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Counselors Help Expats Through Rough Times
Moving to a new country can be an enormous challenge and
sometimes the difficulties can overwhelm a person or family.
Phnom Penh now has a group of three counselors to help ex-pats over
the rough spots of life.
US-born Eileen Summers, Canadian June Cunningham and Jane Lopacka of
Great Britain practice at their own addresses, but have decided to
establish informal links so they can direct potential clients to the
most appropriate counselor in the group.
Summers holds a master’s degree and is a licensed clinical social
worker in the state of California. Cunningham, who also holds a
master’s, is a registered psychologist in Canada. Lopacka is a
social worker and accredited counselor.
Summers, who practiced in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia before
coming to Cambodia, finds herself being consulted by people whose
relationships are sometimes strained by relocation. “It can be
that one spouse comes here to work but the other is left without
much to do and far from family and friends. At this point, that
spouse may look to his or her partner to fill more needs than before
and suddenly the marriage starts looking unsatisfactory,” Summers
explains.
Summers generally works to help families and couples adjust to their
new reality in a positive way, whether through marriage counseling
or divorce mediation.
Lopacka, who has worked in Ethiopia is now with Christian Care for
Cambodia. She specializes in offering counseling to Christian
missionaries.
Much of Lopacka’s focus is on helping individuals best manage
their assignments and work effectively as members of a team while
still meeting their own needs. She also offers screening and
psychological assessment services for people applying to join aid
organizations.
Cunningham’s focus includes personal growth, family counseling and
helping with the transition to a new environment. She has worked as
a counselor in New Delhi and Singapore. Cunningham provides psycho-
educational assessment services for children.
—Elizabeth Wright
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