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Therapy for Women in Leesburg, VA
You’ve spent years putting other people first. You cared for your children, partner, and work colleagues, and perhaps even an aging parent. You’re part of the sandwich generation, and the pressure of juggling all these demands is taking its toll.
Maybe you’ve reached a point where you can’t keep pushing through like you used to. Or you might be dealing with a new challenge like a chronic illness diagnosis, menopause, child estrangement, or divorce. Whatever has brought you here, you are finally ready to get support.
You’ve landed in the right place. It’s time to put your own air mask on first and prioritize your mental and physical health. Not just so you can keep showing up for everyone else, but so you can become a more empowered version of yourself. I call this process reclamation. It’s about calling home the parts of yourself that may have gotten lost along the way.
Caught Between Everyone Else’s Needs and Your Own
Being part of the sandwich generation can feel overwhelming. You often feel pulled in different directions.
You're helping your kids and also managing your aging parents' needs. Then add work, marriage, and your own health in the mix and it's easy to see why you fall to the bottom of the list.
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You might feel guilty when you can't be there for everyone.
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Or resentful that so much falls on your shoulders.
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Or just exhausted from trying to keep up.
Therapy can help you step back and notice what’s draining you and how to start putting yourself first again. This often looks like exploring boundaries and how to keep them in place, and learning to prioritize your needs without guilt or shame.
When Your Life Doesn’t Look the Way You Thought It Would
Reinventing yourself in midlife can be exciting, but it can also leave you feeling untethered.
Maybe you thought you'd be with your partner forever, and now you're facing divorce. Or you've spent so many years as part of a couple that you're not sure who you are on your own.
Even when you're ready for a new chapter, there's a lot to figure out. You find yourself grieving the life you envisioned for yourself. Or questioning what you actually want for yourself now. Or feeling anxious about what comes next.
Divorce brings up big questions about your identity, your relationships, your role within your family, and so much more. You might want help figuring out who you want to become and what you'd rather leave behind.
Therapy is a place to look at those feelings, rediscover the person you are now, and explore what you want life to look like moving forward.
Ready to put yourself first?
Finding Your Way Through Loss
Divorce isn't the only experience that leaves you grieving the life you thought you’d have.
Career changes, distance from adult children, or losing touch with a parent can shake your life. Caregiver burnout and a new chronic illness can also turn everything upside down. And that’s a type of grief that no one sees, and that can feel very isolating.
But your grief matters, even when other people don't see it. As a holistic mental health counselor, I help women who are going through midlife changes like grief, trauma, and chronic illness feel seen, heard, and understood.
Grief is part of life's tapestry. It reflects the people, experiences, and even past versions of ourselves that have mattered to us. Making space for grief means acknowledging what you've lost as you make room for what comes next. It's an important part of the work I do with my clients, helping them honor what they have lost while finding new footing again.
Your Health is Changing, and So Are You
Midlife can bring changes to your health that you weren't expecting. You might be going through perimenopause or menopause. Maybe you're dealing with a chronic illness that changes everything.
It's frustrating when your body doesn't feel the way it used to.
You have to budget your energy carefully. This means turning down invitations or cancelling plans that you want to attend. What felt easy before is now effortful. And you have to rethink what you can realistically manage.
Adjusting to these changes isn’t just about grieving the life you had. It's also about figuring out what you need now. This can look like setting boundaries to protect your energy and learning to speak up for yourself.
If you've spent years pleasing others to avoid conflict, putting yourself first can feel strange. You might worry about disappointing people, feel guilty for saying no, or push yourself too hard because that's what you've always done.
In therapy, we'll figure out what you need now, and learn to speak up about it. This is part of reclamation: building a life that supports the person you are today.
Learn more about therapy for chronic illness.
My Specialties
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