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Therapy for Caregivers

Just as our parents cared for us when we were infants, many of us find ourselves caring for our elderly parents or loved ones later in life. 

As painful as it is, that’s the circle of life.

Some of us may also find ourselves in a caregiving role for children or partners with disabilities or injuries, which can take a toll on our mental health and well being. 

Caregiving can present some significant challenges, can be very painful emotionally, and can lead to physical and mental exhaustion. 

That’s why, when you’re caregiving for others, it’s so vitally important that you find your own support and care.

You don’t have to do it alone.

We all need support, and especially when so much of our time and energy are spent supporting.

While there is great meaning in having the ability to support a loved one, sometimes the stress can accumulate over time to the point that it has a significant impact on our mental and physical health.

Caregivers Mental & Physical Health Risks

  • 80% of caregivers say they feel a great deal of stress
  • 50% suffer from clinical depression
  • Anxiety is higher in caregivers than non-caregivers
  • Caregivers report they experience more physical health problems
  • Strained caregiver spouses are at increased risk of dying
  • Caregivers have poorer immune system function and slower healing of wounds
  • Caregivers experience more colds and other viral illnesses

Caregivers can also go through financial instability due to expenses, not accepting promotions, and working less due to continuous care of their loved one. 

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, then it’s time to seek help so you can fully evaluate and resolve your situation, restoring a sense of peace, balance, and vitality to your life.

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Caregiver Burnout & Mental Health Symptoms

  • Feeling sad, down, depressed or hopeless
  • Loss of energy
  • Lack of interest in activities/thing that used to give you pleasure
  • Feeling resentful toward the older adult that you are caring for
  • Feeling that people ask more of you than they should
  • Feeling like caregiving has affected family relationships in a profoundly negative way
  • Being upset by other family members who don’t help as much as you do
  • Becoming upset by arguments with others about your situation
  • Withdrawing yourself from your family, friends, and other loved ones because you don’t want anything to get in the way of you caring for your loved one
  • Experiencing a change in your sleep pattern; you might end up staying up late at night to care for your loved one so your sleep pattern could change to match theirs 
  • Turning to alcohol or drugs to cope, or even abusing sleep medications if you are extremely sleep deprived

This constellation of symptoms is sometimes known as “caregiver burnout.” 

It’s a state of exhaustion when you bite off more than you can chew by trying to do more, physically, mentally, or even financially, than you are capable of.

To avoid these risks, it’s extremely important to get enough exercise and sleep, know your limits, establish healthy boundaries, practice self-care, and acknowledge how you feel as a caregiver.

For caregiving to be sustainable, it’s vital that you care for yourself as much as you care for your loved one. 

Research-based, personalized therapy.

At My LA Therapy, our warm and experienced therapists specialize in anxiety, depression, trauma, & relationships.

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Causes of Caregiver Burnout

Listed below are some factors that can lead to caregiver burnout:

  • Unrealistic expectations
    • You might expect that everything you do will make your loved one feel better, or make their illness go away. However, if your loved one has a disease that decreases mental functioning, such as Alzheimer’s, you may not be able to help them get better. Instead, you can just be a method of support for them. Expecting to be able to heal their condition can lead to shame, depression, and anxiety. 
  • Uncontrollable circumstances
    • You might get understandably frustrated with not being able to provide the best care for your loved one, or even get frustrated that you don’t have enough resources or money to assist them. You must remember, however, that you are doing the most you can with what you have. 
  • Demands that can be unreasonable
    • Sometimes the person who you’re caring for or others in your life might put unreasonable demands on you––and sometimes you even place them on yourself, even though you might not have a support system you need to meet those demands. 
  • Confusion of your role
    • If you are caring for a loved one, you might have a hard time separating your role as a caretaker from your role as a spouse, sibling, parent, or child, which can make it difficult to know how to interact with the person you’re caring for and may create complicated and confusing relationships. 

Where does one find the strength to be there for someone while also taking care of themself? 

By receiving support from others. 

When shouldering so much, we can’t do it alone. 

And we don’t have to. 

Together, we will find the right balance so you can support yourself and your loved one. 

Want to talk?

