The ITD Blog is a resource for the internationally mobile community. Have something to contribute? We welcome both Member and Guest posts.
Contributed by Christine Forte, LMHC “What if rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life, we accepted it and relaxed into it?” – Pema Chodron Wherever you are in the world, you have likely been keeping track of the news about the unfolding spread of novel coronavirus. There are so many questions: […]
Contributed by Myra Dumapias, MSW Discovering my third culture kid identity as an adult has been like a predestined romance waiting to happen before I had the language for it. Yet throughout this love affair, realized in the process of claiming a tribe, I’ve noticed a missing piece: acknowledgement about privilege variances as a tribe. […]
A highlight from this past Fall was meeting with Ray Barrett of the Telehealth Certification Institute. Ray interviewed me about the International Therapist Directory and its role in helping people find a therapist who can think internationally, holding in mind some of the cultural complexities and issues related to making extraordinary transitions that come with […]
Contributed by Dr. Jana Jenkins For most of us the end of each year leads to reflections and evaluations of the past year and thinking about what the new year will bring. This is no different for those of us who emigrated to a different country including myself. Perhaps you have always dreamt about relocating […]
Contributed by Robert Oleskevich, MA, LMFT 3 truths and 3 misunderstandings about what it’s actually like to go to therapy. Written by a licensed psychotherapist, here are some common truths and misunderstandings about what actually happens if you decide to see a mental health therapist. All too often as I’ve traveled around Asia, and especially […]
Contributed by Daniela Tomer, MA The International Therapist Directory was born to serve the needs of the internationally mobile, TCK, and expat community. Not surprisingly many of us, as therapists, are part of this internationally mobile community. Many of us believe that our own stories are powerful bridges which can help us better understand our […]
Contributed by Ruth E. Van Reken I would guess most of you listed in this directory have heard some version of the following story in your work as international therapists: You meet a new client and begin the conversation. “Good afternoon. What brings you to my office (or screen) today?” “Well, people think I have […]
Contributed by Robert Oleskevich, MA, LMFT A great trip overall, however there was one little thing that kept happening… Recently, I had the amazing good fortune of going to the Ha Giang mountains in Vietnam, on a motorbike adventure with my cousin. The views and terrain were seriously spectacular and breathtaking. This was the second […]
Contributed by Katarina Gaborova, MSc It was a lovely Dutch morning, as I was driving my older daughter to school, who was 7 at the time. On the way there, we were singing and laughing in the car at some of my “lost in translation stories” related to expat life. I dropped my girl off, […]
Contributed by Tina Quick of International Family Transitions It’s that familiar time of year again. Spring is in full bloom and difficult to voice emotions are being felt by secondary students all over the world. Graduation is looming large and with it come feelings of exhilaration, excitement, and anticipation about their upcoming adventures, but they […]
Contributed by Ava Senaratne of TCK Town, Multicultural Stories from Around the Globe I’ve had this conversation with a few times with some friends already (and you might have too): not one country really does mental health “well”. From what I’ve seen through my journey as a TCK, we still haven’t cracked the code. In […]
As I began to prepare my annual goals for curating the International Therapist Directory in early 2019, I felt a bit of a jolt run through me when I stopped and did the math, realizing that I first launched the initial version of this online resource a full decade ago. The site was much different […]
Contributed by Robert Oleskevich, MA, LMFT You’ve heard countless times about fight or flight and we all think we know what that means… but did you know that as a culture, going back generations, our nervous systems have been wired to be in fight/flight almost continuously? Our ancestors were always on guard to protect their […]
Contributed by Jennifer Patterson, MA, LMFT The first few months of living in a new country are full of excitement, discovery, and most likely a healthy dose of frustration. Adaptation, the act of adapting, is also known as adjustment to different conditions, and sets in around 6–12 months after The Big Move. Some things are […]