Third Culture Kids
Therapy in Danish and English - online or in Gentofte, Denmark
Learn how to embrace your globally mobile upbringing and cultivate belonging from within
“A Third Culture Kid is a person who has spent a significant part of its developmental years outside the parents’ culture/motherland. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is (often) in relationship to others of similar background”
Growing up between cultures is a tremendous gift that from time to time can feel like an unbearable burden.
If you can identify with the above definition of a Third Culture Kid you might also experience:
Feeling like a foreigner in your “home” country
Feeling out of sync with kids your age that hasn’t experienced international life
Anger that your parents “stole” your youth
Confused why you feel neither belonging here - nor there
Confused about how to present who you are and where you are from, when people ask.
At Expat Hero we support young and adult Third Culture Kids piece together their identity, life story and strengths.
In a process with us you will learn to create a strong narrative about who you are and where you come from and handle difficult emotions like:
Doubt
Homesickness
Rootlessness
Moodswings
Loneliness
We will help you extract the power of a globally mobile upbringing and develop tolerance for feeling restless and rootless creating an inner sense of belonging and security of who you are.
Parenting a Third Culture Kid
The scenarios in globally mobile families are many and diverse and our approach to supporting you in your parenting role is built on genuine respect for the choices made.
We know from research and experience that there are some commonalities many parents of Third Culture Kids can struggle with and that can create tension between parents and children - and even grandparents.
You might recognize dilemmas such as these:
When is the right age for the kids to be moved back home?
Will they ever feel rooted somewhere?
What do we do if our teenagers will not come along?
What about their education?
Why are they (still) angry at us?
Is the mood swings normal or is it caused by culture shock?
How do we balance our split family?
How do we justify choosing careers over closeness to family
…and many many more dilemmas.
At Expat Hero we will support you embracing the choices you’ve made, relate to your Third Culture Kids and create a deeper connection to each of them.
We are specialized in the psychological aspects of growing up between cultures and use tools from psychodynamic family therapy to support you as parents navigating the many dilemmas facing globally mobile families.
Schedule your session here
About me
I’m Nanna Hauch, founder of Expat Hero, psychotherapist, a 4 timer former expat and mother of 3 Third Culture Kids (age 16, 19 and 21). I’m here to support you on your journey.
My personal expat journey involves studying at college in the US at age 19. Working as a young professional in Paris, and taking part of my Master's from Copenhagen Business School in Nice, France when I was a first time mother.
The fourth international posting was as a family of 5.
I have supported my children adapting to local school culture in Switzerland, international school, and later upon repatriating supported them back into the local school system in Denmark.
I have been faced with the many dilemmas and emotions described above and continuously support my children finding their super powers, identities and footing in life.
You can read more about my therapeutic approach and method here
In an article from 2022 about growing up as a Third Culture Kid I say:
"If parents cannot accommodate the children's reactions and develop an understanding of why the relocations and the globally mobile lifestyle may not be the children's first choice, Third Culture Kids and Adult Third Culture Kids may encounter obstacles later in life," she says and describes an approach she often encounters in her practice:
"The child asks why the family has to move when she has just found her very best friend. The parents respond: 'Listen here. It's going to be so cool. You'll learn fluent English and gain an international network.' The child's reaction will naturally be: 'Screw you. You've still ruined my life!'"
And it's partly about the parents' insecurity.
"The children are not allowed to own their history because many parents feel fear, shame, and uncertainty about the choices they have made for the family. It's a big taboo that needs to be brought to light," she says, continuing:
"It's about providing support with understanding and thoughtfulness."
You can read the whole article about growing up as a Third Culture Kid here