Free mental health resources for living abroad
This page collects free, reliable help for the emotional side of living in another country, whether you moved for work, love, study or safety. It includes a WHO stress guide in 49 languages, practical advice on loneliness, a guide to getting therapy in Germany, and trauma resources for people who had to leave home.
Moving abroad changes a lot at once: language, work, friendships, your sense of who you are. Homesickness, loneliness and feeling in between two cultures are common, even when the move was your choice. For people who fled conflict or danger, what happened before and during the move can weigh heavily too.
Free self-help can steady things, especially short, practical stress skills like those in the WHO guide. It cannot fix isolation on its own, so it helps to pair it with small steps towards people, and to find out early how mental health care works where you now live.
If low mood, anxiety or trauma symptoms are getting worse, see a local doctor or a counsellor who speaks your language. In an emergency call 112 anywhere in the EU, and see the helplines page for local and English-language lines. You might also find expat loneliness and identity and belonging useful.
Doing What Matters in Times of Stress
World Health Organization · Book · ACT · English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Dari, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Nepali, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Tigrinya, Swahili, Greek, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Korean, Japanese, and about 20 more
An illustrated guide with five short skills for stressful times, such as grounding yourself when emotions run high, noticing thoughts without being pulled along by them, and acting on what matters to you. Each skill takes a few minutes a day and comes with audio exercises. It was designed for people facing adversity anywhere in the world.
Based on acceptance and commitment therapy, free, and available in 49 languages, so you may be able to use it in your first language.
For: Adults under stress, including people adjusting to a new country · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Loneliness (Every Mind Matters)
NHS (UK National Health Service) · Guide · psychoeducation · English
A short NHS page on why loneliness happens, including life changes that take you away from home, and practical things to try: keeping in touch, joining a group around an interest, volunteering and getting to know people locally.
Down-to-earth and quick to read, from a public health service.
For: Adults who feel lonely or cut off, including after a move · Free to read; NHS website content, not openly licensed for republishing.
Loneliness
Mental Health Foundation (UK charity) · Guide · psychoeducation · English
Explains how long-lasting loneliness can affect mental health and create a cycle that makes reaching out harder. It lists who is at higher risk, including people living alone and people from minority communities, and gives small, realistic ways to connect, with links to longer guides.
A respected mental health charity, honest that loneliness is about more than willpower.
For: Adults living alone or feeling isolated · Free to read; not openly licensed.
Mental health (Handbook Germany)
Handbook Germany (hbg), co-funded by the EU and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior · Guide · psychoeducation · English, German, other languages on the site
A practical guide to getting therapy in Germany: booking a first psychotherapy consultation through 116 117, what statutory insurance covers, why the therapist needs health insurance approval, what happens if you are uninsured, and who may pay for an interpreter. It also lists crisis lines, including the free Telefonseelsorge.
Answers the practical questions that stop many newcomers from getting help at all.
For: Newcomers to Germany who need psychological help · Free to read; not openly licensed.
Psychological First Aid: Guide for field workers
World Health Organization, War Trauma Foundation and World Vision International · Guide · psychoeducation · English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Romanian, and about 20 more
A short guide to offering humane, practical support after a frightening event: how to approach someone, listen without pressing for details, help with basic needs and connect them to further help. It was written for aid workers but is just as useful for friends, volunteers and community members.
Widely used internationally and translated into more than 30 languages, which suits mixed migrant communities.
For: People supporting someone who has just been through a crisis · Free to download; WHO copyright.
Soforthilfe für traumatisierte Flüchtlinge (refugee-trauma.help)
Dr Birgit Kracke, Praxiszentrum Solingen (Germany) · Audio · psychoeducation · English, German, French, Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Russian, Albanian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani), Tamil
Free text and audio exercises for people affected by trauma, offered in many languages, together with plain explanations of how trauma affects body and mind. A separate section for helpers covers symptoms, ways to support someone and looking after yourself.
Clinician-run, simple and multilingual, useful while waiting for specialist care.
For: Refugees living with trauma, and the people helping them · Free to download; not openly licensed.
Migrations (thematic file)
Cn2r, Centre national de ressources et de résilience (France) · Guide · psychoeducation · French, English, Arabic, Albanian, Georgian, Bengali, Pashto, Swahili, Dari, Chechen
A French resource file on trauma and migration: how PTSD shows up, how people without papers can still access free health care in France, confidentiality, women's experiences of violence during migration, and support for children. It includes a self-help sheet and PTSD fact sheets in nine other languages.
A public resource centre's careful, practical file, rare in combining mental health and access-to-care information.
For: People in exile in France, and those supporting them · Free to read; not openly licensed.
Questions people ask
Is it normal to feel worse months after moving abroad?
Yes, many people do. The first weeks can feel like an adventure, and the harder part often comes later, when routines settle and the distance from friends and family becomes real. This is sometimes called culture shock. It usually eases with time and connection, but if it doesn't, talking to someone can help.
How do I find mental health care in a new country?
Start with your local GP or family doctor, who is usually the gateway to care. Insurance rules differ a lot between countries, so check what your policy covers. Guides like Handbook Germany explain the system in plain language. Embassies and expat associations sometimes keep lists of English-speaking professionals.
Can I get help in my own language?
Often, yes. The WHO stress guide above comes in 49 languages, several national helplines use interpreters, and many counsellors work online across borders. It's okay to say that you want support in your first language. For emotional topics, that can make a real difference.
I chose to move. Why do I still feel so unsettled?
Choosing a move does not stop you missing what you left. Many people feel guilty for struggling when the move was meant to be good news, especially if they followed a partner's job. Both things can be true at once. Naming the losses, such as friends, language and a sense of being known, is often the first step to feeling more settled.