We’d love to share resources here for international workers, as we find them. Below you will find a growing list of organizations and aides which our team of writers and editors here at A Life Overseas have found helpful. This list will be updated throughout the year, and please feel free to add your own in the comment section, as well.
Counseling Resources
The Oaks “To bring emotional support and psychological treatment to missionaries and workers at home but more importantly abroad in the field at little or no cost to the missionary, worker or mission organization.”
Barnabas International “Our professionally trained staff provides counsel to missionaries, national Christian workers and their families abroad and here in the United States on matters of personal concern.”
Kay Bruner, Licensed Professional Counselor and ALOS contributor offers online counseling at a reduced rate to overseas clients. “My experience includes helping clients with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, faith shifting, pornography recovery, trauma, and abuse issues. I enjoy working with adolescents and young adults, helping to pave the way toward healthy adulthood. Having grown up overseas as well as working as a missionary for almost 20 years, I specialize in the unique issues facing Third Culture Kids, Adult Third Culture Kids, and overseas workers.”
International Therapist Directory “This site provides an increasingly comprehensive online global listing of professional mental health therapists who are familiar with the TCK and international expatriate experiences.” (Includes therapists who provide Skype and online counseling services.)
Broom Tree Refuge (Mountain View, AR, USA) Professional counselor on staff. “The mission of The Broom Tree Refuge is to help bring healing, restoration, rest and direction to the Lord’s weary or hurting laborers. Our desire is to minister to those in Christian ministry. We seek to serve small groups, families and individuals.”
Cornerstone Counseling (Chiang Mai, Thailand) “CCF primarily serves Christian workers throughout Asia as well as the people of Thailand. We provide confidential and professional counseling, consultation, and training from a Christian perspective for individuals, marriages, families, teams, and organizations.”
Tumaini (Nairobi, Kenya) “Our mission is to provide preventative and restorative mental health services and pastoral care in order to enhance missionary resilience and fruitfulness.”
Advance Global Coaching “Our AGC coaching team provides emotional and spiritual support for your important journey. We want you to be more effective and accomplish all God has for you. We have a team of professionally trained life coaches who work with individuals and couples via telephone or Skype.”
Marble Retreat (Colorado) “The mission of Marble Retreat is to help bring healing, hope and restoration to those in vocational Christian ministry and the Church at large through Christ-centered brief intensive counseling.”
“Global Counseling Network is a team of counselors with professional training and international experience that care deeply about helping you right where you are. Our priority is for you to encounter a counselor who can balance the dignity and depravity of this world and move towards the often challenging work of healing. Through our website, intake specialists, and counselors, we hope to create a safe space for you.”
The Well International (Chiang Mai, Thailand) The Well International serves cross-cultural workers in Asia and around the world through Clinical Counselling, Pastoral Care, Training and Events. We are a Christian, donor funded organization based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
living well (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) Our clinical and pastoral counselors offer counseling, pastoral care, and a variety of trainings and events. We also offer week-long counseling intensives for couples or individuals.
Far and Wide Therapy is an online, Skype™ based service. “I am a Christian Clinical Psychologist with personal and professional experience of missions, providing online therapy, supervision and member care. I have particular experience and interest in helping people struggling with loss, disappointment and transition.”
Remote Access Mental Health (Seattle) “My vision is to see globally mobile people thrive no matter where they choose to live or are stationed. My mission is to provide support for this unique population, who might otherwise lack access, with on-line professional mental health counseling.”
ALONGSIDE is a professional counseling ministry in a retreat format for missionaries and pastors desiring renewal and restoration. ALONGSIDE offers 3-week retreat programs specifically designed to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of Christian leaders who find themselves going through a difficult season of life and ministry.
Re-entry and Debriefing Resources
Other names for debriefing include: home assignment, re-entry counseling, member care, and processing for repatriation.
Answer the Call Ministries (Santa Lucia, Honduras)
Barnabas International (various locations in the US)
Center for Intercultural Training Union Mills, North Carolina.
Christian Training Center International at The Inn (Franklin, North Carolina, USA)
Emmaus Encounter Our Mission: To provide a safe place for men and women of the Christian faith to process events of the past, so that they may grow emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and move forward in health. (Lakeside, Montana)
From Mission to Mission (various locations in the US)
Le Rucher (Tutegny, France)
Life Impact (various locations around the world)
Link Care Center (various locations around the world)
MissionPREP (Cambridge, Ontario, Canada)
Missionary Resources Connection (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)
Mission Training International (Palmer Lake, Colorado, USA)
Missionary Health Institute (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Paracletos (Aurora, Indiana, USA)
Penhurst Retreat Centre (Penhurst, Battle, UK)
Safe Place “Safe Place provides guidance, counsel and care to those who serve in Christian ministry of any definition. We offer counsel in the field for acute crisis situations, as well as training and well-person visits to the field and in the United States in an in-home setting in rural PA.”
The Rest Initiative (Maitland, Florida, USA)
TEAM (various locations around the world)
Thrive, empowering global women (various locations around the world)
TRAIN International (Joplin, Missouri, USA)
Online
Language Learning
Wheaton College Institute for Cross-cultural Training
Through on-campus and online courses, special workshops, publications and consulting, we focus on these three key areas:
- Skills for learning a new language
- Practical help for those who work with on-field language and culture learners
- Preparation for teaching English to speakers of other languages
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In the comments section below, please share additional links and recommendations to resources in the area of counseling, debriefing, repatriation or re-entry, member care, processing for home assignment, or other related needs. We would love to build a comprehensive list of resources around the globe. You can also check out our recommended reading list for overseas workers here.