Therapy for Colombian Immigrants in Atlanta

The grief no one talks about

You probably didn't expect to feel this way. You moved forward—made the decision, packed, took the leap. But somewhere between landing at Hartsfield and settling into your apartment, grief showed up uninvited. Not the kind that arrives all at once. The kind that sneaks up when you hear Spanish spoken the *right* way at the grocery store. When you smell café con leche that reminds you of your mother's kitchen. When you scroll through photos of your barrio at night and realize you weren't there to watch it change.

Atlanta has been good to you in many ways. Your job is solid. You're building. But there's a loneliness that doesn't match your circumstances. You have a community here—maybe other Colombians, maybe not—but you still feel like you're performing a version of yourself. Code-switching constantly. Missing the ease of being *fully* understood without explanation. Missing the rhythm of home.

I thought once I got the job and the apartment, I'd feel settled. But I just felt more alone. Like I was supposed to be grateful, so I couldn't admit how much I missed everything.

This isn't homesickness. Homesickness fades. This is the deeper work of holding two countries in your heart at the same time—grieving what you left while trying to build what's next. It's the identity question underneath everything: *Who am I when I'm not there?* Atlanta has a big Colombian community, which helps and hurts at the same time. You see pieces of home everywhere, but you also see how different it all is. How *you* are different. And that gap between who you were and who you're becoming? That's lonely terrain to walk alone.

Why this struggle is real—and why talking helps

Cultural displacement is psychological work. Your nervous system learned to feel safe in a specific place, with specific rhythms and faces and sounds. You're asking it to rewire itself while also grieving the loss of what made you feel grounded. That's not something you just push through. Many Colombian immigrants in Atlanta describe a kind of *mal de raíces*—a sickness of rootlessness. The disorientation of being between worlds. And because there's a narrative that you *should* be grateful and excited, many people suffer in silence, thinking something is wrong with them when really, something very normal and human is happening: you're grieving.

Therapy offers something specific here. Not a way to forget or move on faster, but a space to actually *process* what you've lost while honoring what you're building. A therapist who understands immigration and cultural identity can help you make sense of the contradictions—missing home fiercely while also knowing you made the right choice. You can grieve and move forward at the same time. You can belong to both places. That integration happens in conversation, in being witnessed, in learning that the sadness doesn't mean the move was wrong.

What helps

Therapy with a culturally informed therapist has shown real results for immigrants navigating identity and loss. You don't have to choose between mourning what you left and celebrating what you're building. Both can be true. And when you have space to talk through it with someone trained in this specific territory, the weight starts to shift.

What actually helps — and how to access it

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You're not the only one who felt this way

I moved to Atlanta for an amazing opportunity, and I kept telling myself I should be thrilled. But I was crying in my car after work, missing my friends, feeling like I was betraying Colombia by being happy here. My therapist helped me see that grief and gratitude aren't opposites. She understood the cultural stuff—the way my family expected me to be grateful, the shame I felt for being homesick. After a few months, I stopped feeling torn in half. I could miss home and love my life here. That shift changed everything.

María, 31

Relocated for work; started therapy six months after moving

Questions people ask before starting

Will my therapist understand what it's like to leave Colombia?

That's a fair question—and you deserve a therapist who gets it. BetterHelp lets you filter for therapists with experience in cultural identity and immigration. You can also ask directly about a therapist's background. If something feels off, you can switch anytime at no extra cost.

I speak Spanish at home but English at work. Will that be a problem in therapy?

Not at all. Many therapists work with bilingual clients and can meet you wherever you are linguistically. You might find it helpful to think in Spanish sometimes—it can access feelings English doesn't quite reach. Some people mix both, and a good therapist will follow your lead.

How much does this cost? I'm not sure I can afford it right now.

BetterHelp sessions start at around $65-90 per week for unlimited messaging and weekly video calls. Many plans are more affordable than traditional therapy. First month is 20% off, and if financial strain is real, that's worth discussing—some therapists can work with you on what's feasible.

How do I know therapy will actually help with this? I'm not depressed, I'm just sad.

Sadness about genuine loss isn't something to fix away—it's something to process and understand. Therapy helps you move through it without being stuck in it. You'll start to see patterns, feel less alone, and find ways to belong to both your past and your future. That matters, even if you're not clinically depressed.

What if I pick a therapist and we don't click?

You can switch to someone else instantly, with no extra charge. Fit matters in therapy. You deserve someone who feels like they're actually *with* you, not just listening from a clinical distance. BetterHelp makes changing therapists simple.

If you are in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 immediately — the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish. BetterHelp is not a crisis service.

The first step is the hardest one

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