On the Podcast: Holding It All: Building Community Through the Caregiver Experience
episode summary
In this episode of 'Out of Session with Kindman and Co.', Sarah and new team member Madison discuss the launch of their upcoming caregiver support group. Both Sarah and Madison share personal experiences of being caregivers. They reflect on the challenges and evolving responsibilities that come with caregiving roles and the crucial need for support systems. Their conversation emphasizes the yearning for community, understanding, and advocacy to help caregivers navigate their responsibilities more effectively and feel less isolated in their roles.
The episode touches on various emotions associated with caregiving, such as anxiety, fear, and resentment, especially when caregivers consider the long-term commitments to their loved ones. Both hosts agree on the necessity of having someone to lean on, whether it's family, partners, or a support group, and the importance of defining their roles through meaningful language and ownership. They highlight that caregiving requires acute awareness and emotional resilience, often involving preemptive actions to meet the needs of those they care for.
Sarah and Madison express hopes for their new support group to provide a space for caregivers to share experiences, exchange resources, and receive validation. This group aims to create a community where caregivers can find solace, exchange knowledge, and, most importantly, feel understood and less alone in their journeys.
Introduction to the Podcast
You are listening to out of Session with Kindman and Co. A Feelings Forward podcast where we leave our therapist selves at the door and have messy real conversations about being human.
In today's episode, Sarah introduces Madison, a new therapist and grad student at Kindman and Co. They discuss their soon to be launched caregiver support group, both share personal experiences being caregivers, and reflect on the challenges and responsibilities that come with this role. They express the importance of support systems, the evolving nature of caregiving, and their hopes for this group's impact.
[00:00:43] Sarah: All right, we're recording.
[00:00:45] Madison: We are recording. Hello.
[00:00:48] Sarah: Hi Madison. How are you doing today?
[00:00:50] Madison: I'm good Sarah. How are you doing today?
[00:00:52] Sarah: I am doing well. Do you wanna tell our listeners what we're going to be? Actually, they haven't met you yet.
Meet Madison: New Therapist at Kindman and Co.
[00:00:59] Sarah: Madison is one of our newest therapists added to the team. Would you like to introduce yourself?
[00:01:05] Madison: I'm Madison. I'm the newest. One of the newest members of the Kindman and Company team. I'm a grad student who's currently getting my hours to fulfill my graduation requirements. And I'm kind of starting my therapist journey here.
[00:01:20] Sarah: Yes. And we're so excited to have her.
Launching the Caregiver Support Group
[00:01:24] Sarah: I asked Madison to do this podcast with me because we are actually going to be starting a therapy group, hopefully. Uh, very soon. Hopefully. Hopefully. Yeah. And I think that there are a lot of reasons why the two of us are wanting to lead this group. I also have questions for Madison and would love to hear more about her experience and what's bringing her here. And, this just seemed like a really nice. Comfortable way to, to have that conversation.
[00:01:56] Madison: Yeah. For the world.
[00:01:56] Sarah: For the world. Yeah. So we are planning on running a caregiver group, hopefully starting in October, though. It'll depend on when we have folks register. And yeah, I, we've had a few conversations about this topic and why it's important to both of us and both of our personal experiences.
[00:02:21] Sarah: And maybe. I, can I ask you Yeah. About your experience, um, about what it is to, or should I ask you first what it, oh, and I hit the mic.
Personal Caregiving Experiences
[00:02:31] Sarah: Um, I'm curious, um, what it does caregiving mean to you? Or what images kind of come to mind when, when you think of caregiving?
[00:02:39] Madison: When I think of caregiving from like. Uh, there's, I think I have two perspectives of caregiving, kind of what I see on the outside of like others.
[00:02:47] Madison: Like when I think of somebody that's a caregiver, I think of somebody that wants to take care of the people around themselves. I feel like usually it comes with maybe not putting themselves first at times. I think of somebody that's very like selfless and like wants to help and like desires that out of, um, like themselves and to help the people around them.
[00:03:07] Madison: And I think for me, I. We've talked about this before. How sure have, we're kind of, like caregivers in the network of like the person we're supporting, but not necessarily the main person supporting, um, the people in our lives.
