Finding Balance: Supporting Women’s Mental Health in 2025

By Ridgely Chapman & Darabeth Freiberg

In today’s world, women juggle multiple roles, including being a professional, parent, partner, caregiver, and friend. While these roles can be fulfilling, they can also lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout. Ridgely, one of the caring clinicians at the Center for Creativity and Healing, has conducted some groundbreaking research that highlights this challenge and provides valuable tools for women to reclaim their mental health.

One of Ridgely’s key findings is that setting boundaries and prioritizing self-care are extremely important. Her engaging workshops on de-escalation and self-care are designed to provide women with practical strategies for managing everyday stress and emotional overwhelm. Ridgely often encourages women to consider this critical question: How can we find balance when society usually nudges us beyond our limits?

The Rising Pressure on Parents

Parenting today can feel like a real juggling act, especially for women. Ridgely has noticed that many parents, particularly moms, are experiencing higher levels of anxiety due to worries about their children's safety, development, and mental health. To help, she offers engaging workshops for parents of K-8 students that focus on relevant challenges, including:

• Navigating digital safety and technology use

• Supporting children’s emotional needs

• Managing the pressures of school and extracurricular activities

Recent studies back up her significant observations. The U.S. Surgeon General has highlighted the impact of modern parenting on the mental well-being of caregivers. In 2024, they found a notable decline in the number of mothers reporting excellent mental health. Even more alarming, the number of mothers reporting fair or poor mental health jumped, making it clear that parenting is a challenging role, but with support, we can help one another along the way.

What’s Driving This Stress?

Ridgely has pinpointed several essential factors that are contributing to rising levels of maternal stress:

• The pressure from unrealistic expectations and a culture of "intensive parenting"

• Being overwhelmed by too much information and conflicting advice online

• A decrease in support systems, especially for parents who live far from their extended family

• An imbalance in household responsibilities, where mothers often take on more parenting and home duties

• Financial strains, like rising costs of childcare and housing

• The impact of social media can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy through constant comparisons

• The ongoing youth mental health crisis adds emotional weight to already stressed parents

• The challenges of excessive technology use, which can make it tough to keep tabs on children's mental wellness

These pressures can take a toll, leading to burnout and strained relationships, which in turn make it more challenging for parents to provide emotional support to their children. It’s important to note that many mothers feel hesitant to focus on their mental health, often seeing self-care as something selfish or indulgent. Remember, taking care of yourself is essential, too!

Our Holistic Approach: Serving Women, Teens, and LGBTQ+ Clients

At the Center for Creativity and Healing, our mission is to support women throughout every stage of life, including menopause. This natural transition often comes with its unique challenges and misunderstandings. We’re committed to breaking the silence and creating welcoming spaces where healing can occur. Thanks to public figures like Halle Berry, menopause is finally getting the attention it deserves. Plus, fantastic books like “The Menopause Brain” by Dr. Lisa Mosconi, “Estrogen Matters” by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris, “The New Menopause” by Mary Claire Haver, and “The Menopause Manifesto” by Dr. Jen Gunter are empowering women with solid, science-backed information.

But our support doesn't stop there! We also focus on teens, including those from the LGBTQ+ community, who might be exploring their identities or seeking mental health support. Our skilled clinicians utilize expressive arts therapy and play therapy, specializing in navigating complex situations and emotional challenges. Whether you’re guiding a tween, healing from past trauma, or facing hormonal changes, we’re here to ensure you feel seen, heard, and truly supported every step of the way.

Creative Healing Across Life Transitions

If you’re going through tough times, such as loss, transformation, or emotional ups and downs, you might find that creative expression can be an excellent way to heal. Our open studio processes and expressive arts workshops provide an opportunity to process feelings such as grief, anxiety, or change in a supportive, non-verbal, and embodied way.

Workshops such as "Broken Bowl" and "Making Art from the Inside Out," led by Maria Curran, director, clinician, and certified facilitator, inspire participants to derive meaning from life's challenges. Whether you are coping with a divorce, adapting to a health diagnosis, or feeling adrift in midlife, engaging in creative practices can foster self-compassion, uncover hidden talents, and facilitate authentic connections with others.

We’re here to support you! Whether you’d like to work with us individually, need a referral to the right clinician, or want to organize workshops and support groups tailored to your needs, we’re happy to help!

Moving Toward Solutions

Ridgely believes that real change happens when we combine societal support with personalized care. Here are some friendly suggestions to get us started:

1. Let’s normalize asking for help! Therapy, coaching, and community workshops are excellent resources that can offer relief and valuable insights.   

2. Support essential policy changes. Accessible childcare, mental health resources, and parental leave aren’t just nice to have—they’re necessary for all of us.

3. Redefine what good parenting looks like. There’s no one right way to raise children, and that’s perfectly okay!

4. Create those digital boundaries. Cutting back on social media can significantly reduce feelings of comparison and perfectionism. 

5. Provide flexible support. At the Center for Creativity and Healing, our clinicians offer virtual therapy and personalized workshops, making it easier for busy women to access the help they need.

   
   

Time can be one of the most significant barriers to care, but Ridgely and the staff at TCFCH are here to help! They offer virtual sessions and flexible appointment hours, so even the busiest women can get the support they deserve. Let’s prioritize women’s mental health together—one step, one breath, and one boundary at a time.

Contact Darabeth (Admin & Scheduling for Maria Curran): officeadmin@tcfch.orgContact Ridgely (Clinician & Workshop Facilitator): ridgely@tcfch.orgContact Kelsey (Clinician & Group Facilitator): kelsey@tcfch.org

Follow us on Instagram for inspiration, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments: @tcfchcharlotte

References:

Blumin, A. & Tavris, C. (2018). Estrogen matters: Why taking hormones in menopause can improve and lengthen women's lives-without raising the risk of breast cancer. Little Brown, Spark.

Caldwell, A. (2021, April 7). Women had “alarmingly high rates” of mental health problems during the start of the pandemic. Women had “alarmingly high rates” of mental health problems during start of the pandemic - UChicago Medicine

Carnie, A. G. (2024, January 20). Self-care strategies for parents & caregivers. Self-Care Strategies for Parents & Caregivers

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. (2016, January 20). Ready4routines: Building the skills for mindful parenting. Ready4Routines: Building the Skills for Mindful Parenting

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. (2017, October 6). Three principles to improve outcomes for children and families. Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Cleveland Clinic. (2024, May 21). 10 ways to practice self-care as a parent. 10 Ways to Practice Self-Care as a Parent

Gunter J. (2021). The menopause manifesto: Own your health with facts and feminism. Citadel Press.

Haver. M.C. (2024). The new menopause: Navigating your path through hormonal change with purpose, power, and facts. Rodale Books.

McLean Hospital. (2025, May 27). Women’s mental health: The gaps, the truth, and the way forward. What We’re Missing About Women’s Mental Health

Mosconi, L. (2024). The menopause brain. Avery.

Stewart D. E. (2025). A comprehensive vision for women's mental health. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 24(2), 225–226. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21313

United States Surgeon General Advisory. (2024). Parents under pressure. Parents Under Pressure