Although several nations have endured a bout of election fever recently, we in little Hong Kong have enjoyed our moment in the media spotlight too. Nothing quite as grand as a full-blown general election for us however, no, ours was a much more humble affair in the form of a territory-wide district council poll, one … Read more
I was recently asked to share my experiences of working & living on the island for 16 years as an Asian. ‘Little Red Dot’, as Singapore is sometimes known, was founded in the 19th century as a British trading colony in the heart of Southeast Asia. Today it is a cosmopolitan city-state with a harmonious … Read more
Welcome to my monthly column from Tuscany. Just like most of Europe, our little bit of Tuscany is currently sodden and flooded from the deluge of rain. This has caused landslides, and non-essential traveling is not recommended. As much as we love our adopted homeland, we will never be happy about the poor infrastructure and … Read more
Well, since my last missive we appear to have become the world’s capital of protest and riot, edging out the good people of Santiago, Catalonia and Baghdad who seem intent on giving us a run for our money. But, you know, such events are intriguing as they often seem worse if viewed out of context. … Read more
Autumn in Tuscany is arguably the most beautiful season of the year. I love it! By mid-October the grapes have been harvested and the vines are taking on stripes of colour; gold, yellow, orange and red. The sun is lower in the sky and the light creates the most amazing 3D effect across the countryside, … Read more
After ten days in England, it was such a relief to get home to Beautiful Tuscany and to find that our local village of Fiano has won back the coveted banner having been victorious at the annual Calambur event! Bravi to all our lovely Italian friends who participated! This event is a bit like the … Read more
Frequently I see clients in my practice who are ESWKs (pronounced ‘eswik’) or Expat Spouses Without Kids. Although they are in an enviable position by some standards, they often tell me that their spouse is working all the time, they are lonely, and are fighting, sometimes successfully and sometimes not, the tendency to hide out … Read more
Erik Erikson, one of the foremost developmental psychologists of all time, outlined The Eight Stages of Human Development (Erikson 1950). In this seminal work he states that every human being passes through 8 stages of psychological development from birth to death. It is not the scope of this article to go into all the stages, … Read more
I am an American psychotherapist in private practice in New Delhi, working primarily with the expat community. I also work with expat couples worldwide through Skype video conferencing. Many couples come to me because they see counseling as the last stop before separation and divorce. Fewer couples call for a routine “check up” when they … Read more
As a psychotherapist in private practice with expats in New Delhi, and around the world using Skype, I have noticed what I call the perfectionist syndrome in expats the world over. First, let me distinguish between the pursuit of excellence and being a perfectionist. When I am pursuing excellence, I am happy about what I’m … Read more