare and mental health issues and discuss curriculum, competencies and practical internships available to students. Late afternoon and evening at leisure after returning to your hotel.

(B) (L) included

Day 6

Visit a mental health and social welfare agency in a rural setting immediately outside Havana to view the level of care that is provided outside of an urban center.  Tour the agency with a staff member and engage in a dialogue with employees on issues and areas of concern that are worked on by the agency. Compare and contrast how such issues are addressed and attended to in the United States in rural districts. After lunch, visit a polyclinic in this region to gain knowledge and context regarding life and the level of health care in rural Cuba. Evening at leisure after returning to your hotel.

(B) (L) included

Day 7

Visit an addiction treatment facility in Havana. Tour the facility with a staff member and mental health professional and discuss different treatment options and recovery follow-up, as well as diversion and work programs.   After lunch, attend a closing reception at the Jose Marti Center and attend a Farewell Dinner in Old Havana.

(B) (L) (D) included

Day 8

Bid farewell to Havana and leave for an early morning departure to Jose Marti International Airport and catch flight to Montreal.

(B) included

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