Have you ever wondered how therapists navigate the emotional challenges of working overseas while balancing their own healing journey? In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Dietrich, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Coach with over 14 years of experience, who shares her story of building resilience as a nomadic therapist.
Megan opens up about her work with women reclaiming their power, her experiences living and working overseas, and how she’s navigated chronic illness and religious trauma while supporting others. Her approach to fostering resilience and creating spaces for deep healing is truly inspiring. Megan’s story is filled with inspiration, practical advice, and a deep understanding of what it takes to thrive as a therapist while navigating the unique challenges of a nomadic lifestyle.
In This Episode, We Explore…
Connect with Megan:
www.megdietrich.com
www.instagram.com/megs.dietrich
Connect with me:
Instagram: @thetravelingtherapist_kym
The Traveling Therapist Membership: www.kymtolson.kartra.com/page/travelingtherapistmembership
Revolutionize Your Private Practice with AI Course: www.kymtolson.kartra.com/page/ai
Signup to learn more about life as Traveling Therapist: https://www.portablepracticemethod.com/free-training
The Traveling Therapist Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/
Bill Like A Boss Insurance Billing Community: www.kymtolson.kartra.com/page/blab
Subscribe to the Podcast:
Apple iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcast | Stitcher | Amazon | Castbox
______________________________
Sponsored by Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.berries.icu/therapists
Sponsored by Alma: Managing a private practice can be challenging. There are obstacles at every turn — from navigating the credentialing process, to managing finances, to finding new clients. That’s where Alma can help. Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians. https://helloalma.com/kym
______________________________
Transcript:
Kym-1: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Traveling Therapist Podcast. Really excited today. We have a really untraditional story. I can't wait for her to share this with you guys. Her name's Megan Dietrich. She's here with us today to share about her kind of unconventional journey of becoming a traveling therapist.
So Megan, I just always start this out with how'd you go from being a traditional therapist to a traveling therapist?
Megan-1: That's such a great question. And Well, I think part of it was the passion for traveling combined with counseling. And we were kind of talking a little bit before the podcast, how my journey was, was unconventional, as you said, and how I was doing schooling and I moving in that trajectory, but then decided I wanted to go overseas and I wanted to work in different communities.
And I didn't want to be a therapist because I was just afraid, I think, of some of the responsibility that it carried. And I wanted to Find that balance between holding it and also having the exploration and the travel. I didn't know or understand that they could coexist together. And so I ended up doing lots of different traveling that ended up in Cambodia.
And that's when I just kept meeting actually humanitarian workers and other therapists at coffee shops. I didn't even
Kym-1: Whoa.
Megan-1: wanted to I grew up talking to them and finding out about the private practices in Cambodia and was learning, Oh, traveling and therapy can be together and it doesn't have to be one or the other.
Yeah.
Kym-1: love that. I mean, I feel like a lot of people have a similar story and even the, the therapist part of it, it is a big responsibility, you know, and the, the regulations and restrictions, especially if you have like this kind of wandering soul, like I do, like it sounds like you do, like you don't want to be in this box.
Like I always struggle with that. I share that on here a lot too. It's like, You know, I was taking like eight weeks of vacation a year Like I was just like cramming a zillion clients into my brick and mortar office. I would like kill myself I'd be so burned out and then i'd be like We'll take a we'll take a vacation And then when I finally figured out like you're saying like it doesn't have to be like this This, this in the box kind of thing, like I could do this, I could do coaching, I could be a therapist, I could do all of this and I can make it like super flexible to the life I want to live.
It just like opened up a lot of doors for me, you know, and that's what inspired me to do the podcast and all that stuff, you know? So I, I love that you had a
Megan-1: it.
Kym-1: you know, Journey.
Megan-1: Yeah. And I love that you do the podcast and have the community because I didn't have any concept or any visual to that it being possible until I went to Cambodia until I stepped out of Michigan and America, I didn't have anyone that was doing it and that was. Maybe like eight years ago. And so it's really exciting that you have this, that can have people along in the process in different places know that, that it's possible.
