"I didn't give my children a hometown, but I gave them the world." -Tery Anne Wilson
Are you concerned about raising your kids abroad? Looking to re-evaluate your parenting approach?
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Expat children, despite benefits like flexibility and early independence, face higher rates of emotional abuse, parental mental illness, and adverse childhood experiences linked to poor outcomes such as substance abuse, STDs, diabetes, and suicide.
Although this is concerning, there are effective strategies to help your children transform their international experiences into lasting benefits for their adult life.
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Work with me in 1.5-hour sessions via Zoom to:
Develop preventative care strategies for your expat kids. I call on years of first-hand experience, and training specific to expat kid care, to help you develop tailored preventative care strategies.
Get practical information. There are some fantastic resources written by people I know and respect about moving abroad and thriving in new environments with your kids. I've trained with some of the authors and I recommend their books.  What I offer is something different: a tailored approach to reviewing your parenting style and identity and using an evidence-based approach to help you create psychological flexibility and get your parenting "act together". You'll also get practical knowledge to help you effectively problem-solve and parent in a foreign context.
Keep chaos at bay while deepening your connection with your kids. Learn, step-by-step, how to use collaborative problem-solving with your kids.
Cultivate psychological flexibility so you can make the changes that lead you to become the parent you want to be. My approach to psychological flexibility uses proven, evidence-based techniques that train you to focus your attention and energy on what you value, even when life gets a bit overwhelming. We'll work together to make you more and more skilled at using this flexibility to bring you greater and greater satisfaction in your life -- and to make your kids’ experience abroad that much better!
As if parenting isn't hard enough...
Raising my own family abroad is what drew me into the world of mental health for the expat community. It is my passion; so much so that I am launching another service - The Expat Dad - dedicated to sturdy expat parenting.
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Expat children are both privileged and vulnerable. On the one hand, research shows that expat kids are more likely to display characteristics such as flexibility, a broad world view, high achievement, creative thinking, empathy, and early independence and maturity.
On the other hand, that same research shows that expat kids suffer 3 - 4 times the amount of emotional abuse and neglect than their domestic counterparts, and their parents suffer more than double the incidence of mental illness. Overall, expat kids are almost twice as likely to have problematic Adverse Childhood Experience scores (4 or greater), which the CDC links to dramatically higher incidence of a wide array of poor outcomes, including substance abuse, STDs, diabetes and suicide.
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With that said, the vast majority of expat kids say they really enjoyed the way they grew up. But it takes awareness and effort on your part.
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Sturdy expat parenting provides the preventative care that allows your kids to turn the challenges and opportunities they've had abroad into a secure advantage in their adult life. We will use a variety of tactics that call upon my specialized training from the ICF's program for Child & Adolescent Development and Parenting Coaching and TCK Training's Expat Family Debriefing to develop a sturdy expat parenting approach that works for your unique situation..
Please note: If this alarmed you and you can't afford me at the moment, let me assure you that your kids are in no way doomed! While I offer a tailored service, there are many good books on raising expat kids abroad that you can find on my resources pages. I know these authors and have read their books; they know what they are talking about. There are also wonderful communities, like Families in Global Transition, an organization I volunteer for, where you can find like-minded individuals. I am also more than happy to use a 15-minute introduction call to give you a nudge towards additional resources, even if you have no intention of working further with me.
Finally if you are a refugee struggling with parenting, I keep five slots a week for people in your position, which are free of charge. My family has been there, so I'll be there for you.
In the end, all your kid needs is a dedicated parent like you. Book a 15-minute chat for more information.