How does EAP counseling work across language and cultural barriers?
365 days a year, around the clock, the EAP counselors at pme Familienservice are there for employees and their families. They provide quick and confidential support in difficult life situations through short-term psychological counseling, even worldwide, across language and cultural barriers. Corina König is a psychologist who, thanks to her multilingualism, counsels pme clients from all over the world from her base in Germany. In this interview, we discuss culturally sensitive counseling and how humor can break down any language barrier.
Whoare the people who come to you for EAP counseling?
Corina König: Many of my clients are employees who have come to Germany from a wide variety of countries, work here, and are building a second home for themselves. I also advise employees from other countries who work for leading global companies. My clients come from all professional groups and industries: manufacturing, IT, medicine, pharmaceuticals, government agencies, universities, and so on.
What is particularly important to you during the consultations?
People often feel disoriented, lonely, or overwhelmed when they’re in a foreign country. In my conversations with them, I treat them as equals, showing respect and openness to their concerns and requests for support. In my counseling sessions, I aim to create a safe space for trusting dialogue and non-judgmental communication.
What does culturally sensitive psychological counseling mean?
It’s important to me to clarify different understandings and meanings of terms. The simplest tool I use for this is to ask: “What do you mean by that? Why is that important to you? Please tell me more about it. How does that work for you? What exactly does this or that mean to you?”
Misunderstandings can also arise, however, even when two people speak the same language. Even then, a term can mean something slightly different to each of them. That’s why my goal isn’t to establish a shared vocabulary, but to find out: What does this person want from me? What kind of support do they need?
In my counseling work, I enjoy using cartoons I’ve drawn myself. Pictures are understood immediately, and we often laugh together at my cartoons. For me, humor is a particularly valuable aspect of a trusting working relationship. We humans laugh, cry, or grieve in the same life situations.
Does EAP counseling replace psychotherapy?
EAP is not a substitute for therapy. It’s important to know this and to communicate it to employees as an employer. However, employees do receive professional, prompt, and 100% confidential support for acute crises and difficult life situations. This can also help bridge the waiting period for a therapy slot.
What are the benefits for employers of having an EAP consultation at their company?
Employees feel that their employers take them seriously and value them. Clients themselves say that they appreciate it when their employer cares about their personal challenges and stresses—the human side of things—and not just their performance as employees. Through our EAP counseling, we create genuine, human value.
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What are the benefits for employers of partnering with pme Familienservice if they are seeking EAP consulting services?
The counselors at pme Familienservice can provide broad-ranging, systemic, and solution-oriented counseling on a wide variety of topics. pme Familienservice has many years of experience working with employees from all cultures around the world in various life situations. Another major advantage is that employees’ family members (children, parents) can also take advantage of EAP counseling—a service for the whole family, so to speak.
Good to know: Corina König's counseling services are part of the pme EAP program for employees in Germany and around the world.
For companies with international locations that wish to centrally coordinate their EAP across multiple countries, there is also pme International—with a central point of contact here in Germany and local on-site support.
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Can I get help in my native language on pme Familienservice ?
Yes, and we believe it’s important for our clients to know and be informed that they can share their concerns with us in their native language and receive help. That’s why we at pme Familienservice have established the “Advice in Every Language of the World” task force. Its goal is to use AI assistance to meet people where they are: When customers visit our website and search for something in their language, the website and chat should respond directly in that language—for example, in Hindi, Chinese, or Turkish.
At pme Familienservice , we provide native-language EAP consulting in English, French, Italian, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian, and Ukrainian.
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Case Study – Counseling an International Skilled Worker in Germany (anonymized)
I remember the story of a Turkish scientist. She’s around 30 years old, lives in Germany, and lives with her boyfriend. Her parents live in Turkey. Every time she talks to her parents, they ask, “Are you living alone? Do you have a boyfriend yet?” She feels compelled to lie because her parents expect her to be married if she’s living with a man.
She came to see me for counseling because this lie and this silence were weighing heavily on her. During our conversation, it became clear that she wanted to hide something out of fear of not being accepted or of causing her parents great worry. Expectations and life in Germany are different from those in Turkey.
We talked about fear and courage, and about which values are important to her. She said she wants to communicate honestly with her parents. She wants to make it clear to her parents that she lives between two worlds—the German and the Turkish—and that both are important and valuable to her. She wants to move freely and openly between the cultures, while communicating openly and honestly.
We worked on this together. She explained to her father that she is now living with a German boyfriend. Her father hugged her and was happy for her as she pursues her career as a scientist in Germany.
Business Card: Corina König
Corina König is an industrial and organizational psychologist and a systemic therapist (EMDR), and she heads the pme office at Allgäu-Bodensee. Drawing on her international experience and multilingual skills, she also serves as an EAP counselor, advising pme clients worldwide in all walks of life.
