“My therapist here speaks English technically but I can't explain what I'm feeling in my second language. I tried to describe dissociation and she thought I said I was dizzy. I stopped going.”
There's a difference between speaking a language and being able to cry in it. You can order coffee and argue about politics in your second language, but the moment you need to describe the texture of your anxiety, the words evaporate. ILTY works in English, available anywhere in the world, at any hour. It's not therapy, but it's someone who understands what you're actually saying.
Emotional language is the last thing you master in a second language and the first thing you lose under stress. You might be fluent at work, fluent at dinner parties, fluent in every way that counts—until you try to explain to a therapist that you feel hollow, or that your anxiety feels like bees in your chest, or that you're grieving a version of yourself that doesn't exist anymore. Suddenly you're back to pointing at a feelings chart like a child.
This isn't a minor inconvenience. Therapy literally depends on being able to articulate nuanced emotional experiences. When you can't do that, therapy doesn't just become less effective—it becomes a source of frustration. You leave sessions feeling more alone because you couldn't make yourself understood.
The irony is brutal: you moved somewhere to grow, and now the growth is cutting you off from the help you need. That's a real barrier and you're not being dramatic about it.
•Emotional vocabulary is processed differently than functional vocabulary—it's tied to the language you first learned to express feelings in, usually your native tongue
•Under emotional distress, your brain defaults to your first language, making second-language therapy feel forced and inauthentic
•English-speaking therapists abroad are scarce, expensive, often not covered by local insurance, and have long waitlists
•Online therapy platforms in your language may not be licensed in your country of residence, creating legal and logistical dead ends
No fumbling for the right word. No therapist misunderstanding your metaphors. Say exactly what you mean in the language where your emotions live.
You don't need to figure out which international insurance plan covers what. ILTY is available tonight, regardless of where in the world you are.
If you do have a therapist in another language, ILTY can be the space where you unpack what you actually meant to say in that session but couldn't.
We want to be honest about our limitations:
ILTY is designed primarily for English. It can understand other languages to some degree, but the emotional depth and nuance work best in English. If English is the language where your feelings make sense, ILTY is a good fit. If your emotional language is Spanish or Mandarin, the same limitation you face with foreign-language therapy may apply here too.
It can be, especially for structured approaches like CBT where the exercises are more concrete. But for deeper emotional work—processing trauma, understanding relationship patterns, grief—the language limitation is real and significant. If possible, keep searching for a therapist in your native language, even online. ILTY can bridge the gap while you search.
Definitely worth exploring. Platforms like BetterHelp and others offer therapists in multiple languages. The main hurdle is licensing—some therapists can't legally treat you if you're in a different country. Check the regulations, but online native-language therapy is often the best solution. ILTY is for the 11pm moments between sessions.
ILTY is free during beta. It's not therapy. It's not a cure. It's a place to talk through what you're going through—honestly, without judgment, whenever you need it.