Kym-1: Yeah. So, so tell us about Cambodia. I just want to hear before we hit record, you were telling me a little bit about it, but let's talk about like, like why Cambodia? How did you get there? Just the whole thing. Let's talk about it. And you know, there might be people listening. They're like, I want to do that.
I want to do something similar. So I'd love to just talk through that. Yeah.
Megan-1: okay, so my preface is like, I was telling Kim a little bit before we were recording as well, like different chapters of my life. And so during that chapter, I had been living as a missionary and was on and off the field for about 10 plus years. And at that time. I had lived in many different continents and had gone on a trip, met some people and a girl had said, Hey, I'm going to go to Cambodia.
Do you want to come? She actually was like, I'll pay your way. I just really think you should be here kind of a thing. And so I went for three weeks and I ended up just staying. Cause I really felt like there was something there for me. And I was really intrigued and I had spent time in Asia, just not in Cambodia before.
And at that time, I also was having interesting dreams and a lot of them were like, In Cambodian at like the temples before I went and I was like, this is different. Yeah. So,
Kym-1: gosh.
Megan-1: there were a lot of pieces that were aligning me to go in that direction. And so I went and again, like I went for my ticket was for five weeks.
And while I was there, what happened is the organization I had worked with were actually working in Nepal when one of the Nepalese earthquakes happened. And I saw them working in some disaster zones, having some really extreme. experiences and like posting about them in line. I got protective because The organization I worked with, I had come back with PTSD because there wasn't mental health care in a part of that agency.
And so there's not a lot of mental health care within like missions and within kind of that Christian community. And so I contacted them and kind of was like, Hey, what are you doing for these people? Like you have to help build resilience and like get them trauma care or else this is what could happen.
And so it actually was interesting because. I was meeting with a therapist in coffee shops, but then I also contacted this organization and they said, Hey, you're over there. Like we're going to fly our people to Malaysia. Can you do a trauma conference and spend a week with them and just kind of debrief and help them throughout.
And then they had me lined up to meet with them like two months every two months
Kym-1: With the, with the missionaries or the people that survived the disaster, the
Megan-1: With the missionaries that were working,
Kym-1: that's so interesting.
Megan-1: Yeah. And again, it was different because I didn't expect that. So I ended up flying to Malaysia, ended up putting on this trauma conference type debrief, really debrief. And then I was met with all of them one on one, which was about 30 people. So it was me constantly at work.
Like people would just bring me food into the hotel room when I was meeting with people. and I would just snack in between them. So it was an intense experience. But I was really passionate about supporting and helping other people if there's a way that they don't have to go home with PTSD in the same way that I did.
Like, let's build some tools and resilience and really talk about also the signs and symptoms of trauma. So they are equipped to know even when they are done, maybe what to do, how to get help and things like that. So because I know I wouldn't be with them.
Kym-1: Right. So so a lot of these missionaries. I mean, they're they're just like lay people so to speak I mean just people that want to be missionaries and just go help they have no Background and like being a therapist or how to help people. They're just like hey I want to go over and and help during this disaster and then
Megan-1: Well, no one happened to be there. Like, they were in that country because they were working, and then the earthquake happened. And they weren't, like, evacuated. And so, and they were, like, continuing to work. And I said, hey, I really think you need to consider the long term effect on the people that you have there.
Because you haven't built in any natural disaster relief. There's no resiliency training. Like, there's nothing that's equipped them to handle the situation you have them in.
Kym-1: Oh my gosh. Yeah. I never even thought about
Megan-1: I'm going to
Kym-1: Yeah. I just always assumed there would be like support that way with, with people doing missionary work. But, but I'm thinking about people I know that do that. And they're like, like one is a nurse. Like she just goes to Haiti every once in a while and does some missionary work, but there's probably no kind of like debrief on the, on the trauma they see. Wow. That's so interesting. Sure.
Megan-1: I think some, okay, so I can't speak to all of them. Some organizations I think have begun to develop and really prepare. And I worked at one center in Michigan that when people were in crisis or in relief, they came, but that's, again, they're in crisis. Like there isn't that baseline piece. And so, no, there wasn't the training and I got again, protective.
