It's a question I get asked a lot.
The truth is, as a therapist and social worker, I haven't always focused specifically on moms. But throughout my career, no matter who I was working with, moms were often at the center of the story.
Over the years, I began to notice something.
Moms were holding up entire worlds.
They were the compassionate hugs and voices of safety when their families were navigating some of life's darkest moments.
They were the ones fiercely advocating when injustice showed up at their front doors or in their children's classrooms.
They were sitting in my office, tears streaming down their faces, desperately wishing they could take away the pain their children were carrying.
They were exhausted. Overwhelmed. Anxious. Feeling guilty because they couldn't be everything to everyone, everywhere, all at once.
And somewhere along the way, it clicked.
The moms. Who was taking care of the moms?
We spend so much time talking about supporting families, helping children, and building healthier communities. But what about the people carrying so much of the emotional and mental weight of those families?
What happens when the person everyone leans on has nowhere to lean herself?
For so many moms, their own mental health becomes the one unchecked item on a never-ending to-do list.
And I wanted to change that.
I see you, moms.
I see your heart. Your intelligence. Your strength. Your exhaustion.
I see the anxiety that creeps in when you wonder how much longer you can keep carrying it all.
I see the guilt when you want five minutes to yourself. The pressure to get everything right. The parts of yourself you've quietly tucked away because everyone else's needs seemed more important.
But you deserve more than just getting through the day.
You deserve a space where nobody needs anything from you.
Where you don't have to be the strong one, the organized one, the patient one, or the one who has all the answers.
Where you can put down the weight you've been carrying and reconnect with the person underneath all those responsibilities.
My hope as a therapist for moms is to create exactly that kind of space.
A place to process what has hurt you. Recognize everything you've survived. Challenge the expectations that have been placed on you. Find new ways to navigate life.
And maybe, most importantly, rediscover the parts of yourself that light your soul on fire.
Because you are more than what you do for everyone else.
You matter, too.
And that is why I work with moms.
Kris Hernandez, LCSW
Olive Branch Mental Health | Arlington Heights, IL
Therapy for moms, women, and the humans behind all those responsibilities.
