ONLINE THERAPY
**I no longer provide online therapy. However, I do offer online coaching for the globally mobile community. Coaching can help you to create your best life abroad and learn strategies to effectively interact with your thoughts and feelings so that they don’t hold you back from living this life. Many expats enjoy working with me because I can understand firsthand some of the challenges that come with living a life that spans countries, cultures, and languages.
Coaching is not a substitute for therapy. If you need to work with a therapist then you’re welcome to contact me for referrals or to search the Location Independent Therapists Directory where you’ll find therapists specialized in working with international clients.
You can set up a free 15- minute consultation with me to discuss what you’d like to work on and if my approach would be a good fit for your current concerns.
Online Therapy for Expats and Global Citizens
I have my master’s degree and PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology and I have been working in the mental health field for the past 15 years. I’m originally from Seattle, Washington, USA and I lived in Madrid, Spain for 7 years before moving to Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2016.
My international training and experience working with clients from around the world, along with my own experience of living abroad, puts me in a unique opportunity to work with clients from a variety of different backgrounds.
The majority of my clients are living outside of their home country, such as expats, digital nomads, frequent travelers, third culture kids, etc. Although some of the issues we work on are specific to this population (cultural adjustment, homesickness, re-entry/repatriation/reverse culture shock, navigating intercultural relationships, etc.), many of the topics we address in therapy are more general mental health issues such as:
- anxiety
- depression
- panic attacks
- eating disorders
- body image (both women and men)
- self esteem
- emotion regulation
- healing from the end to a romantic relationship
- grief
While some people are hesitant to try online therapy, I have worked with numerous individuals who have found it to be just as effective as in-person therapy. You can learn more about why I switched to online therapy in this blog post.
Online therapy is ideal for:
- Anyone who lives in a location where in-person sessions with an English speaking therapist are not available (such as expats and location independent professionals around the world)
- Globally mobile individuals who are looking to have a therapist that they can consistently work with regardless of where in the world they’re living
- People who are planning to move abroad and who would like help in improving their emotional resiliency, mental health and well-being to be prepared for the process
- Anyone who has returned from living abroad and and is experiencing the challenges associated with the repatriation process (a.k.a ¨reverse culture shock”)
- Professionals who travel frequently and are unable to attend regular in-person sessions
- People living in Madrid or Amsterdam who would like to work with a therapist who knows firsthand the challenges that come with living in these particular cities and cultures.
You can watch check out the following video for even more reasons why people opt for online therapy.
My approach
I have experience providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I also frequently incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion into therapy. One of the first things we’ll work on in sessions is to help you to establish your therapy goals and to ensure that the treatment plan meets your individual needs and preferences.
Duration of therapy
A common question from interested clients is “how many sessions will I need?” The answer to this question varies for each client, but most clients find that a minimum of 6-12 sessions should be expected. Many clients decide to continue working with me for a longer period of time. This could be related to the concerns that originally brought them to therapy, or because during the therapy sessions they’ve discovered some additional concerns that they’d like to work on.
Throughout the therapy process I try to keep communication open with my clients and frequently check in to see if therapy still makes sense or if they’d like to reduce the frequency of sessions or end therapy. The goal of therapy is for you to thrive in your daily life without the support of the therapist.
Most clients begin with weekly sessions, at least for the first month of therapy since you will see greater progress towards your therapy goals this way. Later on, many clients then transition to every two weeks and then once per month.
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