Psychological therapy and counselling for expats by 'Skype'

 ........a flexible online therapy service to suit you

Dr Alesia Moulton-Perkins, Clinical Psychologist and CBT therapist

Living far from home can be hard, especially when it involves adapting to a new culture.

• Are you alone abroad, having recently become an expat? Perhaps you’re struggling to adapt to a new culture and find new friends.  Forcing yourself to get out and accept that party invitation or lunch date when you won’t know a single soul there isn’t easy, especially for those of us who might be a bit socially anxious! 
• Maybe your family have come with you, and you must find a decent local school for your kids, a house, set up bank accounts, and navigate the local red tape. Entering a new job often involves long hours as you learn the ropes and establish yourself. Maybe you worry and feel guilty not spending more time with your partner who has accompanied on your foreign assignment. Feeling torn wanting to look after them as well as worried about proving your worth in a new team can be exhausting!
• Or maybe you are accompanying your partner on their foreign placement. Are you then just the ‘tag along’? What about your career? Perhaps you have had to put it on hold to accompany them abroad. What’s it like finding a role for yourself when they are out at work all day?
• Maybe you have lived abroad for several years and ‘home’ is no longer your native country. You might be fluent in the local language and fully integrated into your adopted home, but even this has its special challenges: what about having kids, retiring, or when your elderly parents back home require care? Feeling torn between your adopted country and your old home is a common experience for many expats. It can present some heart-wrenching dilemmas without any easy answers.
• Are you in the process of entering your career and therefore on a professional training placement or medical rotation? The appeal of living out of hotel rooms can wear off, and eating alone at a restaurant table night after night is not much fun. Then there is the pressure of academic assignments at the same time as your clinical placement. Juggling the need to see clients, keep up with writing your patient reports and at the same time manage the academic demands of your course certainly isn’t straightforward! Working as a health professional with a busy caseload at the same time as being a ‘student’ is all the more difficult when far from home.

Finding a decent work-life balance is hard for any busy professional, but when you are far from your social network and hobbies we can find ourselves working more and more, and feeling less and less satisfied with our lives. Difficult life events such as losing a loved one, bullying at work or relationship problems can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and depression or anxiety can creep in.

Why I am particularly well-placed to help you

I understand these pressures because I’ve been there. Of course, I won’t know every circumstance and challenge you’re facing but I’d bet I’ve encountered a fair few of them! I spent several years living abroad working as a primary school teacher in international schools before returning to the UK country to work in state schools. In my mid-30s I revaluated what I wanted from my life and made a career change to psychology. I took the leap and went back to college as a mature student. I know how scary, but also exciting it can be to make a complete change of direction. After retraining as a clinical psychologist and CBT therapist I’ve never looked back, and have worked in the NHS for over 10 years. I’ve worked in NHS mental health settings, but also in general hospitals working with patients with long term physical health problems, and with stressed hospital staff in the occupational health service. I now train future clinical psychologists at the University of Surrey and see every day the struggles of professionals early in their careers. I know that while working in the health or educational sectors, here or as an ex-pat, has many advantages, it can also be hard when the magic wears off.

A way forward:  100% online and flexible

I can help you find a way forward, find meaning in what you do again. Or, if you are seeking a way out, I can work with you to discover a new beginning, a new direction that makes you feel alive again. I can help you get a better night’s sleep, concentrate better, deal with those worries, improve your mood and relationships, tame that self-critical voice that gets you down and stops you from enjoying life and realising your potential. Or maybe you want to get on top of some unhealthy habits. As a busy professional, I understand how difficult it can be to fit in time for therapy when work and family demands seem to squeeze out every last minute of the day. I can help, providing a convenient, flexible service to meet you where you are. You can even ‘Skype’ in with your mobile phone or tablet so you can have your session at any time of the day, and in any location. I work exclusively online via email, telephone, or face-to-face video calls (like ‘Skype’).

 Testimonials

“I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you so much for helping me over the last few difficult months of my life. I really couldn’t have got through it without your care and support and for that I will always be eternally grateful”

“Thank you for your invaluable expertise, kindness and generosity of spirit while equipping me with the tools to help me through an extremely difficult time in my life and beyond! You will always be remembered with affection and a smile”

“Thank you for all your support, our sessions have really made a difference. I feel much more able to cope now as you have taught me lots of strategies that I think I can use”

"I’m really pleased I went ahead with therapy... I opted to have the therapy over video phone which was great because I could fit it in my lunch hour at work, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I need to attend face to face therapy. Alesia was great. She gave me some really useful tools to take away from the sessions which really made me feel I could finally move forward. Even though we spoke over video call I still feel I was able to build a rapport with her. She was very easy going and I felt I could say everything I needed to in front of her without any judgement. I would thoroughly recommend both Alesia, and telephone therapy if you don’t have time to commit to face to face therapy."  Sarah

"If you have a busy schedule and or live in a remote location, I highly recommend online therapy with Alesia. She made it easy to settle into each session and not a single session was wasted. She actively listens and provides the help and tools needed to make improvements in mental health and life. I cannot stress how easier I find day to day activities now." Adam