Supporting Family Caregivers in Therapeutic Practice: An In-Depth Training

The emotional landscape of caregiving involves layered grief, guilt, identity shifts, chronic stress, changing family dynamics and a unique form of ongoing loss that requires its own therapeutic understanding and calls for a specialized lens.

In this novel upcoming training, caregiver therapists Stephanie Muskat (MSW,RSW), Dr. Barry Jacobs (PsyD), and Andrea Cangiano (LCSW) will guide an in-depth exploration into therapeutic approaches that surround the caregiver experience. Together, we will look closely at how to support the emotional needs of family caregivers, how to navigate the complexities of the caregiving relationship, and how to approach this work in a way that is clinically supportive and transformative for clients.

Section 1: Caregiving and family conflict (family systems & marital therapy) with Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D.:

Caregiving works best when multiple family members work together as a team to support a care receiver. But lack of cooperation from other family members and conflict among them are often barriers to the effective coordination of caregiving team members. In this portion of the workshop, clinical psychologist and family therapist Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D. will explain how family systems concepts drawn from contextual therapy, such as destructive entitlement and multilateral partiality, can be utilized for understanding and intervening with family members, especially adult siblings caring for an aging parent, to strengthen family bonds through caregiving. He'll also demonstrate how to use basic marital therapy techniques, such as the Speaker-Listener exercise and discussions about gender roles and division of labor, to help spouses pull together, not apart, while caring for a care receiver.

Section 2: Anticipatory grief in caregiving (grief therapy & cognitive behavioral therapy) with Andrea Cangiano, LCSW: In this portion of the workshop, Andrea Cangiano, LCSW will explore anticipatory grief as a common but often misunderstood emotional experience among family caregivers. This grief is continuous and complex, compounded by ongoing responsibilities and limited opportunities for closure. Andrea will share an approach that integrates grief therapy within a cognitive behavioral and supportive therapy framework, demonstrating how to help caregivers process anticipatory grief while reinforcing balanced coping.

Section 3: Shame & guilt in caregiving as a significant experience & barrier (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) with Stephanie Muskat, MSW, RSW: In the final portion of the workshop, Stephanie will explore how shame and guilt presents as a major obstacle for caregivers in seeking self-care, experiencing resentment in care & balancing care and work. Stephanie will explore where shame and guilt comes from for the caregiver and will explore the concepts of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that clinicians can use with caregivers to explore and navigate these very overwhelming emotions. Participants will learn the concepts of anchoring, hooking/unhooking, acceptance of the emotion, cognitive diffusion and values that can assist caregivers in moving beyond their shame and guilt to honor themself and the person they care for in their caregiving journey.

Ticket price: $100 USD

Please note: this event is non-refundable, with exception if event is cancelled or postponed and rescheduled within 90 days of original event.

Questions? Please reach out to event organizer: andrea@carebalanced.org