"SANDWICH GENERATION SUPPORT
Caring for Everyone Else Should Not Mean Losing Yourself
If you feel like you are raising children while also helping aging parents, you are not imagining how overwhelming it can be. The "sandwich generation" includes adults who are balancing the emotional, financial, and practical demands of caring for both younger and older family members at the same time.
​
Many people in this stage of life feel pulled in every direction. You may be coordinating doctor's appointments, helping a parent navigate memory changes, supporting teenagers through their own challenges, managing a career, maintaining a relationship, and somehow trying to find time for yourself. It is exhausting, and it often feels like there is no room to fall apart because everyone else depends on you.
At PRN Counseling, we help adults throughout Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia navigate the unique stress of being part of the sandwich generation. Whether you are caring for aging parents, supporting a loved one with dementia, balancing work and caregiving, or simply feeling emotionally stretched too thin, therapy can provide a place to process the weight you have been carrying.
​
What Is the Sandwich Generation?
The sandwich generation refers to adults who are simultaneously supporting aging parents and raising children or young adults. While every family looks different, many people in this stage experience:
-
Chronic stress and mental overload
-
Caregiver burnout
-
Anxiety about parents' health or safety
-
Guilt for never feeling like they are doing enough
-
Conflict with siblings over caregiving responsibilities
-
Financial strain
-
Grief as parents age or experience cognitive decline
-
Parenting stress while also managing elder care
-
Difficulty setting boundaries
-
Loss of personal identity outside of caregiving
Many people describe feeling like they are always "on." Even when they finally have a moment to themselves, their brain is still running through appointments, medications, school forms, bills, family dynamics, and the next crisis that might arise.
Featured Blog Posts
The Emotional Side of Caregiving
Caregiving is not just about practical responsibilities. It often brings complicated emotions that people do not expect.
You might find yourself grieving a parent who is still alive but has changed because of dementia or illness. You may feel resentment toward siblings who are less involved. You may question whether you are making the right decisions for your parents while also worrying about how your own children are being affected.
Many caregivers experience something called ambiguous loss, where someone is physically present but emotionally or cognitively different than they once were. Others experience anticipatory grief, mourning future losses before they happen.
These experiences can be incredibly painful and often leave people feeling isolated. Therapy offers a place where you do not have to be the strong one for everyone else.
​
Common Challenges We Help With
We work with adults who are navigating:
-
Caregiver stress and burnout
-
Caring for parents with dementia or Alzheimer's disease
-
Aging parent anxiety
-
Family conflict around caregiving decisions
-
Perfectionism and feeling responsible for everyone
-
Compassion fatigue
-
Balancing parenting and elder care
-
Empty nest transitions while supporting aging parents
-
Marriage stress related to caregiving demands
-
Decision fatigue
-
Boundary setting with family members
-
Navigating long distance caregiving
-
Stress related to assisted living or nursing home decisions
-
End of life planning conversations
-
Grief and loss
Therapy for the Sandwich Generation
Our therapists understand that this stage of life requires more than generic stress management advice.
Together we can help you:
-
Learn practical ways to reduce emotional overwhelm
-
Better understand how chronic stress affects your brain and nervous system
-
Set healthy boundaries without being consumed by guilt
-
Improve communication with siblings, partners, and parents
-
Process grief and complicated family emotions
-
Develop realistic expectations instead of perfectionism
-
Reconnect with your own needs and identity
-
Build sustainable caregiving habits that reduce burnout
-
Create space for rest without feeling selfish
Our goal is not to ask you to care less. It is to help you care for others without completely losing yourself in the process.
​
Our Approach
At PRN Counseling, we recognize that caregiver stress affects your whole person. Emotional exhaustion often shows up physically through difficulty sleeping, irritability, muscle tension, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and feeling emotionally numb.
Our therapists use evidence based approaches including:
-
Mindfulness based therapy
-
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
-
Trauma informed therapy
-
Attachment based approaches
-
Family systems therapy
-
Solution focused strategies
-
Nervous system regulation and stress management skills​
We tailor therapy to your family's situation because no two caregiving journeys are the same.
​
Support for Families Navigating Aging
Sometimes the person who needs support is not the aging parent, but the adult children trying to make difficult decisions together.
We also provide family therapy to help families:
-
Improve communication between siblings
-
Navigate disagreements about caregiving responsibilities
-
Prepare for difficult conversations
-
Reduce conflict during medical or housing decisions
-
Strengthen family relationships during stressful transitions
Serving Adults Throughout Maryland, DC, and Virginia
PRN Counseling provides therapy for adults throughout Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia through secure telehealth as well as in person services when available.
Whether your parents live nearby or across the country, therapy can help you navigate the emotional challenges of caregiving while protecting your own well being.
You do not have to carry all of this alone.
​
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the sandwich generation?
The sandwich generation refers to adults who are caring for aging parents while also raising children or supporting young adult children. Many people in this stage experience increased stress, caregiver burnout, financial pressure, and emotional exhaustion.
​
How do I know if I have caregiver burnout?
Signs of caregiver burnout include feeling emotionally drained, increased irritability, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, resentment, loss of patience, feeling detached, trouble concentrating, and feeling like you never have time to recharge. Therapy can help you recognize burnout early and develop healthier ways to manage it.
​
Can therapy help if my parent has dementia or Alzheimer's disease?
Yes. While therapy does not treat dementia itself, it can help family caregivers cope with the emotional impact of memory loss, changing family roles, difficult decisions, grief, and caregiver stress.
​
Is it normal to feel guilty as a caregiver?
Very normal. Many caregivers feel guilty no matter what they do. You may feel guilty for not doing enough, taking time for yourself, setting boundaries, or making difficult decisions about care. Therapy helps you explore where that guilt comes from and respond to it with greater self compassion and realistic expectations.
​
Can therapy help with disagreements between siblings about caregiving?
Absolutely. Family caregiving often brings long standing family dynamics to the surface. Individual or family therapy can improve communication, reduce resentment, and help families navigate caregiving decisions more effectively.
​
Do you provide therapy for adults caring for parents from a distance?
Yes. Many clients are managing long distance caregiving while balancing work and parenting. Therapy can help you manage the uncertainty, guilt, planning, and stress that often come with supporting loved ones who live elsewhere.
​
Do you offer family therapy for aging families?
Yes. We work with families who want support navigating aging parents, role changes, caregiving responsibilities, communication, and major life transitions.
​
Do you accept insurance?
PRN Counseling is an out of network psychotherapy practice. Many clients use their out of network benefits for reimbursement, and we can provide documentation that may be submitted to your insurance company.
​
Why Families Choose PRN Counseling
Unlike practices that focus only on anxiety or depression, we understand the complex intersection of caregiving, parenting, relationships, work stress, grief, and family dynamics. We recognize that caregiver stress is not simply about having too much to do. It changes how your brain processes decisions, emotions, and relationships over time.
Our therapists help you understand both the psychology behind chronic caregiving stress and the practical changes that can make life feel more manageable again.
Featured "Sandwich Generation" Support Psychotherapists