[00:03:24] Sarah: I feel like caregiver light.
[00:03:27] Madison: Yes. Caregiver light, like I. I have a brother with autism, and so I've been around since my mom, since birth.
[00:03:36] Madison: And, uh, my mom supporting him, and his like journey to get resources and access to, just like general like education and like resources for like his day-to-day support needs. And I think for me it's kind of just like. Oh, like this is my brother. This is who I'm always gonna be with for the rest of my life.
[00:03:56] Madison: And at some point I'm gonna be the sole provider for him. And that's just what my life is. And that's kind of my journey to being a caregiver and what my life is.
[00:04:10] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah, and I think similarly, I also have a brother who is autistic, um, has high support needs have very similarly from a very young age, been told that one day I will be his primary caregiver along with my siblings.
[00:04:28] Sarah: And yeah, I think this question of what it means to be a caregiver is really interesting. I've always felt like I was a part of the network in a way that you mentioned of there's, I mean, I think caring for someone who with high support needs, especially, there's kind of like an all hands on deck approach and making sure that not only is your person taken care of, but is the person who's caring for the person taken care of.
[00:04:54] Sarah: It's, I think it's a lot of sensing of other people's needs before people share them. Yeah. I think you kinda get really good at that, that kind of anticipatory. Okay. Like, how do I plan ahead? How do I kind of step in before it becomes Yeah. An issue. Very observant. Yeah. Yeah. Sounds like you can relate to that too.
[00:05:16] Madison: I've definitely picked up some of those, caregiving Personality aspects.
[00:05:21] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah.
Challenges and Responsibilities of Caregiving
[00:05:23] Sarah: And I think it's just a part of the equation and yeah, I think a conver part of the conversation we had when we were talking about starting this group was, you know, what do we refer to ourselves as as caregivers?
[00:05:37] Sarah: Yeah. And I think that's been a really interesting and helpful thing for me to reflect on and think about. Because in my life, for my brother. My mom is definitely like number one caregiver. Yeah. In his life. But I think it's important to have language to, to kind of piece together the role that we are playing and that we do play.
[00:05:58] Sarah: And the, yeah. It, I mean, I, I am jokingly seeing caregiver light, but I do think that there, there is kind of an importance for language matters and I think there has to be a degree of, of taking ownership for the role that we're playing. Yeah. And yeah, I, I go back and forth with like not wanting it to seem like I'm doing more than I am, um, but also recognizing that if I am going to step up to this role, it's not gonna happen overnight.
[00:06:29] Sarah: Like, it kind of is this lifelong process. Yeah.
[00:06:33] Madison: Yeah. And I feel like our roles are kind of always changing. Yeah. Like our roles in childhood as like also children with our siblings with, autism, like supporting our parents in that. And then now as adults kind of taking more of that, sometimes more hands-on like caregiving role while also still being that support for the people that are the, the main primary caretakers.
[00:06:56] Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. And I think we've both kind of talked about yeah, like we're serving this kind of glue is kind of how I imagine it. Yeah. And that glue is kind of shifting and through these different periods of our lives, and there is going to be a point where we do kind of take over, yeah, the primary roles.
[00:07:15] Sarah: And that's been, especially as I have solidly entered adulthood like it has been, it has been really interesting kind of being in the position of not theoretically, you know, do I agree with my mom's choices or, um. But kind of imagining and know, you know what, what I would choose myself if I were in her shoes.
[00:07:37] Sarah: Mm-hmm. Um, and knowing that that will be the case. That, that, yeah, that is kind of going to be the, the reality. And, I think it, it kind of drives me to want to be a part of those conversations now that you know this. Yeah. Even if I'm not top of the list for the person who's ultimately making these decisions, it feels important to kind of have my. Have my hand in it to, to kind of feel like I'm a part of the conversation at the very least.
[00:08:08] Madison: Definitely.
Support Systems and Evolving Roles
[00:08:09] Madison: We're gonna be the people that take care of our, our siblings, like later on in our lives. I mean, whenever that happens. So kind of taking that role is, is a, is a big responsibility and kind of having that conversation before it happens and. What that means for us as, uh, people and individuals growing and we're both young adults. So kind of like what that means for us in our, in our growing adulthood.
