Sandwich Generation & Caregiver Burnout Therapy for Moms in the Bay Area
You're the one everyone calls when something goes wrong, not the one anyone checks on. You've spent your whole life being capable enough that nobody thought to ask if you needed help, and somewhere along the way that became the whole plan. Now you're raising a newborn while also managing your parents' appointments, medications, and decline, and there's a third thing nobody warned you about, your own body is shifting too. Perimenopause and new motherhood share nearly identical symptoms, the sleeplessness, the mood swings, the brain fog, so it's easy to miss that two different transitions are happening in you at once. I work with first-time moms in the Bay Area and across California carrying all three, a baby, aging parents, and a body they barely recognize anymore, without ever being taught how to ask for help. There's a name for what happens when all three collide: caregiver burnout, just stacked on top of new motherhood instead of underneath it.
How we work together
REMEMBER
No one prepares you for carrying three things at once, a newborn who needs you completely, parents whose needs are growing just as fast, and a body quietly shifting through perimenopause underneath it all. Underneath the exhaustion, there's often an older belief too, that needing help is a failure, especially if you've spent your life being the dependable one, or bridging two worlds for immigrant parents. That's where we start, understanding how you became the person nobody thinks to check on.
REALIGN
Here, we untangle what's actually happening in your body from what's simply exhaustion from doing too much. Perimenopause and new motherhood can look nearly identical, so we get curious about both instead of assuming it's all just parenting stress. And we look at what support could actually look like, not as a last resort, but as something you're allowed to reach for now, before you fall apart.
RECLAIM
None of this stays behind in our sessions. You carry it home, permission to need things without earning them first, language for a body moving through two transitions at once, and a version of capable that includes asking for help, not just providing it.
Sessions are virtual, and I'm an out of network provider.
Questions you might have
Am I really "sandwich generation" if I just had my first baby?
Most people picture sandwich generation caregivers with teenagers or adult kids, not a newborn. But if you're caring for aging parents while raising a baby, you're carrying that same weight, often with even less support built around you, since most resources for this experience weren't built with a new mom in mind.
Could what I'm feeling be perimenopause, not just new mom exhaustion?
Possibly. Perimenopause can start as early as your mid to late 30s and shares nearly identical symptoms with new motherhood, poor sleep, anxiety, brain fog, mood swings. It's worth exploring both, rather than assuming everything is simply parenting stress. I'm not a physician, so any specific questions about perimenopause or your hormones are best directed to your doctor. What I can help with is the emotional weight of carrying multiple transitions at once, whatever the source turns out to be.
Is it common to still not feel comfortable asking for help?
Extremely common, especially for women who've spent their lives being the reliable one. That discomfort usually isn't about the people around you, it's about a belief you were taught long before any of this started.
What does it mean that you're PMH-C certified?
PMH-C stands for Perinatal Mental Health Certification, through Postpartum Support International. It's specialized training in reproductive and perinatal mental health, the actual focus of my practice, not something added on.
Do I have to be falling apart to start therapy, or is doing it all enough of a reason?
​Doing it all is enough of a reason. You don't need a crisis to justify support, you're allowed to reach for it while you're still functioning, not just once you can't anymore.
How do I know if I'm burned out, or just tired?
Tired usually lifts with rest. Burnout doesn't, even after a full night's sleep or a day off, the exhaustion, resentment, and sense of being stretched too thin are still there. If you're noticing that gap, it's worth paying attention to.
Do you take insurance?
I'm out of network. I'll provide a superbill you can submit for possible reimbursement. I won't pretend the cost isn't real, but so is what you get back, a nervous system that finally gets to rest, and a version of yourself you're not performing for anyone.
What makes working with you different?
You're done performing a version of yourself that's no longer sustainable, while still showing up every day for a child who needs you. You want to run your own life again, not just react your way through motherhood. Because I've lived pieces of what brings women like you through my door, you don't have to educate me on why you've spent your life meeting everyone else's expectations first, I already understand that weight. What we do instead is decide together what you're keeping and what you're finally allowed to put down. What you get isn't a fixed version of yourself, it's one fluid enough to keep evolving with your child, and grounded enough to trust while you do.
