Every Monday Marina meets for one free session/donation with internationals at our cultural café. From 2pm to 6pm, people can book an individual session of 45 minutes in order to talk about different facts that might be directly (or indirectly) affecting their mental health. These sessions usually look like calm conversations on a Monday afternoon, where people can share their thoughts as well as feel heard. Most of the times, one will go back home with a couple of tips and recommendations to further support its mental health.
So far, the most common topics include work or studies stress, anxiety, feelings of loneliness, uncertainty about the future, economic worries, procrastination, adapting to The Netherlands, lack of motivation, thoughts of going back to their home countries and general struggles as consequence of the pandemic.
Nonetheless, it is also common that people don’t really know what their situation is or why they even booked the appointment. Some are not feeling their best or not feeling like themselves at the moment, while others feel that they have lost a little bit their purpose.
Other common requests at the Monday’s sessions are advice, general tips and even specific answers to mental health questions. Since Marina is a healthcare psychologist, she can provide recommendations and answers based on her professional experience, clinical knowledge and scientific research.
At the ICT we are familiar with what living in a foreign country means. It can bring tons of enriching and fun experiences, but it also comes with some difficulties and not so pleasant moments. Difficult times are part of life, and we believe that with the right support, not only do we learn from them but we also build our strengths. That is why we encourage you to book a session with Marina in case you resonate with some of the above situations.
Finally, we’ve decided to post a monthly blog article on international topics: either informative articles, answering questions or general tips for your well-being. If you have a question or suggestion, we’d love to hear it from you!
See you soon,
The ICT Team