CSA-Diplomat
CernySmith Diplomat (CSA-D)
helping diplomats and their families answer the question
“How are you doing?”
A diplomats CSA Story:
My current post is in Freetown, Sierra Leone. As a Foreign Service Specialist, Health Practitioner, I have been able to bring a lot of smiles to the very poor and elderly. My life has been enriched in every post I have been assigned. Recently, however, I have felt overwhelmed. I used to be able to shake off things that bother me like poverty and such, but for some reason I have been struggling. My husband even noted that I am not adjusting to this post as well as I have to other posts.
I talked to someone at the Family Liaison Office (FLO) and they told me about the CSA and how it had helped them with their stress. I decided to try it myself so I ordered the assessment from the website. The CSA asked good questions that seemed relevant to my life. Since it was quick and easy I suggested my husband take it. He did.
We wanted to get the most out of the CSA so we connected with a CSA coach. That was a good decision. The CSA results and coaching helped deepen our understanding of ourselves and each other and also helped us understand the stress that was unique to our current assignment. In just one meeting with the CSA coach we figured out what we were doing right and what we needed to do to reduce our stress. We plan to take the CSA periodically to monitor our adjustment, it’s a small price that pays off in a big way.
