Has a recent major relocation left you feeling like a fish out of water, far from the familiarity and comforts of home and without a strong social network to rely on? Moving to another place, although exciting at first blush, can be very stressful and anxiety provoking. If you’ve relocated for your spouse’s work, the relocation experience will likely be quite different for each of you. While your spouse has a job that provides plenty of structure and opportunities for social contact throughout the day, you are charged with creating this structure for yourself and with developing social contacts on your own.
I have known first-hand the experience of being transplanted to another place (in my case from So Cal, where I had spent my whole life up until the age of 30, to São Paulo, the birthplace of my wife) and the challenges and potential rewards such a move entails. Of course, each individual’s experiences are different.
However, having worked with many expats (families brought over to a foreign country on a work contract for a multinational company) during my several years in Brazil, I’m privileged to be able to apply my unique background and experience as a therapist to helping others struggling with anxiety, stress, or sadness, stemming in part from the Brazilian expat experience.