At My LA Therapy, our highly-vetted Caregiving experts are selected not only for their clinical acumen but for who they are.

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Our Therapy Methods for Caregivers

Therapy can successfully improve your life by helping you minimize your anxiety, identifying and changing underlying thought and behavioral patterns that contribute to your struggles, and providing you with strategies to decrease discomfort while restoring an overall sense of peace.

Our evidence-based, scientifically proven interventions are demonstrated by research to be effective in addressing mental health issues commonly faced by caregivers such as anxiety, depression, and burnout.

Learn more about our empirically based therapy modalities by visiting our Methods page. 

 

 

Resources

  1. AAMFT
  2. Cleveland Clinic
  3. WebMD
 

What Our Clients Say

"With your help, I've finally started to understand that while my vivid imagination often wants to create terrifying monsters under the bed, in a lot of cases those monsters are nothing more than a heap of decidedly less-terrifying laundry I've avoided for too long that just needs to be aired out and put away. Which is definitely a lot easier than monster slaying. Thank you for shedding light in the dark places I was too afraid to face alone."
Anonymous Client
"After every session I come away feeling better prepared to start shining light into shadows I've hustled past for a long, long time... some rational ones, but a lot more aren't. Shame is such a stealthy master; He's been the monkey on my back for a long time. You totally called it. I'm so grateful for your guidance and skill and although sometimes I may shuffle and others I may leap, after our sessions I always feel like I'm moving forward."
Anonymous Client
"I want to thank you again for your continued help and expertise, and more specifically for yesterday's learning opportunity about how I can communicate more effectively. After your ultimately appreciated prodding you made me feel comfortable with the idea that expressing confusion or even doubt can serve as valuable conversation-assets, and I look forward to moving forward without those those self-inflicted parameters."
Anonymous Client
"Just wanted to share that yesterday's session with you, and a long, productive dinner table conversation with my wife last night, started to uncover a huge gap between perception and reality in my understanding of the status I held in our marriage. Our session opened my eyes to the fact that the inequity I've long felt comes from a place of assumed unworthiness. I'm so thankful for this journey we are taking together, with your help, towards deeper, more productive understanding."
Anonymous Client
"I have worked with many therapists in the past, but this is the first time I feel that I am making changes that are deep and lasting. Her counseling has truly helped me become free, even from things I wasn’t aware were affecting me. Brooke integrates many different approaches to provide balanced and effective therapy."
Anonymous Client
"You are truly an amazing person. I am so grateful for your sincerity and kindness– big-hearted and deep soulfulness. You are incredibly intuitive, insightful and wise. You are a gifted listener and a powerful speaker, passionate and genuine."
Anonymous Client
"Brooke is kind and warm, but not afraid to challenge you. She is caring, authentic and compassionate as well as intelligent and clinically skilled. Brooke possesses great wisdom and intuition, which she balances with knowledge and skill."
Anonymous Client
"Brooke has really helped me to overcome the problems in my life that I was starting to believe couldn’t change. I now understand where my depression and anxiety came from and they are no longer a part of my life. I now feel a sense of peace and purpose."
Anonymous Client
"I’ve recommended Brooke to so many of my friends and colleagues, I’m starting to feel like her personal cheerleader. But it can’t be helped. When I look back on the past year, without a doubt the most difficult year of my life, I can’t believe how far I’ve come."
Anonymous Client
"Brooke has been an incredibly positive influence in my life. I first came to Brooke in the midst of a divorce from my high school sweetheart and best friend. With Brooke’s gentle guidance and supervision, I began the most intense period of personal growth in my life."
Anonymous Client

Caregiving Therapists

Brittany Rudinica
LCSW

Therapist

Heather Totten
LMFT

Therapist
My LA Therapy - Lorie Nguyen (featured)

Lorie Nguyen
LCSW

Therapist
Sydney-Shaevel-Therapist (featured)

Sydney Shaevel
LMFT

Therapist
Tanya-Mailander-Therapist (featured)

Tanya Mailander
LMFT

Therapist

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My LA Therapy | Therapy for Caregivers
Our warm and experienced therapists offer research-based, personalized therapy that addresses the root cause for your symptoms to create lasting change.
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My LA Therapy | Therapy for Caregivers

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