The idea of living abroad can be magical. Living in a new country can be a great experience — but it can also take a significant toll on your mental health. It is more difficult to cope with the challenges because you’re on your own and the challenges you meet you never expected to be actual challenges…
But you can also end up in another country as a refugee. There you are, in another country and with all the emotional ballast that you carry with you.. what a world..
One of the goals of the Emmy Foundation is to help and encourage people on their path of life and to make (certified) Creative Psychosocial Therapy accessible for people all around the globe.
It is not always easy to find the right words to say how you are doing, how you feel, or what is going on inside you. But what cannot be said can be showed… Using art may help you find the words that can describe what is happening to you on the inside.
If you were to make a painting of how you feel expressed in a landscape, what would that landscape look like? Do you float like an ice floe on an ocean, are you one of the many trees in the middle of the jungle or that little flower in the flower garden that hardly anyone notices?
We will find words based on the image you created and will start a conversation. The image of the landscape does not only help you to find words, it also can provide insight into what is going on inside you, it can reveal needs you have and it can be used to find and practice new strategies. The landscape-exercise is one example of how images can be used to gain insight into yourself, reflect on where you are now, and find words to describe what you are experiencing, desiring or hoping for.
That is why the Emmy Foundation is offering refugees and expats Creative Psychosocial Coaching in the Schwerin region when life is not going well. We work together based on possibilities and strengths instead of focusing on all things that are not going well so that you (again) gain confidence in yourself. You will discover how to use your strengths in the challenges you encounter and learn to apply new strategies.
We do this by standing next to you, using different exercises that reveal what you encounter in your process, focusing on what is going well so that your self-confidence will increase, deepening your relationship with God, teaching you new strategies that fit you and practice them so that you can stand firmly in your life again and are able to face challenges in your life with confidence.
What does it cost?
From the vision that God gives, we as the Emmy Foundation are offering our time and effort to you for free. The Emmy Foundation offers professional Creative Psychosocial Therapy. We donate our time to people in need. Free, interdenominational and independent.
In this project, we offer a free first interview and 10 free sessions of one hour. During the first interview we will talk about your request for help, what aspects are involved and what we will focus on in the four free consults.
To be eligible for this project, there are a number of conditions and rules because although we give this project away in a limited and selective manner “for nothing”, it is not without obligation. In this way, we want to guarantee quality for both you and our organization:
- You do the homework assignments every day as agreed during the sessions.
- Failure to do homework assignments will end the project.
- At all times, the Emmy Foundation reserves the right to prematurely end the project.
- The Emmy Foundation reserves the right to determine whether the request for help is suitable for the project after the first interview.
- Yes, we offer it for free, but if you would like to make a donation to our program: Please do. Help us to help others as well.
Where possible and desirable, the relationship with God is involved in the therapy, as this can be an enormous source of strength and tranquillity. Believing in God, however, is not a condition to enrol in our free program of 10 sessions including the first interview.
Some numbers:
According to the latest claims (data from Aetna International) mental health is a growing issue for expats across the globe. In the analysis between 2014-2016, mental health claims in Europe showed the greatest increase (33 percent). Depression emerged as the most prevalent condition (50 percent increase), followed by anxiety (28 percent increase), and women between the ages of 30 and 49 were the most likely to seek treatment. In comparison, a 2018 study found that 50% of expats surveyed were at moderate or high risk of anxiety or depression. Expectations can often be on a collision course with reality.
To make matters worse, the healthcare system in your “guest country” can be particularly confusing for foreigners. Just to speak with a psychologist requires navigating a maze of appointments, referrals, and insurance inclusions.
Expats often face a multitude of new (or the arisal of pre-existing) problems.
To name just a few, expats could experience:
- Culture shock
- Depression and anxiety
- Loss of identity
- Addiction
- Unrealistic expectations
- Isolation/homesickness
- Stress of moving/adjusting
- Language
- Pre-existing mental health issues
Want to know more / do you want to make an appointment? Feel free and contact us.
