In 2019, on Oct 4 and 22, by popular demand, Susie Lang will again be facilitating “The Emotional Transition of Moving to NYC”. We revisit an event review written by AWNY member, Kim Broughton, after she attended this event in 2016:
Now that you’ve moved to New York, are you loving it one minute, questioning why you came here the next? Join Susie Lang, in a hands-on event to explore the Emotional Transition of Moving to New York. There are 2 sessions: Fri Oct 4 & Tues Oct 22.
Purchase your ticket: Morning Session, Fri Oct 4
Purchase your ticket: Evening Session, Tues Oct 22
Just a few weeks ago, AWNY Committee Member and counsellor Susie Lang, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National Certified Counselor, facilitated an event series focused on working through the emotional transition of moving to New York.
Given the emotional nature of the event, some attendees who came said they had been thinking about it many times before committing, as they had an ‘inkling’ that they wanted to be there. There was a really great group of women who gathered, all at different stages of their New York transition, starting from 2 weeks up to several years. It really demonstrates that Australian women need support and want to talk about their experience of ‘transition’ and ‘culture’ even after a long time in the USA.
One reasons I like being a part of AWNY is the familiar background we all have, I have this reassuring feeling that everyone is already my friend. It’s as if we have all known each other for years as a result of our shared cultural experience growing up in Australia.
I observed the same reassurance throughout this event; the majority of the attendees had not met before, yet were contributing with such vulnerability and honesty about a difficult topic. It was an expression closer to one shared between trusted friends, rather than strangers. This style of event, for me, was a really fantastic way to cut through the bullshit and talk about some of the more isolating aspects of living in this fabulous city.
Susie, our facilitator, did a great job of introducing the purpose of the session and walking the women through the stages of culture shock and the different feelings that arise through the transition process. Susie guided the conversation lightly by summarizing some of the stories we were hearing and giving them context.
The 3 different types of ‘Shock’ common to transition to a new country and culture are summarized below for those of you who couldn’t make it:
Culture Shock – four stages
- Honeymoon Stage – WOW, this is all new and exciting
- Disintegration Stage – starting to feeling unsettled, and maybe a little hostile. What we know as homesickness (a period of transition & healing) starts to settle in, along with feelings of incompetence, and being dissatisfied. You can also start to feel isolated and alone and question “what’s wrong with me?”
- Adjustment Stage – the encouraging beginnings of a new sense of direction.
- Adaptation Stage – now feeling increasingly confident in new surroundings and adapting well to the nuances of NYC.
Re-Entry Shock
- There is transition when returning home to Australia.
- Readjusting to our “old” culture where there is an expectation that life will be the same as when you left.
- The challenge is that you’ve changed and also others have changed in your absence.
Self-Shock
- This is about the “Who am I?” question that comes up when you moved to a new city or country.
- In our birth countries, we grow up knowing the social norms and standards, and at home we have mirrors (our family and friends) to validate and affirm us when we are unsure.
- Within our new environment our mirror no longer exists as well as our familiar societal norms and standards.
- So in asking the question “Who am I?”, our new surroundings are now asking “Who are you?” which can sometimes be tricky to feel confident answering.
Within the ‘safe space’ of the event, the attendees opened up straight away and shared their feelings in response to the stages of shock. Each transition story was unique, and yet there were so many similar threads of experience and emotion – summoning agreement within the group!
This has been my favorite event so far! And one that I believe has helped not only give these women a chance to express these feelings, but a real chance to help themselves and form meaningful friendships – there was lots of swapping phone numbers at the end of the session.
Meet Susie Lang
Susie Lang (LMHC & NCC) is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National
Certified Counselor. She is in private counseling practice, working with individuals and groups.
She is also a Professional Photographer. Passionate about her work, she believes there is a level of connection in both fields! She has lived in NYC since 2004 with her husband.
With her many life transitions, she realizes the importance of paying attention to (in particular the more challenging parts) the emotional ride that occurs with each transition.
Learn more about Susie Lang:
http://www.susielangcounseling.com
http://www.susielangphoto.com
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Written by Kim Broughton and first published in 2016
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 
Thank you Kim. Beautifully written. 🤓💜🤓🇦🇺🇺🇸
Sent from my iPhone
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