Studying in another country can be an exciting and formative experience. It can bring independence, new friendships, new perspectives and the opportunity to discover different ways of living and thinking.

At the same time, being an international student can involve a particular combination of opportunities and challenges. You may be building a life in a new country while remaining connected to the people, culture and places you come from. You may also be making important decisions about your future at a time when you are still discovering who you are and what you want.

Psychological support can provide a space to reflect on these experiences, understand what may be difficult and explore the direction you would like your life to take.

 

When studying abroad becomes difficult

You may be looking for psychological support because:

• you are struggling to adjust to life in a new country or university;

• you feel homesick or miss your family, friends, language or familiar ways of living;

• you feel lonely or find it difficult to build meaningful connections;

• you are experiencing anxiety, stress, low mood or emotional exhaustion;

• you are finding it difficult to balance academic demands with your personal life;

• you feel uncertain about your future or overwhelmed by the decisions ahead;

• you are unsure whether to continue your studies, start your career or return home;

• you are considering where you would like to build your future and find the decision difficult;

• you are experiencing changes in how you see yourself and your identity;

• you are navigating cultural differences in friendships, relationships, university or everyday life;

• you are finding independence both exciting and difficult;

• you feel that you are living between different worlds without feeling completely at home in any of them.

Sometimes there is no single identifiable problem. You may simply feel unsettled, overwhelmed or unsure about what comes next.

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Between independence and dependence

Moving abroad often brings a new kind of independence. You may suddenly be responsible for decisions that you previously shared with or received support with from your family, from everyday practical matters to choices about relationships, studies and your future.

This independence can feel liberating, but it can also bring uncertainty and pressure.

At the same time, becoming more independent does not necessarily mean becoming less connected to your family or your origins. You may remain emotionally, financially or practically connected to your family while developing a life of your own in another country.

Finding a balance between these two needs can be an important part of becoming an adult.

Therapy can provide a space to explore what independence means to you, which forms of support you want to maintain and where you would like to develop greater autonomy.

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Deciding where your future belongs

For many international students, studying abroad eventually leads to difficult questions about what comes next.

You may have the possibility of continuing your studies, starting a career or building relationships in the country where you currently live. At the same time, important people and parts of your life may be elsewhere.

Choosing where to live can therefore feel like much more than a practical or professional decision.

You may find yourself balancing:

• career and educational opportunities against proximity to family and friends;

• professional ambitions against relationships and personal commitments;

• the life you are building abroad against the possibility of returning home;

• financial or academic opportunities against your sense of belonging;

• what you want for yourself against what others may expect from you.

Sometimes there is no clear or perfect choice. Psychological support can help you understand what matters to you, tolerate uncertainty and make decisions that feel more genuinely your own.

 

Living between cultures

International students often find themselves navigating different cultural expectations at the same time.

Ways of communicating, making friends, studying, interacting with professors, expressing disagreement or establishing boundaries can vary significantly between countries and cultures.

You may also notice differences in how people approach work, independence, relationships, gender roles or social life.

Sometimes these differences are stimulating and enriching. At other times, constantly adapting can become tiring or leave you questioning yourself.

You may find yourself changing the way you communicate depending on who you are with, or wondering whether a behaviour that feels natural to you is perceived differently in your new environment.

Therapy can offer a space to explore these experiences without assuming that one way of doing things is necessarily better than another.

 

Changes in identity

Living abroad can change the way you understand yourself.

You may discover new aspects of your personality, values and interests, while becoming more aware of aspects of your upbringing that you had previously taken for granted.

You may also find that you feel different when you return home. Experiences that have become normal for you may no longer feel familiar to the people around you, while parts of your previous life may no longer fit in quite the same way.

For some people, this can create a feeling of being somewhere "in between": no longer exactly the person they were before leaving, but not yet sure who they are becoming.

These changes can be an important part of growing into adulthood. They can also bring confusion, uncertainty or a sense of not completely belonging anywhere.

Therapy can provide a space to make sense of these changes and develop a more integrated sense of who you are.

 

Building a life between places

Living abroad often means that your life is spread across different places.

You may have friends and family in your country of origin, new relationships in Milan, and other important connections in different cities or countries. You may find yourself moving between different social worlds, languages and ways of relating.

At times, this can feel enriching and give you a strong sense of belonging to more than one place. At other times, it can feel difficult to know where "home" is, or where you want to build your future.

You may be trying to maintain important connections with the people and places you come from while also developing a life that feels increasingly your own.

Therapy can offer a space to explore these different attachments, the changes they may bring, and what it means for you to create a sense of belonging across places and relationships.

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A space to explore your own direction

I have personal experience of living abroad and of being part of a multicultural family, and I have worked with people from different countries and cultural backgrounds, including international students, expats and immigrants.

I understand that living abroad can bring both significant resources and significant challenges. My aim is not to interpret every difficulty through the lens of culture, but to remain attentive to the ways in which cultural background, personal history, relationships and the experience of living abroad may interact with what you are experiencing now.

Therapy can be a space where you do not have to immediately know what your future should look like. We can instead explore what you are experiencing, what matters to you and what kind of life you would like to build.

Sessions can take place in English, Italian or French.

 

Sessions are available in person in Milan (Isola or Centrale) or online.

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Fee: €75 per 50-minute session.

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If you would like to explore whether psychological support could be useful for you, you are welcome to get in touch for an initial, no-obligation conversation or book a first session directly.