Expat & Cross-Cultural Therapy in Rotterdam

The Expat Experience

Moving to a new country involves more than logistics. It means rebuilding your life without the familiar anchors of home: your support network, cultural reference points, the ease of knowing how things work. Even positive relocations involve loss and adjustment.

As someone who has lived in Turkey, Canada, the US, Germany, and the Netherlands, and who has researched migration psychology academically, I understand these challenges personally and professionally. I know what it means to feel like you don't fully belong anywhere, to hold relationships across cultural divides, and to constantly translate between versions of yourself.

Challenges Expats Often Face

• Identity questions - Who am I when I'm not in my home culture? How do I integrate new influences while staying connected to my roots?
• Grief and loss - Missing family, friends, familiar places, the person you were "back home"
• Cultural adjustment - Navigating unwritten rules, different communication styles, feeling like an outsider
• Relationship strain - Maintaining long-distance relationships, building new connections, couples navigating relocation differently
• Career challenges - Professional identity in a new context, workplace cultural differences
• Anxiety and uncertainty - Not knowing how long you'll stay, visa stress, planning around unknowns
• Parenting across cultures - Raising children between cultures, differing family expectations
• Repatriation difficulties - The unexpected challenges of returning "home"

My Approach

I bring both personal experience and specialized training to working with expats and international clients. My academic research focused on migration psychology, and I serve on the NIP Committee for Culture and Diversity.

In therapy, cultural context isn't an afterthought. It's central to understanding your experience. We'll explore how culture shapes your expectations, your relationships, your sense of self. We'll work with the specific challenges of your situation while also addressing any underlying patterns that may have followed you across borders.

Practical Considerations

I understand that expat life comes with practical realities that affect therapy:

• Sessions available in English, Dutch, and Turkish
• Online sessions available for those who travel frequently or relocate
• No referral from a Dutch GP (huisarts) required
• If you relocate, we can continue working together online