Introducing Stress & Love
Heart-forward conversations with a social worker and people in the sandwich generation - Exploring the interplay of identity, relationships, and family dynamics.
Hi! Welcome to Stress & Love. My name is Lissy McConnell. I’m a therapist and licensed clinical social worker in Colorado. This Substack is a creative, intimate outlet for my professional passion of supporting people in the sandwich generation. These folks are raising their kids while supporting their parents as they age. They deserve a spotlight! And a hearty round of applause.
A little background: my work as a social worker has been erratic and chaotic, in an intentional sort of way. It’s exactly why I chose this career path, to be able to be flexible and turn towards what is drawing me in. I have worked in hospice, homeless services, schools, a mental health tech start-up, and private practice. My work zeroed in on the sandwich generation during my work in schools, where I supported families struggling to get the necessary support to address their child’s ongoing behavioral and mental health challenges. Many of these families also had grandparents living at home, or dealing with health concerns that put pressure on the parent as well. And when I worked in hospice, I supported families navigating end of life and what it means to lose a parent. In my private practice, I see clients who all fall somewhere on this spectrum, and many of them are smack dab in the middle of the sandwich generation.
I’m so eager to explore the experiences of the sandwich generation beyond the confines of a therapy session. Every day, I learn so much from my clients, and it feels almost selfish (albeit quite clinically appropriate) that all their pearls of wisdom are kept private.
Through these interviews, I want to amplify and share the experiences of people who have gone through it, and can reflect back on their time in the sandwich generation with the clarity and wisdom that only time and space can provide. And I want to share the voices of people who are right there in the thick of it at this very moment. I hope that this platform can feel like a warm hug from a friend.
Aging is universal, if we are lucky. It also creates moments that are bittersweet, fraught with stress, and full of pain. How we support one another in this process is something worthy of exploration, questioning, and curiosity. We all have something to learn.
Please join me!
Are you interested in being interviewed for Stress & Love? I hope the answer is yes! Please reach out to me using the button below. I’m looking to interview individuals who have gone through the sandwich generation, as well as those who are in it as we speak. To clarify: you don’t need to be a primary caregiver to be considered part of the sandwich generation. If you are supporting your parent emotionally, logistically, financially, or otherwise, and you are also navigating raising your own kids, then I would love to hear from you!
And lastly, if you are interested in 1:1 coaching and resources, please reach out to me through my coaching website, Sandwich Support Co. I’m here to support you - you don’t have to do this alone.