Professional counselling and coaching for your expats
Would you like to offer your international workforce the best opportunity for a successful time in Denmark and within your corporation? By providing them with professional counselling and coaching both before and after the move to Denmark, you can increase your company’s retention rate of international workforce - and the productivity and wellbeing of your expats.
According to Dansk Industry, international labour now constitutes approx. 10% of our workforce. Onboarding internationals can be a costly process; and as such, retention rates become a key component for corporations to make the most of their investment into international employees. To keep your international staff onboard, it’s important that the expat as well as a potential partner and family thrive. If not, there’s a greater risk of the employee not being as productive as expected or of the contract ending prematurely.
What challenges do expats come across when setting up life in Denmark?
Setting up abroad can be very stressful. Getting through all the practicalities like acquiring a CPR-number, renting accommodating, and opening a bank account is frustrating and time-consuming.
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But the real challenge is creating a meaningful and satisfying life in Denmark, once sorting out all the initial practicalities is in the past. An ongoing and never-ending process demanding a high degree of agility and adaptability as well as a support network which in many cases doesn’t exist or is rather limited and fragile if only consisting of other transitional families.
Whereas the employee goes to work every day, has people to interact with, tasks to complete and as such, quickly can begin creating a meaningful life for themselves, it’s up the accompanying spouse to make their own life. This often proves to be quite a challenge.
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Unfortunately, it’s far too common to experience isolation, loneliness, and homesickness leading to physical illness as well as mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and stress.
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It’s easily imagined how a struggling spouse or family will affect the family dynamics as well as put enormous strain on the relationship between your employee and their partner. This, in return, will affect your employee’s capability to perform their best at work.
A settled and content partner and family ensures your employee a faster integration into the job alongside higher job satisfaction and productivity – all factors benefitting your corporation.
How I can help you help your international workforce
As a three-time expat and a UK trained counsellor, I use my extensive experience from expat life alongside my psychological knowledge, training, and teaching/coaching skills to support expats in Denmark.
I work with expats individually as well as in couples and families to help them manage the emotional consequences and challenges in conjunction with preparing for the transition, settling in and making the most of their time in Denmark.
Outside of working with traditional therapeutic aspects such as depression, anxiety, and stress, I also offer counselling and coaching to help expats deal with the extra layer of challenges which occur in expat life, such as:
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Understanding the different phases of expat life and how these affect the individual, the couple, the children, and the family.
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How to prepare for and deal with the different phases of expat life.
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How to deal with social isolation, loneliness, and homesickness.
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How to deal with identity crisis (a common problem for expats, in particular for the trailing spouse).
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How to prepare for repatriation (going back to their home country).
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Alignment of expectations within the couple/family.
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How to deal with the changed dynamics in the family and the couple.
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Being far away from friends and family back home.
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The concept, challenges and advantages of Third Culture Kids.
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How to support children navigating being in a foreign culture.
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How to integrate new experiences and learnt cultural values into (family) life.
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Understanding Danish life and culture.
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Understanding Danish workplace culture and values as well as how to adapt/integrate.
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The importance of setting up social life – and how to.
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How to create a satisfying and meaningful time in Denmark.
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Understanding the values, which the Danish childcare and school systems build on.
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Integration of children into Danish or international schools.
Preparing and helping expat families with these challenges and strengthening their general mindset around global mobility will greatly enhance their emotional wellbeing. It will create a faster, smoother, and more successful transition for everyone involved, including you as an employer.
My packages for international workforce, partners, and families
As all expats and their partners and families have individual stories, dreams, and concerns around expat life and mental health, I offer bespoke packages depending on the needs and wishes of the expats.
To optimise outcome for your employee and their partner and family, sessions are bought as pre-paid packages with an agreed number of sessions. Dates and times for sessions are agreed between your employee and me; and all sessions must be used within a three months period from payment date. It's possible to buy extra sessions individually. Sessions are DKK 995 + VAT, 25% for individuals and 1.450 + VAT, 25% for couples and families. Below, you will find some examples of packages, number of sessions, structure and possible content.
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In relation to families, if more than 3 clients are present in the room, an additional DKR 500 is added per extra person per session.
Expat coaching for
Individuals
5 sessions, 50 minutes each
Price: DKK 4.975 + VAT, 25%
Expat coaching for
Couples
7 sessions, 75 minutes each
Price: DKK 10.150 + VAT, 25%
Expat coaching for
Families
7 sessions, 75 minutes each
Price: DKK 10.150*+ VAT, 25%
Henriette is competent, professional, empathetic and super sharp on what it means to establish oneself in a new country with all that it contains of emotions, changes, career development as well as understanding new cultures. Henriette, you have my deepest respect for the conscientious work you do for expats.
- Rikke Voldsgaard Risager,
Chief People Officer at Blue Ocean Robotics
How does it work?
Sessions are set up online as encrypted Zoom calls before and after the move. Individual sessions as well as couple and family sessions can be arranged. It’s my experience that it works well to have a combination of both.
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​In the initial session, we will clarify what challenges are present for this particular expatriate and any partner and family they may have. We will outline what goals to work towards in relation to the transition.
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All sessions are completely confidential and in line with GDPR.
All sessions are invoiced to the employer, and payment must be made by bank transfer prior to the first session; transfer fees to be cover by the employer making the payment. Sessions not used within a three-month period from payment date will not be reimbursed.