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Why I feel I can relate to Expats • I    am    born    and    raised    in    Switzerland,    and    I have   lived   in   the   U.S.   for   ten   years,   including acquiring   a   U.S.   citizenship.   I   am   familiar   with the   types   of   difficulties   that   one   is   faced   living in   a   foreign   country.   Furthermore,   living   with my    American    wife    and    raising    a    binational daughter   makes   it   easy   for   me   to   empathize for the Expat cause. • I    have    worked    in    an    Expat environment    in    Switzerland since      2004      as      a      music teacher              at              Zurich International       School,       and since           2016           as           a Psychotherapist     for     a     big international company. The challenges Expats face Making    the    decision    to    leave    home    and    start something   completely   new   is   usually   the   easiest part   of   the   adventure.   Arriving   here   and   getting started     with     apartment,     getting     to     know     the environment,    learning    the    language,    etc.,    is    also still    pretty    much    a    situation    most    people    can handle   well.   But   once   the   first   excitement   of   living in    a    new    place    has    worn    off,    once    you    start realizing   how   it   feels   to   not   have   your   family   and friends    around,    things    are    getting    more    real.    A person    might    experience    some    of    the    following aspects: • Doubts if the decision to leave home was right, including leaving a great job or intact job chances behind • Loneliness, isolation, home sickness • Finding yourself in a different (worse) place on the job market, because your education is not valued the same way here than back home • Feeling jealous or angry towards your partner who has a job (while being unemployed) • Loss of identity, feeling of not being able to "fit in" • Feeling of worthlessness, emptyness and sadness • Depression symptoms such as sleeping problems, loss of joy and interests and energy, feelings of guilt, self-blame, disappointment, loss of appetite or suicidality • Anxiety symptoms such as increased tension, unable to relax, irritable, lightheaded, difficulty breathing, worrying/always expecting the worst, etc. • Reccurring thoughts about important life decisions How can therapy/counselling help? Strong   emotions   tend   to   get   in   the   way   of   good judgement.    As    a    therapist,    I    can    help    you    sort through   unresolved   issues   and   emotions   in   order to     facilitate     taking     the     big     pending     decisions afterwards.   Sometimes,   you   might   need   additional time    (and    guidance)    to    work    through    a    difficult experience. I   believe   that   you   will   have   to   reinvent   yourself   in   a new   culture   and   environment.   Finding   new   friends, activities,   a   niche   where   you   fit   in,   and   maybe   you will   learn   a   new   language   -   all   these   factors   will contribute to getting your "old self" back. Helpful links • http://www.expatica.com/ch lots of infos about Switzerland (and other countries) • https://www.ch.ch/en/ - everything about Switzerland (work, driving license, politics, naturalization, self-empolyment, marriage, taxes, holidays, etc.) • School holidays for your local area  • www.internations.org - Connect with other expats in your city and join local events and groups of interest • www.helloswitzerland.ch - a great useful online directory • facebook.com/groups/283000505181699 - Mumpreneurs Bern, Basel, Fribourg, Zurich or the rest of German speaking Switzerland • facebook.com/groups/englishspeakingmum - English Speaking Mums in Switzerland

Learn more about my specializations: • Gestalt therapy • Trauma therapy • Somatic Experiencing • Asperger’s syndrome • Addiction therapy • Expat issues • High sensitivity (HSP) • EMDR • NARM