A Persian-speaking psychologist abroad: why a therapist’s migration experience can matter
Migration is more than changing the country you live in. It can change things you barely noticed before leaving: your everyday language, circle of friends, professional standing, relationship with family, sense of belonging and even the image you have of yourself.
From the outside, everything may seem fine. You work or study and manage everyday responsibilities. Yet a different story may be unfolding inside: exhaustion, anxiety, loneliness, guilt towards your family, worry about the future, relationship difficulties, or a vague feeling that you no longer know exactly where you belong.
In these circumstances, finding a Persian-speaking psychologist may mean more than being able to speak more easily. For some people, it also matters that the therapist understands the lived experience of migration.
When translating words is not enough
In psychotherapy, language does more than convey information. Some experiences take a different shape in our mother tongue. When we say, “I feel a heaviness in my heart,” “I feel the loneliness of being far from home,” “I feel guilty for leaving my parents alone,” or “I never feel completely myself here,” there is more behind these sentences than their literal meaning.
You may be entirely fluent in the language of your country of residence, yet find that, when it comes to complex feelings, what you express in a second language does not quite match what you experience inside.
For further reading, see Online psychotherapy in Persian for Iranians living abroad (in Persian).
“Do you understand what migration means?”
Sometimes the issue that brings someone to therapy is not migration itself. They may seek help for anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, perfectionism or burnout. Nevertheless, migration can form the background to many of these experiences.
Someone who used to feel independent and successful may need help with simple administrative tasks after moving. A person with an established professional position may suddenly have to start again at an entry level. Someone who was always close to family may now be thousands of kilometres away during an illness or family crisis.
Even positive developments can bring conflicting feelings: “I have a better life here, so why am I not happy?” or “If I stay, have I abandoned my family?” These conflicts do not necessarily indicate a disorder. They can be part of the complex process of adapting to major changes in life.
How might a therapist’s migration experience help?
A therapist who has personally experienced migration may recognise certain layers of this life more readily: distance from family, building a social network from scratch, living in a second language, changing family roles, and belonging to more than one place.
However, migration experience alone does not make someone the right therapist. Shared experience is valuable when it is combined with professional training, listening without assumptions, evidence-based methods, and attention to each client’s unique experience.
If you are choosing a therapist, How can I find a Persian-speaking therapist? (in Persian) offers more practical criteria for your decision.
Migration does not always show up as homesickness
People do not always say, “I am struggling with migration.” Instead, they may say, “I am always tired,” “My concentration is not what it used to be,” “I lose my temper easily,” “I have withdrawn from people,” or “I am constantly worried about the future.” The sustained pressure of adapting can affect sleep, concentration, mood, relationships and the sense of being capable.
To reflect on how migration-related pressures may be affecting you now, you can try the migration-related burnout self-reflection.
If worry and anxiety are a more prominent part of your experience, the GAD-7 anxiety screening can offer an initial indication. These tools do not replace professional diagnosis.
Do I have to feel very unwell before starting therapy?
No. Many people begin therapy while they are still working, studying and functioning well from the outside, but the psychological cost of keeping everything going has become too high. You may feel that you have been doing little more than holding on for a long time.
Therapy can provide space, before you reach a point of exhaustion, to understand what is draining your energy, which patterns keep repeating, and what changes are realistically possible.
If you are unsure whether it is time to seek help, read How do we know when we need psychotherapy? Eight important signs (in Persian).
How can I choose a suitable Persian-speaking psychologist?
Speaking Persian or having migration experience may matter, but you should also have clear information about the therapist’s education and professional experience, therapeutic approach, confidentiality, session length and how sessions are conducted. Above all, consider whether you can talk about difficult subjects without fear of being judged, and whether the sessions help you understand your difficulties and move towards change.
When the therapist has experienced migration too
I have worked in psychology and psychotherapy for many years and have also experienced migration and life outside Iran myself. When a client talks about the loneliness of being far from home, distance from family, adjusting to a new environment, changes in identity or the pressure of starting again, these are not merely concepts from a textbook to me.
However, in therapy, my experience is not meant to replace yours. The aim is not to say, “I know exactly how you feel.” It is to understand your circumstances carefully and explore what could help in your particular life.
In online sessions, I use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and evidence-based methods according to the client’s needs and concerns. I aim for therapy to go beyond talking about a problem, towards recognising patterns and making changes that can be put into practice in everyday life.
Where can I start?
If you are not sure which issue is most prominent for you, explore the psychological assessments and self-reflection tools.
For information about the sessions, fees and how to begin, see online psychotherapy for Iranians and Persian speakers living abroad.
Ready to begin?
If you do not know whether the difficulty you are facing is something psychotherapy can help with, you do not have to make a major decision at the outset. You can first send a brief message and ask about your circumstances.
Therapy is not intended to erase your experience of migration. The aim is to help prevent the pressures that came with it from taking over your entire life.