We all need a safe place to express how we’re actually feeling.
I’ve been there. Living abroad in Moscow for seven years and spending a year in Prague, it can feel disorientating adapting to a new place as an expat. I’ve experienced navigating a different culture, an unfamiliar city and coming back changed by it. Not to mention the added career pressures of a new job opportunity.
Or are these feelings something you’re experiencing regardless of a big move? On the surface, everything appears to be going well, but underneath you’re desperately trying to keep the momentum going while figuring out this off-centre feeling.
If any of this resonates with you, I may be the ideal sounding board for you to express where you are and where you want to go while steering a clouded and uncertain mindset.
Our sessions will help to balance calm with clarity to navigate confusion. As a person-centred therapist, you’re the expert, and I’m here to support you in finding your own answers without prescribing solutions. Whether this is feeling isolated, uncertain, stuck, annoyed or generally feeling like something isn’t right.
Tom McDonald – MBACP
ABOUT TOM
Rebalancing
calm with clarity
I’m Tom McDonald, a qualified counsellor (MBACP) who knows how it feels to be torn about your own feelings after making a move abroad, and progress your career.
Beyond my psychotherapy education and qualifications, I’m a chartered accountant dedicated to working through problems and solutions. Committed to real, long-term work, I’m also a dedicated volunteer with STARS Dorset to work with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Taking a psychodynamic approach, we look at how childhood experiences shape unconscious behaviour in the present so you can understand why you’re where you’re at and gently come to an effective solution for it.
Tom McDonald, Qualified MBACP
I’m able to accept my own vulnerabilities and be kinder to myself instead of constantly criticising who I am.
WHO I WORK WITH
What brings you here?
It’s that old cliché. Everything on paper couldn’t look more perfect. You’ve done one of the bravest things in your life. Moved abroad, potentially starting from scratch. New job, new community, new friends, new comforts and a new home. There’s so much potential on your new life trajectory.
But there’s a hard pill to swallow, an elephant in the room that you’re trying to dismiss or bury because you feel like you shouldn’t feel this way. How you thought you would feel may not be aligning with how you actually feel. Sometimes with so much freedom comes a feeling of overwhelm and you end up feeling the opposite of free. You could even be feeling stuck or isolated.
And this isn’t a feeling limited to moving abroad. It can happen in our daily lives, distinct from big life changes. One of the by-products of being human is that there are sometimes unexplainable mismatches between what you’ve achieved, the inspirational life that everyone else sees and how you’re processing it on the inside.
Despite everything ‘going well’, there’s an unignorable feeling that tries to convince us we don’t deserve how far we’ve come, and our efforts aren’t good enough. Got a little voice inside your head that sounds familiar?
Or perhaps there are some clear circumstances that have led to this feeling. Maybe things haven’t actually worked out how you thought they would. Work stress and burnout has taken over the picture perfect vision of living abroad. Perhaps the relocation has strained your relationship.
It doesn’t have to continue to feel like this. These feelings
and circumstances can be worked through. And it may be
simpler and more accessible than you may think.
HOW I WORK
‘Therapy isn’t always for everyone.’
Is this a phrase you’ve thought of or heard people say in reference to a negative past experience?
Talking through your feelings in a secure environment is something everyone deserves.
Alternatively, maybe you’ve been too apprehensive to even begin any form of therapy or counselling service. Picking up the phone or making an appointment can feel too overwhelming, especially not knowing if you’ll get on with the therapist.
Well, if this is you, well done on making it this far and looking what’s available out there. That’s certainly a step in a good direction. I take a no pressure, open ended approach so you feel relaxed and secure enough to express what’s going on.
The sessions aren’t like something you’d find with CBT where there’s potential for worksheets and homework. There are no commitments or tie ins.
You direct the sessions. Why? Because you’re the expert in your own life. I follow how you work and communicate to ensure you get what you need from our time together.
The reality is, real change takes time and you can use these sessions to help you navigate life and your perspective on it in the most helpful way.
‘Everything in my mind is just all knotted
— this is the space to untangle the knots.’
How to start your session
The booking process is extremely simple to remove any anxiety.
Step 1
Book a free 10-minute introductory call, or book a first session directly via the calendar.
Step 2
Your first session – no payment required upfront.
Step 3
Decide together when to book the next session.
Sessions are available online globally, with flexible hours to suit different time zones.
I’m able to accept my own vulnerabilities and be kinder to myself instead of constantly criticising who I am.
Session Pricing
The first session requires no upfront payment. A free 20-minute introductory call is also available — a no-pressure way to see if we’re a good fit before committing to anything.
International
£110
per 50-minute session
Ready when you are
Let’s start
the conversation
Life feels much more manageable now, and I have a better understanding of how to navigate difficult situations.
What’s next?
If you’re wanting to be heard without judgement, I can provide a warm, online space to help untangle your feelings from where you are to where you want to be.
Not sure where to begin or what you need? I can also provide a short introductory call prior to our first session to release any pressure.