We’re excited to share that Lotus Consulting’s Ilona Phillips was recently featured in Heidy De La Cruz’s insightful blog post about Culture Shock. In this thoughtful piece, Ilona lends her expertise as a counselor to help unpack the emotional realities and the four stages of cross-cultural adjustment and culture shock, including the honeymoon period, frustration, adjustment, and acceptance stage. Ilona’s contribution highlights the importance of recognizing and normalizing the challenges of when experiencing culture shock, well beyond required paperwork and logistics, focusing on the deeply personal journey of adapting to a new culture. Her compassionate perspective reminds us that culture shock is a universal experience for many newcomers, and understanding it is key to getting through it successfully. Culture shock can occur not only when moving to a new country, but also when relocating to a different city, starting at a new school, beginning a new job or even joining a new social group. It includes any situation where someone is adapting to unfamiliar customs, routines or environments. Curious to learn more? Read the full blog here to discover Ilona’s insights for successful adaptation to a new culture, and how we can support folks adjusting to a new environment.