[00:08:30] Sarah: Do you have any feelings about being a caregiver or,
[00:08:34] Madison: that's a good question.
[00:08:34] Sarah: At least being in the caregiver network of it all,
[00:08:37] Madison: I, I have a, a lot of feelings I think it varies depending on the day. I think like in childhood, I was kind of, I kind of had like in teenage hood kind of resentment towards that, uh, knowingness and kind of feeling like maybe my family wasn't supporting my brother in the ways that I, desired. And then that resentment kind of comes out in other ways as well.
[00:09:02] Madison: And the pressure of knowing that you're gonna take care of your sibling later on in life is. It's, it's a scary feeling. It's definitely a little bit anxiety inducing at times. And I think when I was younger and I hadn't really accepted that role, it was definitely a lot harder. But I think now that I've talked about it more, I have a partner that is really supportive and understands that that is gonna be our life.
[00:09:27] Madison: Definitely I kind of feel a contentment with that and it is just what it is. It's just what it is. And I kind of have to make the most out of it and hope that I can be the best provider I can for my brother when that time comes.
[00:09:42] Sarah: Yeah.
[00:09:42] Madison: Um, and that's like my main feelings right now.
[00:09:44] Madison: I'm, I'm kind of in a place of like contentment with that role, but who knows That might change when I, when I actually step into it.
[00:09:51] Sarah: And guess what you're allowed to have changing feelings. Surprise.
[00:09:56] Madison: What about you?
[00:09:56] Sarah: I think, yeah. Um. You talk about your rebellious youth. Um, I think I, I definitely maybe feel more on the anxious side of things.
[00:10:08] Sarah: Yeah. Just like, how the hell am I going to do this? There's just so much weight and so much responsibility and it's already hard to take care of yourself. And, um, yeah, I think. Uh, just a lot of fear. A lot of fear that I was going to slash you know, that fear is, is still there for me. To and a lesser degree, I think it has helped to, to have conversations with people.
[00:10:40] Sarah: Um, but yeah, I think there is a real fear of, you know, when someone's relying on you and the world is already hard for people to navigate when they have advantages and are neurotypical. And yeah, to, to then be responsible for making sure that your loved one, like gets not only the, you know, the survival things, but also to, to really make choices so that they can have a good life is, yeah, it feels big.
[00:11:13] Madison: Definitely.
[00:11:14] Sarah: And then to also not know who to really ask those questions of, because not everyone's in. In that position. I definitely felt that growing up, you know, it's not really something that you can just ask your friends about. Um, yeah. It's not something that you can talk to a lot of people about, especially when you're younger, I think as you grow older, and it's just more common for there to be physical ailments or people have their parents that are getting older and suddenly they find themselves in a, in a caregiving role for them.
[00:11:45] Madison: Mm-hmm.
[00:11:46] Sarah: Um I think it becomes more and more common. Yeah. But yeah, I think it, it's so, I mean, even then, it's not something that I think people are especially eager to jump at or to, to talk about.
[00:11:58] Madison: Yeah. I think that that's something like the accessibility for caregivers to kind of have a space to talk about that role and like what it means for them and the feelings that come with it as well isn't, you make a good point with like the, the, when you're especially younger and it's not so common and people just don't really wanna talk about those things to begin with.
[00:12:20] Sarah: They wanna talk about the fun stuff.
[00:12:23] Madison: It's hard. It, it, it's definitely difficult to kind of like, feel like you have support in this world, and people that relate to you. Yeah. And yeah.
[00:12:31] Sarah: And I think I, I heard both of us say that it's gotten 'cause I, I think you used the word contentment and I think I also, the, the fears will always be, yeah. You know, there will be a steady kindering of, of fear, um, because of how I operate. But I, I do think that I got to a much better place through talking with people. I think sometimes people that got it, that were in a similar or are in a similar position, I know that those conversations have been helpful.
[00:13:03] Sarah: But I think even voicing it to people that aren't in this position, just to kind of be validated that it is a scary thing. Yeah. Um, it's something that we are gonna, we are stepping up to the plate and we will continue stepping up to the plate. But it's, it's a lot of responsibility and I think just having people to talk to about it.
