Contributed by Naomi Taylor Most conversations about adult child relationships focus on estrangement. But there is another reality that many parents quietly live with. The relationship has not ended. Yet the contact itself has become distressing, unpredictable, or even frightening. Some parents describe living in a constant state of tension. Phone calls escalate into accusations. […]
Contributed by Scott Graybow, PhD, LCSW Feelings of loss emerge from shifting circumstances. Leaving our country of origin is one example of a change that constitutes a significant and deeply meaningful loss. It means adapting to new challenges and accepting the reality they impose. Inevitably, we experience strong and complex reactions about this loss: pleasant, […]
Contributed by Maike Batista Introduction Not all anxiety manifests through crises, panic attacks, or visible emotional distress. There is a quieter, more discreet, and highly functional form of anxiety, which leads many people to live with it without recognizing it as an emotional issue. This type of anxiety often hides behind constant productivity, excessive responsibility, […]
Contributed by Michelle Goldsmith, MS, MNCPS (Acc.) Finding Belonging When the World Feels Unstable For many queer expats and Third Culture Kids (TCKs), belonging has never been simple. In recent years, it has become something else entirely: precarious. Across the world, LGBTQIA+ rights are shifting–sometimes quietly, sometimes violently. Laws change. Visas tighten. Protections disappear. What […]
Contributed by Christy Carmean When I completed my degree in Education, my training equipped me with classroom management strategies, how to accommodate for different learning styles, as well as many skills for content incorporation. I practiced minimizing distractions and utilizing technology in the classroom. I creatively prepared attractive and interactive bulletin boards and taught for […]
Contributed by Melanie Ukosakul, MA, LMHC, SEP TCK (Third-culture-kid) grief is one of those things that can be hard to synthesize, because it was formed across many places rather than one. There was no single moment to grieve, only a quiet layering of too many goodbyes. It’s a feeling, it is a process, it can […]
Contributed by Laura Garrett, LPC, CAS ADHD is a difference in how the brain organizes, plans, and regulates attention, energy, and emotion. It’s a wiring style that thinks in fast connections rather than straight lines, moves between ideas quickly, and engages best when something feels meaningful, interesting, or urgent. This wiring brings real strengths—creativity, insight, […]
Contributed by: Liana Dugaro Growing up between cultures often means living with both richness and complexity. My own story began in northeastern Italy, where my parents belonged to the Slovene minority. This community, historically repressed – especially from the times of the Fascist regime on – carried the weight of cultural silencing. At home, I […]
Contributed by Sharmeela P. If you have moved countries, grown up between cultures, or carry a family history of migration, therapy can feel strangely foreign. As a French–Indian therapist who has lived and worked across Europe and the Gulf, I have met many clients whose lives do not fit neatly into one passport or cultural […]
Contributed by Jey Kirouac Being a TCK, Living Abroad, and Finding Your Own Inner Home There’s a unique kind of complexity that comes with growing up between cultures — the mix of adaptability, confusion, resilience, and invisible grief that often follows us into adulthood. I know this experience intimately. Not only because I work with […]
Contributed by Nikolas Ragiadakos, MA Moving to a new country can be exciting and full of opportunities for new experiences. A lot of things can feel different from our native culture and can lead to discoveries regarding the local way of life, food, how to communicate with others, values, and rituals. But being an expat sometimes may feel alienating and isolating. […]
Contributed by: Laura Mannucci, Licensed Psychologist The term Third Culture Kid was coined in the 1950s by American sociologist Ruth Hill Useem, who studied the children of American expatriates living in India. Useem noticed that these children did not fully belong to their parents’ home culture, nor to the host country’s culture. Instead, they developed […]
Contributed by Rachel Moore, LICSW A few months ago, I was talking with an eight-year-old boy when I mentioned that I was an immigrant. He looked at me with surprise, shook his head, and exclaimed, “No you’re not!” and laughed. Curious, I asked him why he thought that. His reply: “You don’t look like an […]
Contributed by Latisha O’Connor, LCSW, PMH-C The path to parenthood is a transformative one, often filled with anticipation, joy, and love, as well as unexpected challenges. For those embarking on this journey as expatriates, these challenges can be amplified by cultural differences, host country stigma, geographical distances from support networks, language barriers, lack of/accessibility to […]
Contributed by Brad Waters, MAMFT I recently relocated from the United States back to East Asia with my family. I use the word “back” simply because I have called Japan home for over fifteen years. That is all my children had ever known, having been born and raised there – until we moved to the […]