Expat Adjustment

Moving to another country is an adventure - but it is also a profound disruption. No matter how exciting the opportunity, living abroad brings challenges that go far deeper than logistics. Whether you have relocated to Prague, Paris, Berlin, or anywhere else - if you are struggling to feel at home, you are not alone.

The hidden cost of living abroad

Many expats build wonderful lives in their new countries. But beneath the surface, many also experience a quiet struggle they don't always talk about: a sense of not quite belonging, missing people and places that shaped them, feeling like a different version of themselves than they were back home.

The challenges of expat life often come in waves. The initial excitement fades. Cultural differences that seemed charming start to feel isolating. Friendships are harder to build - and the ones you do build can feel less deep than those you left behind. Bureaucracy in a foreign language is exhausting. And the biggest question creeps in: Was this the right decision?

More than "culture shock"

What expats experience goes well beyond the textbook notion of culture shock. It touches on identity, belonging, attachment, and loss. When you move abroad, you lose your social scaffolding - the network of relationships, routines, and reference points that helped you know who you are. Rebuilding that from scratch, while navigating a new culture, is genuinely demanding psychological work.

And it doesn't only happen once. Many expats move several times - from one country to the next. Each move brings a new round of adjustment, and the cumulative effect can be significant. You may feel exhausted from constantly starting over, or wonder why it doesn't get easier even though you've "done this before."

Why I understand this from the inside

This is not just professional knowledge for me - it is personal experience. I grew up in Germany, lived in France for many years, and eventually moved to Prague. I know what it means to leave behind everything familiar - more than once. I know the disorientation, the loneliness, the moments of questioning, and also the richness that comes from building a life across cultures.

This lived experience shapes how I work as a therapist. When you tell me about the challenges of being an expat, I don't just understand it theoretically - I have felt it myself. That makes a difference in the therapeutic relationship.

How therapy helps

In person-centred therapy, we don't work with a manual. We work with you - your specific experience of living abroad, your unique history, and the feelings that arise when your familiar world has been replaced by something new. The therapeutic relationship itself often becomes a first anchor of genuine connection in your new life.

The difficulties of relocation are not signs of weakness - they are a natural response to a massive life change. Carl Rogers showed that people find their way when they feel truly heard and accepted. That is what I offer.

Sessions across borders

I offer sessions in English, German, and French - in person at my practice in Prague or online. Online therapy means I can support you wherever you are in the world. Whether you have just arrived in a new country or have been abroad for years and still feel unsettled, you are welcome to reach out.