[00:13:23] Sarah: I don't know. I mean, I think that's therapy in general. Yeah. That like, it doesn't make the weight any lighter, but you feel more supported in, in carrying it, I think.
[00:13:32] Madison: Yeah, I definitely would agree. Definitely having that support and caring that, uh, I don't wanna say burden mm-hmm. But like that responsibility of being somebody's caretaker and like the person that they look to for support in their day to day.
[00:13:51] Madison: It's not something that a lot of people experience and definitely feeling like you have that support, even with people that maybe haven't had that, uh, experience or like seen that, um, definitely feels, it feels good. It feels validating.
[00:14:03] Sarah: Yeah.
Navigating Caregiving Conversations
[00:14:08] Sarah: Can I ask if there have been any particular, conversations that come to mind when you think of kind of the, the people that you've talked to about this or leaned on.
[00:14:16] Madison: When I think of like the people that I talk to about this, I think it's mostly my partner 'cause it's the person that I'm going to. I, hopefully, hopefully
[00:14:24] Sarah: He sounds great. I think so.
[00:14:25] Madison: Probably, hopefully, probably, um, like be with during this journey and what does that, what does that caregiving role look like for us as a couple?
[00:14:35] Madison: Yeah. And as we navigate, uh, us, reaching new parts of our relationship and eventually moving towards that, more like marriage engagement talk. Definitely something that comes up a lot more. And what that is gonna look like for us, uh, what looks like for our family.
[00:14:52] Sarah: Mm-hmm.
[00:14:53] Madison: Definitely I think like talking to him is probably, probably the most I've, I've been doing recently.
[00:14:58] Madison: Yeah. And just like with like friends, like when they, when I like go visit my family and stuff and they ask me about my siblings and I always bring him up and they, it's always like a nice, like conversation starter and people like love people, love hearing about people with disabilities and Yeah. Yeah.
[00:15:13] Sarah: Yeah. That's really sweet that you have that type of that that's a part of your relationship that, you know, that that you kind of have someone to lean on and someone to, to, to carry this with. I think when we talk about like, yeah, just having someone who is wanting and willing to be there.
[00:15:30] Sarah: Yeah. Um, that's, that's the network. It's kind of like a web, the web keeps kind of growing and growing. Yeah.
[00:15:37] Madison: What about you? I know you have your, your siblings. Yeah. How do you guys navigate this conversation?
[00:15:44] Sarah: It's interesting. I, I'm like, should I get them on the phone? Um, I, we've had, it's kind of one of those conversations that's interwoven into our other conversations here and there.
[00:15:59] Madison: Mm-hmm.
[00:16:00] Sarah: Um, I think we've all, yeah, we all play and or try to play an active role in his life and in his care now. And we know that we're all going to be a part of that care moving forward. I think especially as the eldest, at first I kind of had this image of it just being me and mm-hmm. Especially as my younger siblings have gotten older and they themselves are adults now, it, it feels like I have partners in this too.
[00:16:38] Sarah: That they are people that I really trust. I trust their decision making. I trust that they care for our brother as much as I do. And that feels really, that provides a lot of stability, that I know that it's not going to just be me ever, um, that it's going to be us. And I trust that even if I don't really have the capacity at all times, that, um.
[00:17:05] Sarah: I'm hopeful. I mean, I can, you know, it's not gonna be easy and I know that. Um, but I think that the, at the root of it, I know that there are people that care for him as much as I do, and I think that they're going to show up in the ways that I want to show up. And yeah, I think that just kind of, that quells some of the anxiety that I have, just knowing that there are people there that I can trust.
[00:17:29] Sarah: Mm-hmm. Um, that it's not just going to fall on me. In a way that I think, unfortunately, I think it falls on a lot of people. Yeah. That there is typically one person and there are people that might be listening to this who don't necessarily have that web or network Yeah. Of people that they can rely on that it really feels like it has to be them or else something might go wrong.
[00:17:52] Sarah: Or the reality of it may be that. Um, for whatever reason, there might not be family members or friends available to help them, and they really are the, a person's primary caretaker and don't have someone to really lean on, um, to, to kind of tap them out when they need a break.
