Caring for others is hard work.
Maybe you chose this as a career, or perhaps it chose you out of necessity—a spouse, parent, or loved one requires care, and you’ve stepped up. But caregiving calls on every part of you: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. And sometimes, it can drain you right down to empty.
Caring for others can also mean confronting the reality of our own mortality, the vulnerabilities of people whom we’ve previously viewed as invincible, and questions about what our own future will hold.
As a caregiver, you may be experiencing burnout in the form of:
Numbness
Isolation
Increased substance use
Resentment of responsibilities
Guilt or shame
Changes in sleep or physical wellbeing
Loss of sense of self and identity
Hopelessness
Preoccupation with thoughts of your own mortality
Limited capacity for emotional connection with the person/people for whom you are providing care
You want to find some kind of balance, a way to provide for others while still caring for yourself, doing things that give you satisfaction and enjoyment, maintaining relationships, and finding joy in the day-to-day.
It’s okay to feel burnt out. And it’s possible to feel better.
Many people don’t realize that burnout is actually accumulated grief and trauma: grief about the losses you witness & experience yourself and trauma surrounding the way these losses take place. Sometimes these things build up slowly over time, without you noticing...until, suddenly, it feels like too much.
For many people, it’s hard to quantify this kind of loss or put a finger on it—its presence is subtle, but persistent. But when you have the time and space to identify these things, acknowledge the impacts, and get support in coping with them, life can be brought back into balance.
Express
Your experiences & emotions—whatever they may be. Everything is valid, accepted, and honored here.
Receive
Understanding of the very real work you do in a safe place that’s dedicated to you and your wellbeing.
Extend
Compassion to yourself. You do not have to be perfect or superhuman in order to be a good caregiver.
Learn
Coping strategies that help you show up in day-to-day life in a way that feels sustainable & true to you.
Our Approach to Therapy for Caregivers & Healthcare Providers
We offer a mix of support, strategies, and tools in therapy. This means we’ll provide a safe place where you can share how you’re feeling (including the things you haven’t felt comfortable saying out loud elsewhere) as much as we’ll offer practical strategies that can improve your physical, emotional, and mental health in the midst of your work. Therapy is a place dedicated to you: where you don’t have to fear being judged, shut down, or “fixed.” Our goal is that you leave each session feeling heard, understood, valued, and with a sense of purpose and hope.