Tanya Crossman

Title: Being The Village: new research shows the importance of community for TCKs' long term wellbeing

Synopsis: TCK Training published a groundbreaking report on the impact of trauma and preventive care in Third Culture Kids (TCKs) in September 2025, drawn from a survey of over 1,600 Adult TCKs from over 90 countries. The key finding was that support from parents, peers, and the wider community led to significantly better outcomes for TCKs long term, regardless of the level of trauma they experienced. TCKs with this support had fewer mental health concerns, fewer physical health concerns, lower rates of drug/alcohol abuse, and much more favourable views of the TCK lifestyle. In this hope-filled session, TCK Training's Director of Research Tanya Crossman will present key elements of the research, and share ways to implement PCEs plus other practical takeaways for parents, educators, support workers/caregivers, and adult TCKs.

Tanya Crossman is the Director of Research and International Education at TCK Training and previously served on the FIGT board. She has 20 years' experience working with TCKs, CCKs, and globally mobile families in 20 countries, particularly China and Cambodia. Tanya is the author of Misunderstood (2016) and Thongs or Flip Flops (2024), and lead author of five research reports on TCK experiences for TCK Training.