“Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn't know was possible.”
— Tia Walker
Caregivers are the Backbone…
…of our families, healthcare systems, and communities. Whether you're working in a hospital, hospice, assisted living facility, or are someone providing daily support for a loved one—your role is critical. But carrying the emotional and physical weight of others' needs, day after day, can come at a cost.
Caregivers are often steady, capable, and resilient on the outside—but quietly exhausted, overwhelmed, or emotionally numb on the inside. You may feel guilty for needing support. You may tell yourself, “Others have it worse.” You may not even realize how much you’ve been holding, and you may have forgotten what your own needs are.
Therapy offers a space to recognize that your suffering matters, too—and that receiving care is not a weakness, but a necessity.
The Hidden Toll of Caregiving
Caregivers experience high rates of emotional strain—whether in formal roles (nurses, CNAs, hospice staff, rehab workers, aides) or as family members, partners, or parents supporting someone through illness, disability, or decline.
Common challenges include:
Burnout and emotional depletion
Compassion fatigue—the numbness that replaces empathy after too much exposure to suffering
Medical vicarious trauma—absorbing the distress of those you care for
Anxiety, irritability, or chronic tension
Difficulty setting boundaries without guilt
Grief, anticipatory loss, or ambiguous grief (especially when someone is declining gradually)
Suppressed anger, resentment, or emotional isolation
Feeling invisible or underappreciated—even by those you’re helping
These are not signs of personal failure. They’re normal, human responses to extended emotional labor. Left unaddressed, they can contribute to serious health problems and loss of self.
I work with caregivers of all types, including (but not limited to):
Nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals
Caseworkers
Family caregivers supporting relatives or friends with terminal illness
Adult children of aging parents
Childcare workers and teachers
Parents of special needs kids
Anyone bearing the burden of caring for others
How Therapy Can Help Helpers
Therapy is a space to restore your nervous system, reconnect with yourself, and make meaning out of what you’re carrying.
Caregiver counseling can help you:
Name and process vicarious trauma and emotional overwhelm
Rebuild your nervous system capacity to handle stress
Learn to set healthy boundaries—without guilt
Explore feelings of resentment, guilt, sadness, or fatigue in a safe, nonjudgmental way
Clarify what’s yours to hold, and what you can let go of
Reconnect with parts of yourself that have been lost in caregiving
Feel more present, grounded, and able to care from a place of choice—not obligation
You Don’t Have to Go It Alone
Whether you're a nurse overwhelmed by constant patient turnover, a son or daughter caring for an aging parent, a personal caregiver working in isolation, or a parent supporting a child with special needs—this work is hard. And you deserve care, too.
Medical Workplace Violence: A National Emergency
Recent data paints a stark picture of escalating risk for healthcare professionals:
A 2023 survey by National Nurses United found 81.6% of nurses reported experiencing at least one form of workplace violence in the past year—verbal threats (67.8%), physical threats (38.7%), and even being pinched or scratched (37.3%) (Axios, National Nurses United). Almost half (45.5%) said workplace violence had increased where they worked, and six in 10 had considered leaving due to these threats (National Nurses United).
In Texas alone, nearly 75% of nurses reported violence, harassment, or verbal abuse in the past year; one-third were physically assaulted, and 42% are considering leaving the profession (Houston Chronicle).
A systematic review found between 60–90% of nurses experience physical or verbal violence during their careers, with healthcare workers accounting for nearly 73% of nonfatal workplace violence incidents that require time away from work (Wikipedia).
These patterns are not isolated—they reflect a national breakdown in safety and support for nurses and caregivers.
The Psychological Fallout
Compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress affect between 34–86% of nurses, especially those in crisis environments like ER, ICU, oncology, and hospice care (hazeldenbettyford.org).
Around 14–17% of nurses meet clinical criteria for PTSD—rates comparable to rescue workers and higher than general public baselines .
Surveys during the COVID‑19 pandemic found 44% of nurses preferred leaving their job due to PTSD and associated distress (openpublichealthjournal.com).
How Therapy Can Help
In these extreme conditions, counseling offers more than coping—it creates a path to recovery and renewal:
Process trauma—physical, verbal, emotional—from patients, families, or institutional neglect
Recalibrate your nervous system to ease hypervigilance, sleep issues, and anxiety
Recover from compassion fatigue and burnout with emotional and somatic tools
Rebuild boundaries and autonomy, personally and professionally
Reconnect with purpose and confidence—without sacrificing wellbeing
Why It Matters
Unchecked, these pressures aren’t temporary—they impact mental health, job performance, retention, and workplace culture. Therapy empowers facilities and individuals to heal, adapt, and sustain care—for providers AND patients.
