More Than a Mom:
Navigating the Mental Load
An 8-week therapy group for moms in Sacramento who are tired of feeling overwhelmed, irritable, and responsible for everything.
Since becoming a mom, do you feel like the things that used to help you cope just aren’t working anymore?
Maybe you’re more irritable than you used to be. Your mind is constantly running through what needs to happen next. You’re keeping track of appointments, school schedules, groceries, laundry, activities, birthdays, forms, meals, and all the things no one else seems to notice until they don’t get done.
You may find yourself snapping at your partner, losing patience with your kids, or reaching the end of the day wondering why it was so hard to actually enjoy any of it.
And somewhere underneath all of that, you may be wondering:
When did I stop feeling like me?
You’re not the only one.
More Than a Mom is a small, closed therapy group for moms who want a place to talk honestly about the mental and emotional load of motherhood—and learn new ways to navigate it.
Thursdays | 12:00–1:20 PM | Begins 9/24 | Sacramento
Maybe You Recognize Yourself Here
You love your family. That isn’t the problem.
The problem is that you’re tired of feeling like the person who has to remember everything, anticipate everyone’s needs, and make sure life keeps moving.
Even when other people are helping, you may still feel responsible for noticing what needs to be done and making sure it happens.
It can leave you feeling exhausted, resentful, anxious, irritable, or simply checked out.
And then comes the guilt.
You wanted this life. You love your kids. So why does it sometimes feel like you’re just trying to get through the day?
There is room for both things to be true: you can deeply love being a mom and still need something to change.
Sometimes just sitting with other moms who understand and hearing, “Me too,” is incredibly powerful.
But this group is about more than venting.
Over eight weeks, we’ll slow things down enough to understand what is underneath the overwhelm. We’ll look at the patterns that aren’t working anymore and build new ways of responding that actually fit the reality of motherhood.
We’ll talk about the mental load, resentment, irritability, boundaries, relationships, guilt, asking for help, and the pressure to somehow keep everything running.
We’ll also make space for something moms often put at the very bottom of the list:
you.
More Than A PlaceTo Vent
What We’ll Work On Together
The Mental Load
Why does your brain never seem to turn off?
We’ll look at the invisible work of remembering, anticipating, planning, worrying, and managing—and what happens when you become the person carrying too much of it.
Irritability & Overwhelm
Sometimes snapping isn’t really about the shoes left on the floor or the dishes in the sink.
We’ll work on recognizing what is happening before you reach your breaking point and finding ways to respond differently when your system is overloaded.
Relationships & Resentment
Motherhood can change the way you relate to your partner, family, friends, and even yourself.
We’ll talk about resentment, communication, asking for what you need, and what happens when it feels like you're carrying more than your share.
Finding Yourself Again
You are a mom.
And you are also more than a mom.
We’ll make space to reconnect with your needs, interests, relationships, boundaries, and the parts of yourself that may have gotten quieter while you were busy taking care of everyone else.
The Goal Isn’t to Help You Get Better at Doing Everything
You probably don’t need another system for becoming more efficient at carrying an impossible amount.
The goal is different.
I want you to leave this group feeling calmer and less alone. I want you to understand yourself a little better, have tools you can actually use, and feel more present in the life you’re living.
Most of all, I want you to feel more like yourself again.
If you are interested in enjoying this part
of your life, please call or email today for a
free 20-minute phone consultation or to
schedule an appointment.
Group Details
More Than a Mom: Navigating the Mental Load
Thursdays from 12:00–1:20 p.m.
Beginning September 24, 2026
8-week closed therapy group
Sacramento, California
Because this is a closed group, the same moms will meet together throughout the eight weeks. This gives us time to build trust, get to know one another, and create a space where you can talk honestly without starting over with a new group each week.
At the end of the eight weeks, there may be an opportunity for the group to continue for moms who would like ongoing support.
Investment
$70 per week for 8 weeks — $560 total
or
$500 when paid in full before the group begins
Is This Group Right for Me?
This group may be a good fit if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, irritable, resentful, emotionally exhausted, or disconnected from yourself.
Maybe you’re functioning just fine from the outside. You’re getting everyone where they need to go. You’re doing your work. You’re taking care of your family.
But inside, you know you’re running on empty.
You don’t have to wait until things get worse to ask for support.
Hi, I’m Catherine O’Brien
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist, mom, author, and founder of Happy With Baby.
For more than 20 years, I’ve worked with women, parents, and couples navigating stress, relationships, identity, and the enormous transition that comes with becoming and being a parent.
One of the things I hear over and over from moms is some version of, “I don’t understand why I can’t handle things the way I used to.”
Motherhood changes the circumstances. Sometimes our old ways of coping simply aren’t enough for everything we’re carrying now.
That doesn’t mean the answer is to try harder.
Sometimes it means we need support, connection, and a new way forward.
Interested In Joining Us?
If you’re wondering whether More Than a Mom might be right for you, I offer a free consultation.
We can talk briefly about what you’re experiencing, I can answer your questions about the group, and we can decide together whether it feels like a good fit.
You spend a lot of time making sure everyone else is okay.
This can be a place where we make some room for you, too.