The Expatriate Archive Centre was pleased to host the inaugural meeting of the new Families in Global Transition affiliate FIGT NL on Friday 26th September.
FIGT NL aims to encourage the exchange of information between expatriates and professionals in related fields across the Netherlands. Bringing together representatives from a variety of sectors, FIGT NL provides a platform to share cross-cultural coping strategies and to educate and support professionals who work to improve the lives of families in global transition.
After attending the 2014 FIGT Annual Conference, Kate Berger and Kristine Racina decided to join forces and start a FIGT affiliate in their country of residence – the Netherlands. This team was enhanced by the addition of Vivian Chiona. The first FIGT NL meeting brought together a group of people representing different aspects of expatriate life in the Netherlands, among them Ellen Mahoney, the founder of Sea Change Mentoring and FIGT Scholarship Director.
Kate, Vivian and Kristine all have international backgrounds as well as experience in supporting families in global transition. Kate Berger is a Child and Adolescent Psychologist, MSc, with a private practice, The Expat Kids Club, who incorporates various therapeutic methods (including cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based practices), to support expatriate children - and their families - living in non-native environments. Kate is American, living in Amsterdam. Kristine Racina is the director of the Expatriate Archive Centre (EAC). The EAC collects, preserves, promotes and makes accessible a collection of primary source materials documenting the social history of expatriate life. Kristine is Latvian, living in The Hague. Vivian Chiona is the founder of Expat Nest which promotes the emotional well-being of expats, by offering online counselling services. Vivian holds Greek-Dutch nationality and lives in Leiden.
The next meeting is planned for January 2015. If you would like to learn more about the FIGT NL activities or get involved in its events, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Kate (expatkidsclub@gmail.com) or Kristine (director@xpatarchive.com).