Therapy for third culture kids and multicultural families
When you have lived everywhere but belong nowhere, therapy can help you find home within yourself.
Susan Robens, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Oregon. About Susan
- Trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Certified in Somatic Trauma Therapy
Do you feel like you do not fully belong anywhere?
Maybe you grew up in one country but spent your formative years in another, or several others. Maybe your parents are from different cultures and you have spent your whole life code-switching, adapting, fitting in on the surface while feeling like a stranger underneath.
Perhaps you have returned to your passport country and found that “home” does not feel like home at all. Or you are raising children in a culture that is not your own, watching them face the same identity questions you once faced.
People around you might say “you are so lucky to have lived in all those places.” Parts of it were extraordinary. But they do not see the grief of leaving, the exhaustion of constantly adapting, the loneliness of always explaining where you are “really” from, or the quiet ache of not having roots that go deep into any one place.
I see it, because I have lived it.
A therapist who truly understands
I spent more than twenty years living abroad and raised five children across multiple countries and cultures. I have been through repatriation, culture shock, the grief of leaving communities I loved, and the disorientation of rebuilding an identity that keeps being reshaped by geography.
This is not something I learned from a textbook. It shapes how I work as a multicultural therapist with adult third culture kids, missionary kids, returning families, immigrants, refugees, and anyone who has spent significant time moving between cultural worlds. In our sessions, you will not have to explain why leaving a country you lived in for three years feels like grief. I already understand.
Children and teens, and their parents
Children and teens who move between countries often carry more than they can put into words: a lost best friend, a language that no longer fits, a new school where nobody understands their story. Younger children often show it through behavior or play, and teens through withdrawal or anger. I work with children aged 3 to 12 through play therapy and with teens through conversation, and I work with parents on how to help at home. Read more about child and teen therapy.
Returning families: moving back to the United States
Coming “home” can be one of the hardest moves of all, especially for children who have never really lived here. I help families through repatriation: settling in, making sense of mixed feelings, and holding on to the parts of their life abroad that still matter.
What we work on
- Identity: building a sense of self that honors every place and culture that has shaped you, without feeling you must choose just one
- Grief and loss: the recurring losses of a mobile life, including friendships, communities, languages and versions of yourself
- Belonging: what belonging means for you, and how to create it without depending on geography
- Transitions: moves, repatriation, and deciding where to settle
- Relationships: how a mobile life has shaped the way you connect with others, and sometimes keep your distance
- Parenting across cultures: supporting your children through the same experiences you navigated
Telehealth statewide, anywhere in Oregon
Families who have moved countries are spread across the state, so I offer sessions for teens, adults and parents by secure video anywhere in Oregon, as well as in person at my office near Tigard. To check your coverage, see insurance and fees. Read more about telehealth.
Frequently asked questions
What is a third culture kid?
A third culture kid (TCK) is someone who spent a significant part of their developmental years in a culture other than their parents’ home culture. The “third culture” is the blend of identities they create from those experiences. Adult TCKs often carry these patterns well into adulthood.
I did not grow up abroad, but I still feel caught between cultures. Can you help?
Yes. Multicultural identity challenges are not limited to people who have lived overseas. Immigrants, children of immigrants, people of mixed heritage, and anyone navigating different cultural expectations can benefit from culturally sensitive therapy.
Do you work with children and teens who have moved countries?
Yes. Children aged 3 to 12 work with me through play therapy, and teens through conversation. I also work with parents, because how the adults cope shapes how children settle.
Do you offer sessions in other languages?
Sessions are in English. I understand the experience of living and communicating in several languages, and I am comfortable working with clients whose first language is not English.
Can we meet by telehealth?
Yes, for teens, adults and parents anywhere in Oregon. Children aged 3 to 12 usually do best in person in the playroom.
Ready to talk?
You do not have to keep explaining yourself. Call 503-495-5072 or send a message to arrange a free phone consultation.
Send a message
I will get back to you to arrange a free phone consultation.
