Seeking help is not an easy step.

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It involves becoming aware, at least partially, of a form of psychological distress, which can be difficult to accept.

• You, or your child, may be experiencing difficulties in your personal life or at work.

• You might want to investigate the deeper meaning of existence, or simply to become more aware of yourself and your limitations, in order to find joy and freedom. 

• You may be an expatriate facing cultural misunderstandings, the distance from loved ones, or feelings of homesickness. My own similar experience of relocation—combined with the ability to speak in your native language and share cultural references—will make your therapy more fluid and exhaustive, helping yourself regain clarity and confidence, and help your child feel secure and adapt more easily to her new environment.​

• We naturally tend to minimize anything that doesn’t seem like a “real illness,” to think it will pass on its own, to overestimate our strength. It’s also not easy to accept help from someone we don’t know, when our instinct is often to first talk to those close to us—family, friends. And yet, despite their good intentions and willingness to listen, loved ones are often not the best suited to help. Psychological issues require unbiased listening and emotional distance, which loved ones cannot provide, and which calls for the help of a professional: a psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst.

 

Overcoming these initial obstacles is difficult, but if you’ve decided to seek help, that’s a strong beginning.

 

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