Celebrating holidays in a cross-cultural, multicultural context. The holidays are often imagined as a time of warmth, closeness, and togetherness. Family meals, familiar traditions, shared memories. But when you’re living abroad, the holidays can feel very different, quieter, heavier, or emotionally confusing in ways you didn’t expect. If you’re celebrating the holidays away from your family, you’re not doing it “wrong.” You’re navigating a very real psychological experience

Celebrating the holidays at Xochimilco. Our 2025 Hola Therapy Recap...  2025 was an interesting year for us here at Hola Therapy. For the first time in 20 years, I (Jenna) stopped direct clinical work. It was an emotional and difficult decision. That change meant two things. 1) Much more clinical supervision to support the team and 2) more administration - like banking and bureaucracy (guácala!). The latter was necessary, but I didn't find it fulfilling in the same way that c

When therapy can help a child Many expat/international/cross-cultural children and adolescents experience periods of sadness, stress, or struggle. Most of the time, this is transient and can pass on its own without professional intervention. Adults, teachers, school counsellors and others are often expecting a period of adjustment when a child is transitioning to a new country or feels pulled between two worlds. Every move, change or challenge doesn't necessarily dictate a ne

By Rebecca Bacon Ehlers News burnout is a common issue these days, and that’s no surprise: our information environments operate on a scale that dwarfs our human emotional and mental capacity. Our nervous systems are designed to empathize and connect when people in our community suffer so that we will be motivated to help them. The system functions beautifully at that level. For example, say I hear that my friend is ill. My natural empathetic response is to feel a range of emo

Interracial Attraction Do you believe you’re more attractive to people of your own race (your in-group) or to people of other races (your out-group)? At Hola Therapy, we often sit with clients navigating these very questions. In Mexico City’s cross-cultural environment, topics of interracial sex, love, and attraction come up frequently in therapy. Many people wonder not just who they’re drawn to , but also how their own race and cultural background are received by others in M

Moving to a new place brings many positives. However, there is no denying one particularly difficult aspect - leaving important people...

Polyamory and Consensual Non-Monogamy in Mexico Despite Mexico’s reputation for traditional gender roles and family structure, many...

It can be hard to communicate about emotional topics in a second language. An Introduction to Emotions, Culture, and Language: Why...

Navigating health care in a new country can be overwhelming, especially if you’re doing it in your second language or during a health...

Stuck in your thoughts? By Angela Leonardo and Jenna Mayhew Starting over in a new country is more than just paperwork, packing, and...

Could it be OCD? By Angela Leonardo and Jenna Mayhew Could It Be OCD? Here’s What You Need to Know Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)...

Mother's Day in Mexico By Jenna Mayhew, Psychologist   Every year on May 10th, Mexico celebrates Día de las Madres—a day filled with...

Kate Morling, Bilingual Speech Therapy and founder of Communicate with Kate, talks about speech delays and bilingualism. This week we had...

If only it was so simple... The cross-cultural quirks of accessing therapy as an English speaker in Mexico. One of the most common...

Behind this table and the smiles (because I do always love seeing Melissa) is a deep conversation - one about resilience, hope and the...

How to use your AFSPA FSBP health medical plan to access psychotherapy worldwise

A huge thank you to Charles Sturt University (CSU), that has recognised the exception work of Hola Therapy in cross-cultural/intercultura...

Expat Child Syndrome (ECS) might not be in the psychology textbooks, but ask any parent who's moved their family abroad—those emotional...

As a team of immigrant therapists in Mexico, we understand both the thrill and challenge of moving to Mexico. Degrees and registrations...

EMDR , short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing may be one of the strangest ‘mainstream’ therapies available. It burst...