The Importance of Community and Support
[00:18:11] Madison: Yeah, and I think that was kind of like something that we were looking for out of this group is that oftentimes caregivers don't have that web and don't take that time for themselves as well. To kind of have that space to set aside something for them to be able to talk to people that understand and relate to their experience and kind of in a way create that web for them. Mm-hmm. Um, in a further way.
[00:18:34] Sarah: Mm-hmm. We're a nice little spider web, um, that we're hoping people will wanna walk into with us. Yeah. No, I, I think it can be really lonely.
[00:18:45] Madison: Definitely.
[00:18:46] Sarah: And the community isn't necessarily going to fix everything. But I, I've just found time and time again that community makes the hardest things feel more manageable. Mm-hmm. Um, and I think when, I just think it's so hard to choose to ask for help when you see someone who needs you.
[00:19:08] Sarah: Um, the idea that like you are also allowed to have needs is, can feel really foreign. At least. Yeah. I think that people, it's harder to see it on yourself, but when hopefully you're in a group of other people kind of saying and feeling the same things, they, I think it can just be really like an aha moment.
[00:19:27] Sarah: Yeah. Of if I really do believe that the people here deserve the help, the care to have, needs for themselves to have, wants for themselves. Um, like maybe, maybe I can too. Yeah. Maybe that's not a selfish thing.
[00:19:40] Madison: Definitely.
[00:19:41] Sarah: That's, that's what we're going for. That's what we're hoping for.
[00:19:44] Madison: Yeah. I think like with this group, we're just kind of hoping to maybe have people like us, maybe people from different, uh. Types of caregiving or different parts of the web to kind of come together and have like a space to explore what caregiving means to them and what that looks like for them in their lives and how they can best be supported.
[00:20:04] Sarah: Yeah, I think it would be really, I mean, groups are so interesting mm-hmm. In that you don't necess, they're so. Formed and shaped by the people that join them. Yeah. That like we, we have aspirations for, you know, what we imagine this group will look like, but it'll, it'll really depend on who ends up joining.
[00:20:24] Madison: Yeah.
[00:20:25] Sarah: And the experiences that they bring in with them. And it may be a group of folks like us who are kind. Um, considering what it may be like to like already be in this role, but to step into a different form of this role. It may be folks that are fully fledged in this role. Yeah. Maybe not for a parent or not, excuse me, for a sibling, but for a partner or a parent or a loved one.
[00:20:54] Sarah: And I think there's a lot to learn from all spectrums.
[00:20:56] Madison: A hundred percent.
[00:20:57] Sarah: Of this experience and yeah. I. I, I don't necessarily have a preference. I think I'm excited to see if there's more of like a spectrum of, of different experiences. Yeah. Or if people kind of come with a very similar experience, it'll be really interesting.
[00:21:12] Madison: Yeah. I think that that's kind of the beautiful part of like us, like going into this journey of starting a group, but not having any specifics of like what this, kind of, having an idea of what we want, but no specifics. 'cause that what we, what we were talking about with the. People, the people that come to the group make the group.
[00:21:29] Sarah: Yeah.
[00:21:30] Madison: Once we have our, our people coming in and signed up to kind of then work with them to see, well, what is this gonna be? What does, what works for you all? Yeah. What would be the most beneficial?
[00:21:40] Sarah: Yeah. Oh, fingers crossed.
[00:21:43] Madison: Fingers crossed, hopefully sometime in October.
[00:21:46] Sarah: Yeah.
Hopes and Desires for Caregivers
[00:21:47] Sarah: What would you want for, when you think of the caregivers in your life and what you want from them, um, if, if we lived in a perfect world, um, what are your kinda hopes and desires for, for caregivers at large?
[00:22:03] Madison: I think my hopes and desire, I think. Uh, honestly, support support is my biggest desire for caregivers at large.
[00:22:11] Sarah: Yeah.
[00:22:12] Madison: I think seeing my, my mom and, and stuff like growing up and not having that support and kind of like seeing the toll that that took on her and mm-hmm. How we've, in the past, like couple years as I've become an adult and now have access to more resources, trying to get her to also take more time for herself and we've taken more strides, but I think I think support is the biggest thing that I think caregivers need. And, um, figuring out what that looks like for them and how to best support them and what they need.