Cause not only did I, but many other, Other people I had worked with came back with trauma or PTSD from our few years overseas. So, again, I've seen some organizations do it while I can't speak to all of them, but the ones that I was with weren't productive in that way, but it was also interesting because that's when being in Cambodia and kind of after is when I started kind of questioning some of my own faith and my own journey and began.
In the faith world, it's kind of a hot word sometimes, but my faith deconstruction and really deconstructing religion trauma and those elements. And so it's interesting cause it's a very significant chapter of my life. It's 10, 12 years of working in ministry missions, all of that. And now I work with people that have come out of organizations or high control religion and are healing from the trauma and the pain from religious abuse and those pieces.
Kym-1: Wow. That's so interesting. So they're already in these religious systems that might be abusive and then they're going to these places as missionaries and then they're not getting any help for that and then they're coming back. Wow. That's intense. So this was an awakening for you. Not only are they not providing adequate like debriefs or help or resiliency, they're also like actually traumatizing people inside of their, their organizations.
Megan-1: like, it's the control and abuse cycle. Sometimes it has those pieces and we talk about on the religious trauma healing sector, like a lot, some of the symptoms can also mirror CPTSD. And so it's an interesting conversation when you're kind of in that journey as well.
Kym-1: It really is. It's always fascinated me. I've had a few clients over the years that were with, you know, maybe I shouldn't say, but different religious organizations that were just, yeah, like, God, I don't even know the terminology, but like being excommunicated from, from entire communities and, and people for just these really just unbelievable reasons and yeah, just wow.
Megan-1: Yeah. And there's like it, like, even when you say that I get, you know, protective and like, I have had one, I can speak to one friend. She's given me permission to talk about her story because we were in the same organization, but there's so much shaming that happens when she wasn't like aligned with them and like thinking of the same, like they sent her in, like out of the normal housing into a tent, into this backyard experience.
And like, you have to stay out there. It's like, Separate from all of us until you like come in alignment with this philosophy. And so where is freedom, autonomy, love, compassion, grace, like in any of that it's shame and control. So,
Kym-1: Wow. It's, it's so interesting. I feel like we could just talk about that for an hour probably. so it's, it's cool to hear your story about that because you weren't all the way like a therapist yet. You were still kind of on the fence with that, but then you're seeing like this need probably.
So I'm guessing once you did decide to like go full on therapist, like obviously there was a calling for the specialty and this niche and even the coaching world, I think. Based on your bio that you've kind of like branched out into just around all of this. And it probably was built on these experiences in Cambodia and then seeing these other people not getting the proper care.
And that's just so interesting. Yeah. Wow.
Megan-1: Because after Cambodia, so like I said, I was kind of teetering and wanting the freedom and all that. And I had 200 hours. I had passed the exam, done, you know, 1800 hours and I had 200 left that I needed to come back to the U. S. and finish because the supervisor in Cambodia was no longer in country.
And so I, Came back and ended up working with again, an agency that works with missionaries in crisis and that, yeah, continued to fuel that conversation and the curiosity and seeing similar patterns. And then what's funny is, you know, you, you see that and I'm like, okay, it's interesting, but then I'm still navigating some of my own trauma and things that I've seen in the journey of how do you combine joy and suffering and this and that.
And so I went out back again and I went over to a couple of countries in Africa and worked in there.
Kym-1: under the same missionary organization or, or separately.
Megan-1: No, I tried a different one. And I went into Congo and just for a week was with an organization that builds schools in war zones.
And at that point, again, I didn't have terminology. I didn't understand the nervous system or the body. And when I was in Congo Being in a war zone and having that energy. And we were even going to a community that was potentially having a riot. And like, we were being prepared in the truck. Like this is what happens if this happens and you know, like how you need to run and this and that, and my nervous system was pretty taxed and done at that point.
And so I had some physical experiences when I came back after that week one, it was even interesting just getting sciatic pain.
Kym-1: Hmm.
Megan-1: the way coming back. Then my body began to kind of shut down and again. I didn't understand the nervous system at that point. And so, which is also fascinating to me that I had finished a therapy or a counseling degree and wasn't educated on the nervous system, but that's
Kym-1: I mean, seriously, it's like, how is this not included? Or even chronic illness and how, you know, stress affects the nervous system. I mean, it's just all of that. It just Yeah. Wow.
