Expat Therapy
With migration, individuals may have difficult times due to stressful life events, important social changes and the influence of the culture that the person has adopted. Trying to re-establish a life in another country, adapting to the system, finding a job and a home, and adapting to the culture can be challenging. The feeling of loneliness, change in social roles, uncertainty in cultural norms and values and the cultural shock caused by this affect individuals psychologically.
Although they come from different cultures and have different personalities and life experiences, expatriates as a group tend to have a certain set of emotional experiences and common needs. Having experience of working with migrants and being an expat myself, I am here to support you in this process.
You may be feeling these things during this process:
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Loneliness, isolation and alienation
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Loss and grief (of home, family, friends, culture, job, identity, etc)
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Cultural and language barriers
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Social barriers
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New fears and anxieties
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Paralysing or immobilising lows and depression
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Excessive frustration and anger
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Feeling emotionally
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Feelings of overwhelm
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The desire to embrace change and adventure, but finding this quite hard
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Feeling like no one understands you
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Pre-existing conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety) become worse
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Adjusting to being financially dependent on your partner or spouse
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Role changes at home