[00:22:42] Sarah: Yeah, totally. I think that support can look so different. I know that when we were speaking about what we wanted to talk about here yesterday.
[00:22:50] Sarah: Yeah. Um, we were also talk, we were talking about, you know, people choosing to show up. Yeah. And then we were also talking about systems and not necessarily knowing. The resources that are there. And even if you do know the resources that are there, it's really hard to know how to advocate for your loved one or to really fight for those services.
[00:23:13] Sarah: And yeah, it's, it's almost like a language that you have to learn on top of all the just day-to-day responsibilities. And I think some people have more capacity for, for that than others. Um, yeah. It's really frustrating that, yeah, it just kind of feels like a losing battle, I think, to know that there's so much that you have to do just practically on the day to day.
[00:23:40] Sarah: Yeah. And then you also have to navigate these really complicated systems. Yeah. And really. Like are almost like an argue, an a lawyer like argument Yeah. To really fight for and prove that, you know, you and your loved one are, are worthy of these services.
[00:23:57] Madison: Yeah. It's definitely odd to like have to feel like you have to advocate for your humanity.
[00:24:02] Sarah: Yeah. No, a hundred percent. Or like yes, my person falls into. All of these boxes that is incredibly, you know, it's like a whole thing to get through. And I think of this for my brother, um, when my parents and grandma were, you know, advocating for, for services for him. And then on the other side of the spectrum, um, my grandma, when she developed dementia, um, there was just all this research that we had to do for yeah, like what government aid looks like for getting her support, either in or outside of the home. What ADLs are all this stuff. And you almost feel like you have to become an expert. Yeah. In order to. To advocate properly. Like it's all, it's like a part-time job really. Yeah. To kind of like figure out these systems in addition to, to everything else that you have to do.
[00:24:55] Madison: Yeah. And I think, like we've talked about it before with like autism and once you become an adult, like the, the resources really dry up. Yeah. And for caregivers when, once that happens, it's also like, where am where am I gonna go? Where am I gonna meet other people going through the same things as me?
[00:25:11] Madison: Yeah. Like it, it, it's really frustrating to have to navigate like all of these things and then maybe after a certain age when the person you're caring for, like ages out of a certain system, then having to navigate a whole new system as well.
[00:25:24] Sarah: Yeah. No, it's like the land, the needs of your person are constantly changing.
[00:25:29] Sarah: Yeah. Which means, yeah, the, the resources that you need are constantly changing.
[00:25:34] Madison: And there's nobody to ever give you a, a handout for how, how to, how to navigate this system. It's kind of just. Here you go.
[00:25:40] Sarah: Like you're lucky if you find a a community, I think. Yeah. And like yes, there are online forums, but it's different to really, yeah.
[00:25:50] Sarah: Have someone, I mean, I think that's maybe the fear component. If you are so scared, then there's all these internet forums that might be well-meaning in some might not be. Yeah. And I think having that person to person interaction where you know that you can trust the people around you because you formed those relationships is so different than logging onto some portal where everyone is faceless and you can't really tell, you know, what's, what's going on. It's just, it's diff I think it, I don't, I can't imagine that it quells the fears in the same way that the, those interactions with real people.
[00:26:26] Madison: Yeah. I, I can't imagine that either. There's something about like that, like in person, connection with different energies and auras and. All that.
[00:26:35] Sarah: All that good stuff.
[00:26:35] Madison: All that good stuff. Yeah. It, it's different and especially when you're seeing everybody on a weekly basis and really getting to create and develop those bonds with each other.
[00:26:45] Sarah: Yeah, I think it's incredibly important. Okay. So we want, we want support. We want the day to day, day-to-day people showing up, people caring for people, people exchanging, resources, but also just. Like lamenting and how hard all of this can be. We want a world in which accessibility is prioritized and these systems aren't so freaking complicated to navigate.
