September-December 2026
Support group
SEEN AGAIN
things you wanted your partner to know:
that you miss your old life, and the old you, and the old you two.
that you feel invisible in a room full of people who know your partner’s position and not you.
that after years of rebuilding you still cannot quite find yourself.
that asking for money, however kindly it is offered, still feels hard.
that some days the two of you seem to be on two different journeys, going in opposite directions.
that you don’t see your life beyond this posting.
what you needed to hear at that moment:
I see you. We are in this together.
but Instead, it turned into an ugly fight.
This is what this group is for
to stop feeling unseen & misunderstood.
to start talking about your experience in a safe & supportive environment.
to stop thinking the problem is in you, or your partner.
to start living this life instead of thinking about quitting it.
How it works
Weekly, online, over Zoom.
Eight spouses. women & men.
60 minutes each session. 50 EUR per session.
every tuesday from 1st of Sept to 15th of dec 2026.
confidentiality & non-judgement are the key rules.
What to Expect & Not to expect from the group
YES
Saying out loud what hurts each of you.
Being with those who really get YOU.
learning new ways to be seen by your partner.
No
no bashing of your partner.
No quitting diplomatic life while the group runs.
No advice-giving contest.
Is this what you are looking for?
FACILITATOR
Olya SHUMYLO, a psychologist, a researcher, and a former diplomatic spouse across three continents.
Twelve years inside this life, the better part of a decade working with the people living it.
Olya knows the conversation you’ve been trying to have, from both sides, and what to do about it.
She runs support groups & has firsthand EXPERIENCE OF how much it helps to be seen and understood.
GOT QUESTIONS?
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If you are a diplomatic spouse who feels unseen at home and cannot tell whether the problem is you, your partner, or the life itself, then yes. You do not need to be in crisis to come. You only need to want to be heard.
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The group works best when the same people return, so regular attendance matters. Life happens and the occasional miss is fine. Treat it as a weekly commitment.
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Of course you can leave. Nobody is held here against their wish. This is exactly why we talk before you join. The discovery call is where we work out together whether this group is right for you, so you arrive having weighed it and decided, rather than testing it from the inside.
Once you are in, the group works best when you stay for its length, because the trust between eight people is built week by week and depends on everyone being there. But the door is never locked.
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We meet for sixty minutes each week. There is space for everyone to speak. You bring what you are carrying that week, and the group listens and responds. I hold the structure so the conversation stays safe and moves towards each of you feeling seen and supported.
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No. What is said in the group stays in the group. Confidentiality is the condition on which everything else rests.
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Start by booking a discovery call with me through the link below. We will talk through whether this group is the right form of support for you. I will explain how the group works, what it asks of you, what it might give you, my experience running groups like this, and what the spouses before you took from it. If it feels right for both of us, I will add you to the list, and we begin in September.
