Caring for the Caregivers: Clinical Tools to Support Mental Health

Family caregivers—those providing unpaid support to aging parents, ill partners, or loved ones with disabilities—form the backbone of long-term care in the U.S. Often balancing work, family, and caregiving responsibilities, this population is at high risk for emotional, physical, and psychological strain. Mental health professionals play a critical role in recognizing and addressing the unique needs of caregivers, whose struggles often go unnoticed or unspoken.

This workshop will explore the multifaceted impacts of caregiving, helping clinicians identify common psychological and emotional challenges such as burnout, compassion fatigue, anticipatory grief, and depression. Participants will learn to differentiate between caregiver stress, clinical depression, and burnout—especially within culturally diverse and multigenerational family systems. The session will also provide evidence-based tools and interventions to support caregiver well-being, including psychoeducation, access to mental health resources, and an overview of local services available to caregivers in the San Diego area.

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Earn (2) CE Credits

Educational Goal:

To provide mental health professionals and community members with knowledge and tools to effectively understand and support the mental health needs of caregivers.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify common psychological, emotional, and physical impacts of caregiving on clients, including signs of burnout, compassion fatigue, anticipatory grief, and depression.
   
2. Differentiate between caregiver stress, clinical depression, and burnout, particularly in culturally diverse and multigenerational caregiving contexts.Equip participants with practical, evidence-based strategies to support caregiver well-being, including psychoeducation, mental health resources, and locally available services for caregivers in the San Diego community
   
3. Equip participants with practical, evidence-based strategies to support caregiver well-being, including psychoeducation, mental health resources, and locally available services for caregivers in the San Diego community.Christina Imada (she)
   

Christina Imada is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor based in San Diego. Her clinical background includes work in substance use and co-occurring disorders as well as grief and bereavement therapy, which continue to inform her holistic, compassionate approach.

She began her work at the Southern Caregiver Resource Center (SCRC) over 4 years ago as a Family Consultant, providing direct emotional and practical support to family caregivers. She continues to facilitate a caregiver support group while also serving in a leadership role providing clinical supervisionto associate therapists, offering professional consultations, and overseeing the organization’s caregiver psychoeducational program. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to supporting caregivers and addressing the complex challenges they face across diverse populations.