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Counseling &
Psychiatry
Welcome to VALEO
Challenges of serving cross—culturally.
You are living and serving cross-culturally for a greater good. By definition, you experience chronic and high-level stress, which typically leads to breakdown physically, emotionally, and relationally over time.
Logistical Challenges
You have to set up a home in a new location without knowing the basics; learn a new language; navigate a much different medical system; figure out education for children; adapt to new nutritional patterns; discover new ways to shape your physical health; navigate complex visa issues; figure out your day-to-day work situation; keep your supporters informed; establish new friendships and support systems; still find the time and energy to love your spouse and children well; and then manage some semblance of self-care so you can sustain for the long haul.
Internal Challenges
You tend to be self-sacrificial and want to meet the needs of others around you: nationals, teammates, spouse, children, extended family, friends locally and back home. You realize that you don’t have the time or energy (and sometimes the care) to follow through with what you want to do or feel like you should do. It can become too much.
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You then hear the voice of guilt and shame that reminds you that you are not good enough or just enough at all. You wonder what you are doing and if you are getting anything “right.” You fear that you are failing at many of the things that are most important to you.
You become susceptible to the voice of the accuser and sometimes play along with self-condemnation, which either leads to despair, depression, anxiety, or to your “do better” self: trying harder, becoming more disciplined, more determined, and a bit harder/harsher both internally and externally.
At some level, you realize that neither option of shutting down nor becoming a better “overcomer” leads to the life you hope to share with others. You want to experience peace, joy, contentment, freedom, faithfulness, and some level of meaningfulness. You want to feel less overwhelmed, lonely, guilty, stressed, doubtful, and fearful.
In the midst of your cross-cultural challenges,
VALEO wants you to thrive.
You are designed for wellness - physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and relationally. Your wellness matters for you and for those you love and serve. Your wellness stands on the foundation of your worthiness and it leads to your effectiveness.
We want to help guide you and your family to comprehensive wellness.
You are called to be effective at that which you have dedicated your life. Being effective produces fruitfulness in those you serve; it leads to positive change in the world; and it leads to fulfillment in your work. You and your partners have invested significantly into your work, and it can be disheartening to be ineffective when you have given so much. Effectiveness can be fun and make it all worth it.
We want to help guide you and your family to sustaining effectiveness.
You are created worthy and valuable for who you are. Many global workers forget or suppress this reality, so we are here to remind you of your inherent worthiness.
Your work is also worthy. You have given your life, time, money, energy, relationships, and security to seek justice and mercy in the world.
Thank you for your service!
What does help look like?
We have devoted our organization to exclusively serve Christian global workers and their families. If that is you, then you are the reason that we exist. We provide services for individuals (adults, teenagers, and children), couples, and families.
Our experience and research have found Four Outcomes that matter more than anything else to stay on the field long-term and effectively serve with joy, peace, and contentment.
Our goal is to resource and guide you through these Four Outcomes to ensure you are well and effective, and that you are reminded that you are worthy.
Moving towards the full life you desire is as easy as 1-2-3
Complete intake forms.
We review your request to ensure we can meet your needs.
You are matched with your care provider.
* Occasionally, our team will make other recommendations to you based on your intake forms, if we think your needs would be better met elsewhere.
Research indicates global workers endure two to three times the stress levels of people living in their passport country. They desire to serve with longevity, but often stress hinders their effectiveness. If that describes you and you’re looking for ways to deal with the stress, Valeo has a resource to help. Register to receive our free eBook for tips to handle stress.
After counseling global workers from 186 sending organizations serving in 103 countries around the world, we have learned a few things about what it takes for you to maintain and grow in your well-being and effectiveness cross-culturally.
The Global Worker Field Guide examines key areas of focus to help you achieve an adequate level of personal well-being.