London, UK – 31st October 2006 – Dovetail, the Relocation Partner, is linking up with one of the few trained Life Coaches in the industry who specialises in coaching expatriate families to get the most from their relocation experience. This is a pioneering but logical step for a company that defines its service by the attention it gives to the needs of the expatriate spouse. Dovetail’s experience with expatriate families highlights the significant sacrifice partners are prepared to make in order to support an international move driven by their husband’s job. Even if they feel positive about the move initially, feelings of resentment can set in if they start to dwell on what has been left behind: job, career, financial independence, friendships, family, social life. As Dovetail partner Julie Sabin explains ”Our services are designed to ensure the expatriate spouse feels confident about handling the day to day but also ensuring she feels connected in her new country. We then started to realise that more could be done for these women to not only feel positive about their move but also to see the opportunity to redirect their lives and fulfil ambitions lying dormant for years.” This is where Katherine Barton Coaching comes in. After working with expatriate families in Paris for Goldman Sachs and subsequently training with one of Europe’s leading Life Coaches, Katherine realised that coaching had the potential to enhance significantly people’s relocation experience – particularly the more intangible aspects of happiness, well being and personal fulfilment in unfamiliar circumstances. Her practice now looks to apply coaching as an uplifting and practical tool to address the challenges expatriate spouses face, from settling in to finding personal direction in a new environment. Katherine explains that a coach is really “a professional skilled at asking the right questions – it’s about helping expatriates to explore what they want from their time abroad, what ‘story’ they want to tell when they return home, and mapping out what they need to do or change to make it happen”. Even seasoned international assignees moving every 2-3 years can find themselves repeating the same process over and over instead of adapting their strategy for integrating wherever they find themselves, or to meet their new personal and family goals. “Coaching can be a valuable tool in ensuring a happy and fulfilling relocation” explains Katherine, “because as a busy expatriate it provides a dedicated time for you to step back and reflect on how you’re getting on – where you are excelling, where you are hitting a brick wall and where you want to go from here.” One thing Katherine Barton and Julie Sabin agree on is their goal for expatriate spouses to take the lead in auditing their family’s relocation experience. She may not have driven the relocation in the first place but she is in a unique position to be able to define its outcome. Dovetail and Katherine Barton Coaching offer relocation and coaching services for expatriates moving to London and the South East. Visit www.dovetailrelocation.com and www.katherinebarton.com to find out more about how they could help your relocation succeed.