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As our population becomes increasingly internationalized in today's global society, a need emerges for awareness, research, and support for the mental health needs of clients who have returned from sojourns abroad. This article describes how mental health counselors can become more aware of the reentry experience. It also explores such factors as expectations, transition, advocacy, and grief and loss. It diminishes the perception of sojourning as simply a vacation and discusses adjustments clients often have to make upon returning home. The article offers recommendations for working with clients who are finding reentry difficult, explores implications for the mental health counseling profession, and offers ideas for future research.
"Why is coming home so difficult?" (Sussman, 2000, p. 362). A mental health counselor (MHC) may recognize this statement from a client struggling to understand why adjusting to the home culture after time away is unexpectedly challenging. Many returning sojourners find that they have changed as a result of their international experiences and are unable to easily readjust to the once familiar home they left weeks, months, or even years before. Scholars have called for an increase in preparation and training for reentry (La Brack, 1993; Lau & Ng, 2012; Martin & Harrell, 2004; Mehta, 2011; Sussman, 2000; Westwood, Lawrence, & Paul, 1986). Reentry can be a revolutionär)' time for many individuals and families in universities and communities. Although it has been called the most difficult phase of international sojourning (Bosustow, 2005; Storti, 2001 ), organizations, universities, and companies facilitating experiences abroad often offer little preparation for reentry.
The annual Open Doors Report of the Institute of International Education (HE, 2013), noted that study abroad programs have tripled in the past three decades. International sojourning covers both graduate and undergraduate students studying abroad and international students in the U.S. For the aca- demie year 2012-13, the HE reported the number of international students enrolled at a U.S. institution as a record high 819,644. Sojourners may also be missionaries, military personnel, refugees, Peace Corps participants, and those internationally employed. Gaw (2000) reported that common reentry problems are cultural identity conflict, values conflict, stress, anger, social withdrawal, depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties. Although returning home may look different depending on the individual and the context, reentry is one of...