Caught in the Caregiver Sandwich?
Individual therapy for the sandwich generation
Nobody plans for the season where everybody needs you at the same time. All it takes is a sudden fall, a medical diagnosis, or a decline in mental faculties to add “manage dad’s medication” and “drive mom to doctor’s appointment” to your plate that’s already full with caring for your kids, home, and job.
That’s the sandwich generation: adults who are caring for aging parents or loved ones while still raising children and managing careers all at the same time. More people are landing here than ever before because people are living longer and having children later. It’s a reality for a lot of families, and it can lead to anxiety, burnout, guilt, grief, and a bone-deep depletion that sleep alone can’t fix. It can spill into your marriage, your work, your patience — everything.
This might sound like you:
If any of this hits close to home, we’re here to help.
Your loved one’s memory is slipping or they took a bad fall, and now you’re the one managing their care.
A spouse, sibling, or close friend received a diagnosis, and your role in their life changed overnight.
You feel like you’re failing on both fronts. When you’re with your parents, you don’t feel present for your kids. When you’re with your kids, you don’t think you’re doing enough for your parents.
You’re trying to be both the perfect child and parent, and the pressure is crushing you.
You’re grieving someone who’s still here and don’t know how to process that.
You’re angry that the grandparent you wanted your children to have can’t show up in the way you imagined.
You’ve decided to step back from some of the caregiving, and you can’t ignore the feelings of guilt coming up.
Your family or culture has clear expectations about who takes care of whom, and you’re not sure if that aligns with you.
You can’t remember the last time someone asked how you’re doing.
What We’ll Work On Together
When everyone needs you at the same time, it’s easy to forget that you need support too. This is specifically for you, the person in the middle holding everyone else together. Together, we’ll focus on the following:
How Therapy Can Help
A lot of caregivers come to therapy wondering, “How is this really going to help?” It all starts with having a dedicated space to say it out loud. A lot of what sandwich generation caregivers carry goes unnoticed or unspoken, so naming it and unpacking it is the first step. For many people, just feeling seen is an unexpected relief.
From there, we’ll look at the whole picture together. Where do you need acceptance and where do you need a plan? What expectations are you carrying? Where do you need permission to stop doing everything by yourself? We don’t believe in quick fixes here. This approach is a way forward that doesn’t require you to disappear in the process.
Let’s Get To Know Each Other
I’m Amanda Coyle, LCSW, a therapist at Psychological Wellness Services. I’ve spent my career helping adults through life’s big transitions.
I recently completed the Mental Health & Aging Certificate through the Center for Mental Health & Aging. Receiving this cutting-edge, specialized psychotherapy training for older adults made one thing very clear to me: some of the people who need the support most are the adult children and partners doing the caregiving, usually while raising families of their own. Families are changing, and mental health care needs to keep up.
This work is how I’m meeting that need.
Don’t Face This Alone
You spend every moment taking care of everyone else. Let’s take a deep breath and make some room for you. Schedule a complimentary consultation, and we’ll get you the support you need to navigate this new chapter.