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Chicago Loop; many international residents commute to work in the Chicago Loop, which is why Mandie Maurer Counseling and Psychotherapy is well-positioned with it's office located in Downtown Chicago.

Counseling and Psychotherapy for Expats & International Residents in Chicago and Greater Illinois 

Helping expatriates and international residents find meaning and joy in life again.

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Living an intercultural lifestyle or life overseas often comes with a great deal of unforeseen challenges.

 

Most expats and international residents who start therapy feel stuck or lost, and unsure of how to find their way forward. Perhaps you can relate; maybe your days start to blur together or you’re noticing that you complain a lot about feeling stressed, tired, and unfulfilled.

 

Stuck feeling unmotivated and down much of the time, you may feel like life is being wasted on being unhappy.

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Do you feel tired, disconnected, overwhelmed?

 

Do any of the following resonate with you?

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  • You've lost the joyful feelings that you used to have in life.

  • You are struggling with building community.

  • You are feeling disconnection or discouragement with the surrounding culture's values and customs.

  • You wake up every morning feeling stressed, tired and low.

  • You are disappointed to find that past emotional struggles have traveled with you to your new home, and may even present heightened difficulty in your new environment.

  • You know that sadness isn’t helpful but getting out of it alone seems impossible.

  • You are terribly missing your family, friends, and home.

  • You feel like you are wandering through life, feeling like something is missing or your balance is “off.”

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If these sound true for you, I want you to know that even though you may feel alone, know that many people in your circumstances need support considering the many challenges they are facing.

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Expat life seems to require us to shoulder separation from family and friends as well as to develop a high level of self-sufficiency.

 

Self-care is not an indulgence or a selfish act. In fact, it is especially important to take care of yourself if you’d like to be better able to meet such high levels of expectations in the other areas of your life.

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Therapy for expats & international residents can help you feel like your real self again.

 

It’s possible to feel better. Imagine a life where you could…

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  • Have improved attitude, mood, and productivity.

  • Create a more meaningful life based on who you are and what you desire.

  • Shift into a more positive and hopeful outlook on life.

  • Once again feel energized and motivated.

  • Gain control over mental health struggles that have traveled with you to your new location.

  • Get to the root problems and solve those instead of using band-aids.

  • Cultivate more peace and joy in your current life.

  • Gain confidence and ease in relating simultaneously to both your own culture and the new cultures around you.

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I’ve helped people struggling with feeling stressed, lonely and lost gain clarity, confidence and calm without giving up their responsibilities or successful careers. My clients discover that it’s possible to care for themselves and have a strong relationship with themselves and others while navigating new environments, challenges, and changes concurrently.

 

My name is Mandie Maurer and I am a psychotherapist and specialist in intercultural experience who is here to help.

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How therapy for expats & international residents works

 

Therapy for expats and international residents consists of 50-minute, one-on-one sessions that help you work through your concerns. In addition to listening, I will guide you towards solutions and provide guidance based on my experience and expertise in brain science, I play an active role. Here’s how it will work step-by-step:

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  1. First, I provide a safe, accepting space so that you will feel comfortable sharing your struggles with me.

  2. Through hearing your story, I will start to get a picture of what your challenges are.

  3. We will start with helping you with immediate concerns like managing difficult emotions and challenging life situations.

  4. We will also work to discover what your goals are in therapy and in life.

  5. Keeping your unique goals in mind, we’ll figure out what’s needed to help you reach them.

  6. Over the course of our sessions, you will start making progress towards the life you desire.

  7. We will have routine check-ins regarding your progress along the course of our work together.

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Research shows that therapy for expats and international residents can positively change your thinking, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. It can help you navigate your way towards the life you want for yourself. 

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Let’s get started.

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Let's work towards finding your meaning and joy in life again. During your phone consultation you can share what’s going on for you and we can explore how I can help.

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