11 Feb Why is it so important to demystify psychological help for expatriates?

I was surprised to discover the importance of the need of psychological support in the expat community. Unfortunately I was also surprised to discover how big the myths about this help still are.

Lots of expats or expats’s partners are going through several difficult life episodes emphasized by their lifestyle. Those difficult episodes are mainly due to culture shock, loss of purpose in work and life, the high uncertainty levels linked to the potential moves, the challenges to find a job for the partners, the challenge to adapt each time in a new environment, the energy needed to face all the small but oh so many changes in your daily life, the difficulty for the kids to adapt and for the parents to see their kids struggling, couple problems of all kinds, the lack of strong family and friends relations in the daily life and so on..

All of those particular topics are a drop of what the ocean of problems expats can live. From those situations can appear depression, extreme stress, chronic pain in some part or in the whole body, episodes of depression, exhaustion and burnout, generalised anxiety, feeling of loneliness, problems of identity, loss of self-confidence, loss of self-awareness, going through life in automatic mode…

It’s so important to find help to support you through all of those conditions because if you keep trying to cope on your own it, unfortunately, can become even worse, and as you maybe know the worst, the longest it takes to cure and the bigger the risk is to fall again in that condition no matter which condition it is…

Yes, but my status… or my husband/wife’s status… is the silent excuse often implicated in the non-searching of help when you feel bad. Or maybe is it.. I am a strong person and I don”t need any help to get through this, I already went through a lot worse. Going in consultation to a psychologist doesn’t mean you are sick, crazy or completely nut nut.. it just means you have taken the decision to seek help and this is a very smart and strong decision, it makes you even stronger actually because you show you are taking care of yourself. In addition, you can also consult a psychologist or a coach for purposes of self-development and prevention! Did you know that?

And, in between, who has to know? If you don’t wanna say it, it’s ok, till you will feel ready to talk about it to your family and friends or maybe not. This is up to you and this is OK. Your psychologist will never betray you as his code of ethics is very strict and guarantee your confidentiality, not only what you say but also who you are and the fact that you come to his consultation. If you are not sure about his code of ethics, even before the first appointment do not hesitate to ask, he/she will certainly be very open and happy to talk about it!