Megan-1: so that's when chronic illness began to kind of come, begin to come into my life. And I actually had a root canal that had become infected and it started with a tooth journey. And I just couldn't get back on my feet and I just couldn't feel like myself again. And I was in bed for a couple months and I was like, I just, I can't get energy.
And some of it had to do with some of the medication I was given. Some of it is that the infection continued in my mouth and I didn't know for like a year and some until I saw a holistic dentist. And yeah, it took me like a year and a half to find. and multiple surgeries because I tried the conventional around.
It wasn't until I found a holistic dentist that I flew to Portland, Oregon to work with did the surgery, did the recovery. And literally, cause at that point I was in like my full blown chronic illness experience where I was like bed bound, housebound, really struggling with words like not being able to put critical thought together because it's your mouth and this infection was continuing to grow.
And so. After that surgery though, within five days, I remember having more fluidity of thought and critical thinking coming back. And it was just mind blowing these like instrumental points in my healing journey. And kind of what,
Kym-1: was the root canal when you're in the Congo or that was after you got back?
Megan-1: that was when I, right when I got back or a couple, like two months after I got back.
Kym-1: Oh, okay Oh my gosh. Yeah, cuz I
Megan-1: So it was kind of like nervous system compounding, like my body began to shut down. And then we had this tooth journey and it just kind of also with this invitation, you know, I've kind of reframed it a little bit where it's this invitation because I think that chronic illness, it's really hard and challenging, but it's also this invitation to recreate your pace, your life and kind of look at the patterns and your rhythms that you've been living in because you really have no other choice.
And like you were saying, like what we've learned with emotional well being, Gaber Maté has talked a lot about this in terms of health and trauma and, and our, all the load in that regard. But it really is an invitation to kind of address and see what rhythm do you want to live? And I was living at that point unsustainable.
Kym-1: Yeah, right.
Megan-1: I don't like routine a lot.
Kym-1: Yeah, I get that. I get completely relate. We've talked about that on this It's a podcast before the other guests that have had like chronic illnesses and just, you know, even being a traveling therapist, I mean, the, the lifestyle is stressful, leave that new place. Are you having to like, you know, regulate, it's so dysregulating, like going into a new place all the time.
And And I have chronic illness, I've got celiac disease, so I'm always like being exposed to gluten and you know, it's a, it's a tough, it's tough, you know, so I totally get that. And, and to hear you say it, it, it's an, I like say, I like hearing you say it's an invitation. It's, it's a wake up call. It's a wake up call too, you know, that it's like something is not working, obviously, if you're just, you know, not feeling well and having, like you did, I mean, that sounds like such a nightmare to. I mean, reeking out to not being able to speak or get out of bed. How long did that go on for?
Megan-1: Yeah, it was a compounded effect, right? It was all of this trauma that I had dealt with or experienced overseas that I hadn't fully processed. And it just kept compounding. And then I had this physical piece with the tooth and with like the adrenal system and everything had combined. I would say it was there was about six months where I didn't have answers and I just you I slept all the time and I, I was like too afraid to also like leave the house in the bedroom.
And part of the afraid too is my sensory systems. Like I couldn't do sound, I couldn't do noise. Like I had a family buying me noise canceling headphones because I'm like, I, even in the house things were overstimulating. But again, I didn't have an understanding of what was happening and I, I didn't know, like all of a sudden my body's just shutting down.
And I found. Due to another friend an integrative doctor, she was actually in Florida who I just remember talking to in the car one day because I was working for a family, very part time taking their kids to and from school. They were just being so kind in helping me work part time so that I could afford to live.
Everything had shut down and um, I just remember her saying like, you are not crazy. Like this is what's happening with your body. And she completely began to change the trajectory, help me with diagnosis. Like I did so much testing so much testing over that six months. But I learned about advocacy during that time.
I learned about using my voice in like medical appointments, which I feel like has transferred over in so many areas of my life, but also with clients in the chronic illness community, like you have to learn. You know, how to be your advocate, how to have a voice, how to be the leader in that, and it really is a skill to learn and to hone.