[00:27:13] Sarah: And I, you know, I think especially, I don't even know about you. Sometimes I fall into a hopeless pit of despair, um, given the state of the world. And I, I just try to focus on what I can do and the micro of it all and yeah, kind of what is it that I can control And I think spaces like this kind do fan the fame flames of, of hope a little bit that they're, yeah, even within all this hecticness and craziness, there really can be, I think, really beautiful, intentional, moments of people choosing to show up for one another. And I do think that that is the opposite of what we're seeing at the world out in large right now.
[00:27:59] Madison: Definitely I would, I would definitely agree with that. And I think that that's kind of why we wanna create this space of like, kind of bring hope to, people in, in their lives. And I know that caregiving is, it can be very stressful and, and very taxing and kind of to have that space to recharge, talk, maybe exchange like information, resources, and see where this goes.
Conclusion and Invitation to Join the Group
[00:28:24] Sarah: So we're working on it. And if this is something that sounds like it would be helpful to you, if you, that can really mean, again, if you are a person that's still kind of trying on the, the sweater of caregiver or if you've been a caregiver for a really long time or still, struggling with the loneliness and isolation of it all. We're, we're here. Yeah. We're really excited about this group, for the reasons that we've shared and yeah, we, we really wanna make it for people that. That kind of hear themselves in the message that we're sharing. Um, yeah. So we hope that that's you, if you're listening.
[00:29:05] Sarah: Anything else you wanna share before we let our, our listeners free?
[00:29:09] Madison: I don't think there's anything else I'd like to share. I just kind of hope that people really resonated with some of what we talked about today. And I, I. This gets maybe one person to kind of be like,
[00:29:21] Sarah: That would be so wonderful.
[00:29:22] Madison: This, this, this sat well with me. Yeah. Let me, let me go ahead and reach out to them.
[00:29:26] Sarah: Yeah, no, we're, we're really hopeful and um, yeah. Excited to meet you if this speaks to you. Yes. Oh, thanks so much, Madison.
[00:29:35] Madison: Thank you, Sarah.
Today's episode is bringing you to Sarah and Madison's new group for caregivers.
The conversation that they had highlights the need for community understanding and advocacy in caregiving roles. They invite listeners who relate to their experiences to join their group for mutual support and resource exchange.
If you would like to learn more about the group or are interested in joining, visit our website at kindman.co. That's K-I-N-D-M-A-N.C-O Or feel free to give us a call.
As always, you can find the full transcript of the episode on our blog and sign up for our newsletter to stay connected.
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.
Featured therapist speakers:
sarah barukh
I provide intentional support to those who feel overly responsible in their families, including eldest daughters, caregivers, and those carrying an uneven amount of emotional labor in their families, as well as adult children of parents with chronic or progressive illnesses, who may be navigating anticipatory grief, shifting family roles, and struggling to prioritize self-care. I also greatly enjoy working with fellow therapists, healers, and caregivers, who are supporting those who hold space for others while learning to hold space for themselves.
madison segarra
As a proud Puerto Rican woman and the first in my family to seek out therapy and talk openly about mental health, I know how tender it can feel to step into this space for the first time. If you’re a fellow BIPOC person and maybe even a therapy first-timer, especially if you were raised in a family or culture where emotions were meant to be hidden, I want you to know: you belong here. Having personally witnessed the impacts of PTSD, addiction, racism, and colorism, I bring both lived experience and cultural awareness into the room. Together, we can work toward healing from racial trauma and systemic oppression, embracing the richness of your identity, and finding liberation in reconnecting with your emotional self.
GET HELP NOW
If you are interested in therapy with Kindman & Co. and would like to learn more about the services we have to help you, follow these quick & easy steps:
Schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation with our Care Coordinator.
Get matched with the therapist who’s right for you.
Start feeling more supported and fulfilled in your life and relationships!
THERAPY AT KINDMAN & CO.
We are here for your diverse L.A. counseling needs. Our team of therapists provides lgbtqia+ affirmative therapy, couples therapy & premarital counseling, grief & loss counseling, group therapy, and more. We have specialists in trauma, women's issues, depression & anxiety, substance use, mindfulness & embodiment, and support for creatives. For therapists and practice owners, we also provide consultation and supervision services! We look forward to welcoming you for therapy in Highland Park and online.