THERAPY FOR WOMEN
Are You Burnt Out And Run Down By Trying To Do It All?
Has the juggle of managing all of your responsibilities become intensely stressful and overwhelming?
Is your personal or professional life suffering because there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything accomplished?
Yet do you put pressure on yourself to do everything perfectly, on your own, and with a smile on your face?
We are expected to do so much as women. Every stage of life introduces new pressures and demands, whether we are navigating our careers, our relationships, our purposes, or our individual identities. Given the picture-perfect models of womanhood that we are regularly exposed to, it’s easy to get trapped in a self-critical mindset that inevitably leads to feelings of shame, guilt, irritability, and sadness.
What Is Your Experience?
No matter where you are in your journey, you’re probably struggling to balance your own needs with what’s expected of you. Maybe you’re in the launching phase of adulthood, working to establish your identity and path in life. You may be feeling frustrated by your career or dating prospects. Or perhaps you’re trying to figure out how to become fully independent as you begin the process of making some big, life altering decisions.
If you’re older and already established in your career and relationships, it’s possible that you’re feeling overwhelmed in trying to wear so many hats at once. As a wife and mother, you may feel burnt out by putting everyone else’s needs before your own—especially if you are also juggling job-related demands. You might regularly struggle with self-doubt and anxiety, which have negatively impacted your daily routine and ability to get restful sleep. And it’s likely you are beginning to feel resentful because your plate is so full. Exhaustion has become so normalized that you probably don’t even know where to find the energy or resources you need to experience relief.
Our therapists are fellow women who know what it’s like, which is why we are committed to offering you strategies for self-care, emotional regulation, and stress management. Working together in counseling, we can help you lighten the load of life’s stressors and demands.
Women Are Rising The Ranks Professionally But Still Expected To Do A Majority Of The Work At Home
For most of us, our lives look very different from those of the generations of women that came before us. We generally have more opportunities than our mothers did, and these days, there’s more acceptance around women fulfilling their own dreams before hitting certain gendered milestones like becoming a wife and mother. However, despite major career and cultural advancements among women, we are still doing the lion’s share of domestic and emotional labor.
As a result, a lot of us are feeling underappreciated and overwhelmed. Instead of viewing the impossible standards placed on women as systemic and cultural, many of us are quick to blame ourselves for not being enough. Our automatic response to falling short of our goals is to initiate a shame cycle of “trying harder,” which inevitably leads to exhaustion and burnout.
Counseling is a meaningful opportunity for women of all backgrounds and experiences to gain healing perspectives. By exploring the messages we internalize as women, therapy offers us a new understanding of ourselves and our abilities.
Let’s work together in counseling to overcome anxious, perfectionistic thinking so that you can experience more self-compassion and empowerment in your life.
Our Clinicians Are Committed To Providing Individualized, Effective Therapy To Women Of All Backgrounds
We do not take a one-size-fits all approach to counseling for women. Rather, we honor each client’s unique experience and goals to create a treatment plan that will ensure this process is effective and productive. Our therapy services are conducted via telehealth and available to women of all backgrounds, including working women, moms, and caretakers throughout Pennsylvania.
What To Expect
Our therapists draw from a range of psychodynamic, trauma-informed approaches to help you foster a deeper understanding of your symptoms and where those symptoms originate. Through holistic self-care practices that honor the mind-body connection, our goal is to get you to a place where you feel free from constant guilt, shame, and distress.
Some of the methods we use are:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy – this approach is valuable for helping you explore the various parts of yourself that have been influenced by your family, past experiences, and gendered norms for women so that you can experience more peace and integration.
Mindfulness Meditation – using guided imagery and breathing exercises, this approach can help to quiet the relentless, self-critical voice in your head.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – tapping into the brain’s neural networks, EMDR changes the way that traumatic memories are stored. This gentle, safe, and highly effective method is useful for reducing the anxiety, shame, guilt, and sadness that develop from trauma.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – as one of the most commonly used therapeutic techniques, CBT helps you understand the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that you can think rationally and expand your window of tolerance.
We have partnered with so many women like you in therapy, witnessing their lives and relationships—especially their relationship with themselves—be transformed through the counseling process. We know that with individualized attention and support, you can experience more freedom and function in your life. By enhancing your self-esteem and empowerment, you can develop the clarity and confidence to understand, advocate for, and nourish your needs.
Common Concerns Many Women Have When Considering Counseling…
As a working woman/mother, I don’t have time in my schedule for counseling.
We understand that many of our clients are busy, professional women with a lot of obligations that make it hard to accommodate weekly counseling sessions. Fortunately, our practice is completely online, meaning that working women, caretakers, and moms can experience the benefits of therapy from the comforts of their homes or offices without the hassle of a commute. All it takes is a video-capable device, solid internet connection, and willingness to commit to the process.
Discussing my issues with a therapist will just make me feel worse.
Our team of therapists is made up of women who know from personal and professional experience that shame grows in the dark. Too often, women are overly anxious or afraid to be honest about how they feel because there is such an intense expectation to do everything effortlessly and without help. Within this mindset, it’s understandable that you don’t want to “bat the beehive” and leave yourself with more stress and unanswered questions.
That said, our job is to support and walk alongside you through the discomfort. We want to encourage you to stop putting yourself last on your to-do list so that you can actually feel better, stronger, more energized, and more capable.
I’m worried that my therapist won’t be able to relate to me.
At Madeline Rice & Associates, our therapists are professional women, and many of us are working moms—we have been where you are and have shared your same concerns about therapy.
We also know that ignoring your mental health and wellbeing will only lead to increased anxiety, depression, irritability, and burnout.
It’s time to give yourself the opportunity to be taken care of so you can stop, exhale, and gain clarity about how to make life’s stressors more manageable.
Show Up For Yourself First So That You Can Show Up For Others
As women, it’s essential for us to put our oxygen masks on before assisting others—and therapy is a meaningful way to do that. With the support of our clinicians, you can navigate your stress, trauma, relationships, and identity in a way that feels healing and productive. For more information about how we can help or to schedule a session, contact us.
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