Support for life between places
I've lived and worked across several regions of the world myself, and know firsthand both how wonderful and how challenging life abroad can be. When home isn't a fixed place, finding roots and a sense of groundedness can feel elusive. It can be hard on everyone, and especially so for children and families. At the same time, it can be a wonderful opportunity for growth, an unparalleled chance to expand your horizons and open your thinking to new experiences of life.
A shared starting point
Throughout each of the moves I've personally made, I've grappled with questions about identity and growth: who am I here, what do I retain from home and what do I release, and how do I find comfort and stability while opening up to change and new opportunity. In our work together, I bring not only an academic or clinical understanding of culture shock and identity strain, but a lived one, which shapes how I listen and what I notice.
For individuals and families
I work with adults navigating life abroad on their own, and with families moving and adjusting together. For an individual, this often means the work of rebuilding a sense of self and community from scratch. A family carries that same work while also managing how a move lands differently on each person in it: a partner's isolation, a child's shifting sense of belonging, the friction of everyone adjusting on a different timeline. Much of my clinical training was at Kennedy Krieger Institute, where I focused on trauma and its impact on families. While a move doesn't need to be traumatic, its impact on the individual and family should not be ignored. A big move is a major life event that may require adjusting family structure and rethinking family roles.
Culture shock and adjustment after a move abroad
The first months abroad often bring excitement alongside exhaustion. Everyday tasks take more effort, routines have to be rebuilt, and the life you imagined can differ from the one you're living. Adjustment of this kind is common and tends to follow its own timeline. In therapy we can look at what is ordinary adjustment and what has become a heavier burden, and how it is affecting your sleep, mood, work, and relationships.
Loneliness and rebuilding community abroad
Leaving friends, family, and a familiar network can bring a persistent loneliness, even when life looks full from the outside. Friendships abroad are often short-lived because people move on, which makes it harder to settle in. We can look at what you miss, what kind of connection you want, and what makes it hard to invest in new relationships.
Relationship and family strain during an international move
A move affects each person in a couple or family differently. One partner may have a job and daily structure while the other is starting over. Parents may be stretched while children adjust on their own timeline. When these differences go unspoken, they can turn into distance or conflict. In sessions, each person gets to describe what they are experiencing, and we work on how to talk about it with each other.
Children and teens growing up between cultures
Children and adolescents often have little say in a move and a lot to adjust to: a new school, a new language, and friendships that start over. Teens may also be developing their identity while their surroundings keep changing. I work with young people and their parents on belonging, identity, and the loss of a place they were attached to.
Returning home after living abroad
Returning can be harder than people expect. Home has changed, you have changed, and others may not fully understand what the time away meant to you. Many returnees describe feeling like a visitor in their own culture. In therapy we can look at that disorientation and what you want to take with you from your time abroad.