Welcome, willkommen, velkommen, bienvenido!
Whether it's for working, studying, or pursuing other dreams, living abroad is an exciting and enriching experience. However, being an expat also means facing change and uncertainty.
As a long-term expatriate, psychologist and former diplomat, I can support you in exploring and clarifying those private and professional aspects of your life abroad that you find challenging.
Handling a new work culture
Despite globalization, cultural differences play a role when it comes to how work is organized and how people relate to each other. Topics like status/hierarchy, communication style, language and relationship to colleagues can create misunderstandings and frustrations. Together we will address your particular challenges and develop a strategy for you to handle cultural differences.
loneliness, Sadness and withdrawal
After living for a while in another country, the initial excitement and “boost” tends to decline. Many expats experience feelings of loneliness and sadness, and might end up in a vicious circle, where they withdraw from social life. In the coaching process we can find ways for you to break this pattern and discover the many opportunities that expat life offers.
DEciding whether to stay or go
A question that sooner or later arises for most expats, is how long they want to live where they are. For a month? Two years? Forever? This question is multi-layered and involves the central aspects of life: family, social network, career goal and finances. In the coaching process we will explore the different alternatives for you to find satisfactory answers to this question.
Personal Development and growth
Living abroad has an impact on us whether we want it or not. It contributes to our personal development and growth - perhaps to the extent that we begin to look at ourselves and our surroundings through a very different lens. Through our discussions, I can offer you a mirror in which to see the ways in which expatriot living changes you and what it means for your further development.
Personal Coaching and counsEling
In a one-on-one setting we will address any topic that you need to explore. It can be a specific problem you are trying to solve or a decision that you have to make. Or perhaps you just need a sparring partner with whom to discuss your future plans, aspirations and motivation. In all cases, I can offer you a neutral, constructive and competent way to examine your situation.
After an non-commital introductory conversation, we will decide on the themes that need to be investigated and develop a coaching process adapted to your own needs.
I offer coaching in English, German, Norwegian (Scandinavian) and Spanish.
We can either meet face to face or talk on the phone or Skype.
Workshops and Seminars
I offer workshops for groups (2-20 persons) and seminars for teams and organizations which want to address intercultural topics. Based on your needs and desired outcome I can tailor concepts with a wide range of current tools and techniques, including:
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Team Development
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Conflict Resolution
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Team Supervision
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Meeting Facilitation
The workshops and seminars can be held in English, German or Norwegian. After prior consultation workshops and seminars can also be held outside of Berlin.
I also offer organizational counseling and team development. Check out orhaugen.net.
my approach to coaching and counseling
My work is based on a psychodynamic understanding of human beings. This means that I emphasize a complete approach to each person, admitting that also the parts of us that in the first place are "below the surface" can be of importance. Sometimes the cause for a challenging situation might be different than what it appears in the first place. I therefore do not draw a sharp line between business coaching and life coaching.
Human existence is a complex mixture of social, psychological, cultural, organizational and economic factors that affect us and each other mutually. For expats this mixture can be particularly complex and difficult to handle. By changing the perspective and obtaining a “bird´s eye view” of the situation, it can become easier to sort things out and find the right path forward in a complex terrain.
The basis for a successful coaching is finally the development of a trustful relationship between coach and client. As a coach I recognize the individuality and brilliance of each client and support him or her in the process of better understanding their situation and interpreting the thoughts and emotions it produces. This insight creates a stronger foundation for both setting goals as well as developing strategies to achieve them.
I am a Norwegian expatriate (born 1976 in Elverum) and a Berlin transplant since 2011. Having worked and studied in an international environment in Norway, Spain, Mexico and Germany for more than 12 years, I have personally experienced both the pleasures and challenges of life as an expatriate.
Professional experience:
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Psychotherapist in Psycodynamic Therapy, Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Psychoanalyse und Psychotherapie Berlin (i.t.)
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Process manager at Bayer AG, Berlin
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Diplomat in the Norwegian Embassies in Mexico City and Berlin
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Civil servant in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo
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Journalist in the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Trondheim
Education:
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Certificate, Executive Psychodynamic Organizational Counseling and Coaching at IPOM, Munich
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M.A. Psychology, International Psychoanalytic University (IPU), Berlin
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B.Sc. Psychology, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Trondheim & Humboldt University, Berlin
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B.Sc. Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Trondheim & Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona
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B.A. Journalism, Oslo Metropolitan University
