Tom McDonald

I work with international professionals, expats and their partners who may be struggling with feelings that don't quite seem to fit the life they have built.

Perhaps you've moved abroad and, despite the opportunities and excitement, you're finding it harder than expected to settle in. You might feel isolated, overwhelmed or uncertain about where you belong. Or perhaps you're successful in your career but find yourself questioning your decisions, going round and round in your head, or feeling that you're somehow not doing enough.

Sometimes the difficulty is more obvious. Work stress or burnout may be affecting you, a relationship may be under strain, or you're unsure about what you want from your life abroad. At other times, everything may look fine from the outside, while something doesn't feel quite right underneath.

My approach is integrative, person-centred and psychodynamic.

This means I won't give you a set of solutions or tell you what you should do. You are the expert in your own life, and our sessions provide a space to explore what's happening for you and make sense of your experiences.

We may look at what is happening in your life now, as well as whether earlier experiences and relationships might be influencing how you think, feel and relate to yourself or others today.

I believe the relationship between counsellor and client is an important part of the work. My aim is to provide a warm, accepting and genuinely non-judgemental space where you can be yourself and say the things you may not feel able to say elsewhere.

Sessions are 50 minutes and take place online, making it possible to work together wherever you are in the world.

There are no worksheets or homework exercises, and I don't follow a rigid programme. Instead, we use the time to explore whatever feels important to you.

Therapy is a process, and meaningful change doesn't always happen immediately. My role is to help you slow things down, untangle what feels confusing and develop a clearer understanding of yourself and what you want.

If you're not sure whether I'm the right counsellor for you, that's completely understandable. You can get in touch or arrange a short introductory conversation before deciding whether you'd like to begin.

What can we work on?

I work with adults experiencing a range of difficulties, including:

Anxiety, uncertainty and overwhelm

Work stress and burnout

Relationship difficulties

Feeling stuck or lost

Self-doubt and lack of confidence

Guilt and people-pleasing

Repetitive or racing thoughts

Difficulties adjusting to life abroad

Questions about relationships, career or where life is heading

Feelings of isolation or not belonging

I also have experience supporting survivors of sexual violence through my voluntary work with STARS Dorset.

The first session is about beginning to build our therapeutic relationship and deciding whether we're a good fit for each other.

We'll spend some time talking about what has brought you to counselling and what you'd like to get from the work. We'll also go through the practicalities and boundaries of counselling together, so we're both clear about how we'll work.

For me, therapy is a commitment from both of us. I bring my experience, attention and commitment to our sessions, and I work best with people who are genuinely willing to engage with the process and explore themselves honestly.

You don't need to know exactly what you want to change, or have everything figured out before we begin. But a willingness to look at what's happening for you — including the things that may be difficult or uncomfortable — is an important part of the work.

The first session gives us the opportunity to start that relationship and see how it feels to work together. There's no pressure to continue if either of us feels we're not the right fit.