For many of these workers, help when problems arise typically is not easily available. Telephone, radio, Internet, and satellite resources now do shrink distance. But cross-cultural workers still can be isolated for significant time periods from their network of family, friends, colleagues, and mental health services. Their chosen work mandates this separation. Traditional answers to questions like these lead to different, even vacillating, emphases.
Preferred strategies move into and out of favor.
Attempts have been made to provide fail-safe educational experiences. Some rather rigorous training programs have been designed, in effect to drown-proof candidates prior to an overseas assignment. Professional pastoral care services sometimes predominate on the assumption that at root mental health related member care concerns are spiritual. At other times a strong psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health specialist is given responsibility for member care. We suggest that mental health care is way too important to leave entirely to professional care- givers.