Counselors now target Japanese overseas--Agencies address expatriates' increasing mental health-care needs--
The Japan Times: Aug. 19, 2004
The growing number of Japanese nationals residing abroad -- expected to surpass 1 million by 2006 -- is being matched by the need for specialist counseling agencies that help with the stress of living in an alien culture.....
Work-related stress is meanwhile exacting a toll. 2003 saw a record 1,878 suicides in Japan alone directly related to work out of the 34,427 suicides for the year, according to the National Police Agency. Company employees who killed themselves, including those posted overseas, also hit a record 9,209 for the year....
.... [Quality Life Consulting Ltd.] Harada observed that women who live abroad and seek her help typically are in three social positions with three typical problem types.
"The first are expats who feel they have missed out on women's happiness by solely pursuing their careers," Harada explained.
"The second are expats' wives suffering an identity crisis who want to shut themselves in because they feel they aren't good for anything, and
the third are students who study abroad because there are no jobs in Japan but have lost confidence trying to cope with a foreign language and culture."