But I was like sharing with you too, like it was hard because I would be. Sitting out. I try to be outside as much as I could. And I would be sitting on the front porch in the beginning, like thinking I've moved to a foreign country by myself, I've navigated like closed countries, war zones. And I cannot sit up for longer than five minutes without crying and being negative, excruciating pain.
And I like kept thinking about how everyone. I was struggling, like everyone's living their life and I like, I'm learning to sit up again. Like I had, I got diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. And so part of that was just blood flow and strength and some different pieces. But it was really like, again, you, you have moments that you remember.
And that was just a really significant day that I remember sitting and thinking
Kym-1: Oh my
Megan-1: a baby can hold up their head, but I can't right now without being in excruciating pain.
Kym-1: No, I totally get it. I remember, I think it was, it must've been 2017 for me. I was so stressed out. That was when I was doing that, like, you know, trying to cram all the clients in and started, you know, a side hustle, just all that stuff. And my adrenal system, like my gut health and with the undiagnosed celiac and just all of that together, just, I mean, I was not functioning and there was some sort of like, Okay.
Like anxiety that just took over my body basically and it was you know, I found out later as my adrenals were shot and you know all of that and I had to reset the gut health and just all that stuff and you know to get back but it was like like you said sensory everything like I was so anxious like driving You know where I used to like drive through dc traffic, you know, like it was nothing I remember driving to the airport.
I was like shaking like my whole body was shaking I was like, I don't know what's happening to me, but Something is not okay, you know, and it was just all of that. It was like a compounding thing with the untreated chronic illness and the stress and the burnout and you know, all of that. It's like, you know, your body just. Ceases to function, you know, basically, you know, so I just hear what you're saying. I could totally relate. I mean, it wasn't an untreated infection, but it was untreated. Definitely like, you know, gut health and celiac and being contaminated with
Megan-1: Which is,
Kym-1: brain frog and
Megan-1: Yeah.
Kym-1: of that. Yeah. So I just, I can really relate to that and it's like, gosh, I mean, thank goodness you've figured it out and you got out of it.
I mean, sitting here with you today, you look healthy and well, and you've got this. You're, you're a therapist, you've got the business and the coaching and all that. And you know, I mean, you come out of it, but I just, I couldn't imagine what the journey was like to get back.
Megan-1: I will. I will say it was four to five and a half years, like for me personally. And so it wasn't a slow or it wasn't a quick turnaround for some people it's a matter of months or a year, but it was about four and a half or four, what'd I say, four and a half, five and a half years. And it wasn't until about three years ago that I.
It's crazy that time is flying again that I stepped back in to the coaching counseling world. And I just went really slow. I started with one to two clients because I was like, how much can I hold? Like what is my nervous system capacity? And so it's been a slow process to build it back in. And then also finding what.
I'm really passionate about. And I don't think I mentioned it and I, yeah, I don't know how many people have talked about it, but for me also psychedelic therapy was something that has been really helpful and effective on the healing journey. And so that's kind of what opened up my capacity. And after two or three treatments with someone, I was like, okay, I really feel like my capacity is growing and I have the space to.
Bring clients back in.
Kym-1: Wow. That's
Megan-1: I did a couple individual. Yeah. And then I brought some groups on board because I really love group work.
Kym-1: That's amazing. Gosh, it's just amazing that you've come back from all that. Even the religious trauma piece, you know, like the PTSD around that, and at least the clients I've seen before, you know, it's like, gosh, I mean, it affects every aspect, like the assertiveness, you're having your own voice, boundaries, like advocating for medical health, you know, all of that stuff.
It affects every, you know, inch of that. that's incredible. I don't know if it was in the email you sent or the bio that you sent, but you were talking about, you know, your love of travel and, and, and doing all this stuff and how it totally obviously affected all that too.
And that you're just trying to even get back into the swing of that. So I wonder what, what has that been like for you? Like trying to find that part of yourself again.
Megan-1: I will say when I first got sick that was one of my Biggest pain points like I thought that I had to give up travel forever Like when it's a part of your soul and a part of who you are , I thought that I wasn't gonna be able to travel forever.
