• Why Janet?
• Focus: living with illness
• Focus: relocation
• Focus: parenting
• About Janet

Special focus: relocation.

Moving home can be a challenge to every single member of a family. Relocation not only affects the spouse in a new job, but also the partner with or without a job who may be responsible for settling in and stabilizing the rest of the family.

Need for support and effective communication

Making a move as a family puts a lot of pressure on that family to communicate effectively and support one another with patience and flexibility. I coach any member of a family who has concerns about an upcoming or recent move as well as the family unit as a whole. Coaching can help people adapt to a new environment with ease and personal resilience.

The transition can include:

• A sense of loss and grief of leaving family, friends and place that are familiar;
• Accompanying children may express anger and resistance toward the parents who made them move;
• Confusion or loss of identity and role in the family and new community;
• Feelings of Isolation and alienation, especially if you left a career to accompany a spouse;
• Deprivation of feelings and wishes in order to satisfy the family unit; and
• Practical difficulties in dealing with a new or sometimes foreign environment and culture.

Repatriation into your own former culture can be just as difficult. Each member of the family must progress mentally and emotionally to once again feel that they fit into their home country. There can be a sense of “reverse culture shock“ when returning to your country of origin after an extended stay.

Awareness of each other within the family unit and a willingness to discuss how life is for each person is essential. Relocation brings with it an external and internal transition period at different paces for each family member, with each person having his or her own agenda.

I provide personal or group coaching before, during and/or after the move to communicate concerns and expectations, to plan the move, set goals, provide ongoing reassessment of those goals and taking actions to make the most of the new experience. Relocation can be viewed as an opportunity for enrichment, a new adventure for the whole family and it deserves investment to ensure success. It can be a rewarding, bonding experience that enables each person to develop emotionally and personally.

Who would benefit from Relocation Coaching:

• An accompanying spouse who is trying to be supportive and make the most out of the new situation for the working partner and the family;
• A family that is about to make a transition to a new location and wants the move to be a fulfilling adventure for all and an opportunity for rediscovery and reinvention;
• A company that wants to increase the success of your employees on international assignments, by supporting the employees and accompanying partners to make a smooth transition.