Mindfulness for Caregivers

Caring for yourself while caring for someone you love

Caring for a loved one can be fulfilling. And sometimes, demanding and stressful.

If you're like most family caregivers, you stepped in to help someone you love. You've taken on tasks they can no longer manage, on top of your own work/routine, and you don’t want them to feel like a burden. You might be noticing a shift in your roles. Perhaps you feel more like a parent, and less like a partner or adult child.

That's a lot. It’s no wonder that, in your private moments, you might feel anxious, lonely and/or overwhelmed.

Mindfulness & Focusing can help you navigate the emotional challenges of caregiving

Group Classes for Caregivers

Learn practical skills like mindfulness or Focusing within a supportive community of caregivers.

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Caregiver Coaching

Work on your priorities pragmatic ways that encourage mind-body healing and help you access more freedom and ease.

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The Caregivers'
Cafe

Drop-in to our virtual, monthly gathering and enjoy a guided meditation.

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Explore the science: how caregiving affects caregivers’ health & what caregivers can do about it

The impact of caregiving on caregivers' health

While you know that the care you give makes a difference to your loved one, you might not know the degree to which caregiving can take a toll on your own physical and mental health.

Decades of research confirm that family caregiving often has a negative impact on caregivers’ health, and preliminary studies suggest that caregivers can mitigate this risk.

The impact of caregiving

The benefits of using mindfulness & Focusing

Studies have shown that mindfulness and focusing can have a beneficial impact on mental & physical health.

Just ten minutes of daily practice can boost well-being, ease depression and anxiety, and help people make better decisions about their lifestyle, including exercise, diet and sleep.

The Impact of Focusing
The Impact of Mindfulness

Testimonials

  • “I’ve learned to care for myself and not jump in and be the caregiver for everyone else all the time. Marie opened my mind to things I hadn’t known, like feeling empathy for myself instead of feeling frustrated & self critical. I’ve learned to listen to myself and trust what feels right. This freed me up and gave me the ability to heal all the way around: mentally, physically and spiritually.”

    - Chuck, Poolesville, MD

  • “I’ve done lots of psychotherapy for years, so it’s really been empowering for me to find that the answers, the wisdom lie within. I’d been told again and again that I could heal myself, but I never realized that I could do it until I started working with Marie.”

    —Kathy, Washington, DC

  • “If you're facing challenges in your life and you're stuck on how to deal with them, Focusing is an incredibly powerful tool. After taking several classes with Marie, Focusing has become so important and integrated into my life that I just want everyone to be able to get the benefits that I have gotten.”

    — Lauren, VA

  • “Marie introduced me to a practice that will serve me well for a lifetime. Her Focusing classes were a gateway. I’m more aware of my mind’s patterns, or what I now know is an inner critic. I used to listen and internalize my inner critic. Now I can say: “oh, that's a part of me that is critical.” It's easier to not become as bundled up in self criticism. I also have more self compassion. Before learning Focusing, compassion was something I felt for my friends, but not for myself. Now I can be more empathetic with myself.”

    — Jill, Washington, DC

  • “Working with Marie feels like a synthesis of therapeutic principles/mindfulness/and guided meditation. I explore the parts of me that developed to protect me early in life but no longer serve me and often impede my happiness. Rather than hoping or willing them away, which has never really worked, I'm learning to recognize and understand the different facets of myself, thank them for their service to me, and reassure them that "I've got this" now."

    — Ellen, Boyds, MD

  • “Marie’s warm, competent, down-to-earth teaching style has made me sign up for class after class and want everyone I know to benefit from the wisdom and skills she offers. Dealing with our emotions can often feel like serious business, but Marie’s approach was full of laughs while also being extremely supportive, moving, and instructive.”

    — Lisa, VA

Caregivers’ Cafe

Drop in to our virtual, monthly gathering and enjoy a guided meditation

This is a virtual community where caregivers gather to enjoy a guided awareness practice and then share their experience, all within a warm, welcoming environment. Each gathering is an hour long, stand alone session.

These meetings are offered free of charge, and donations are gratefully accepted.

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