So it was in 2021, because I'm trying to remember, it was, I think a little bit after the pandemic, I went and visited a friend in Mexico and that was the first time I had been out of the country in quite a few years. And I literally cried when I landed and it was like, California to Mexico isn't far, but I just was like, I get to use my passport.
Just cried thinking. I never thought this would be possible. Like during a season of my life, I thought I wouldn't be able to travel again. And so I've done shorter stints. Like before that I went to, I did like a two hour flight and then I did like a three hour flight. So it was kind of like weight training for me, airplane rides
Kym-1: I love that.
Megan-1: really
Kym-1: Mm-hmm
Megan-1: How my body could do.
And I, my first flight, I took my 20 pound weighted blanket and my carry on because I just was like, what if I need it for my nervous system? And there was a fair amount of fear. But so I slowly traveled within the U. S. Building up flights. And then I went down to Mexico. Now I've been to Mexico a few times and then over to the east coast quite a few times.
So I've been able to be on a plane again at least a few times a year, which is makes my soul heart so happy. And so now it's just navigating and getting curious of. Where do, and will I want to live that can be maybe traveling more full time. And even if it's not traveling continually, like I was just listening to one of the podcasts with one of your guests who lives in Portugal.
And,
Kym-1: Oh, yeah.
Megan-1: so I have Spain and Portugal 2025 journey to go and explore and scope out.
Kym-1: Oh, fun. Yeah. That, that's probably Maggie's episode. She's, she's so fun. If you go to Portugal, she has like, I don't know if you have kids, but she has child free meetups over in Portugal all the time
Megan-1: Yeah. Yeah.
Kym-1: Yeah. So, so, That's amazing. Yeah, so do you do you think I mean, I guess you're out of that like missionary world completely I'm just curious like would you ever do any kind of?
Humanitarian stuff anymore or have you like done the work and you don't want to get involved with that stuff again I'm just curious like somebody listening that might Wanna explore the world that way. Is there a way to do it and be like, safe and, and not, you know, be, you know, I hate to say the word victim, like, I don't wanna use the wrong terminology, but like to, to some organization that might not be, you know, treating you well or might have some sort of like, trauma associated with it.
Like, do, what would you recommend to people if they wanna to do something like that to be able to travel and, and work that way?
Megan-1: so one of my best friends has kids and one of her kids wants to do some of the work. And so even I'm called their Aunt Mimi. And so when I was visiting them and they were talking about it, what I, what I said to her is, what I would say to other people too is I said, Hey, before you go, we need to Aunt Mimi, and.
You know, we need to have a talk because I think that you can do it. And I remember working with one functional neurologist that said, you know, the, one of the best ways you can increase your resilience is by knowing yourself. And so I think that helping people know themselves, but also understanding their nervous system regulation tools.
I think that there's like a toolkit and some equipping that you can have so that you can do it successfully. And having a team before you go. During or after like, I really think that that work needs support. Like I was working before, even with the missionary stuff, I was working in anti trafficking.
Like I was in some intense environments that. You're seeing and hearing a lot of hard stories. And if you don't have a place to get support in that, and even understand how that's affecting you physically and emotionally, it's going to compound. And so I think you can absolutely do it. It's knowing yourself because I think different people are going to have different experiences.
Some that feel really deeply may be impacted more emotionally and they need different skills and tools. I think for me. Going into some countries. I probably won't do again. But yeah, I would love to go back here. Like, I want to go back to Cambodia and visit friends. Like, I want to still support and work with some of the agencies are just like the work with the children that I was involved in.
Like, I still want to have a hand in that, but I think we can do it successfully. It's just not going to be linear.
Thank you so much Megan for sharing your story and all of the incredible insights about navigating humanitarian work safely And effectively, I love your advice about knowing yourself, building resilience and having the right support system in place.
It's such an important message for anyone considering that kind of work to really prepare and make sure you've got safety measures in place and research it before you go and jump into something humanitarian wise like that. And for those of you listening, if you want to connect with Megan and learn more about her work, you can find her on the website, megditrick.
com or on Instagram At Meg's dot Dietrich and it's D I E T R I C H is her last name. So thank you again, Megan, for being on the show and sharing your journey with us.