PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A free workshop in Palm Beach County is helping mothers in our community cope with the mental strain of the coronavirus pandemic.
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From chef, to teacher, to referee, the job titles of a parent can be endless.
"It’s been quite the balance of trying to get all my work done and trying to make sure my kids are learning," said Marissa Hayes, a West Palm Beach mother of four.
Hayes said she and her husband have their hands full.
"It’s been very chaotic, challenging, frustrating trying to juggle everything. Very late nights," said Hayes.
Working and schooling from home in the middle of a pandemic is new territory for everyone. But Hayes admits that even with a full house, at times she felt alone.
"Our family all live up north, so we are here by ourselves and we don’t have our parents to come help out or anything like that. I think a lot of time moms feel like they’re the only ones going through this or it’s only difficult for them," said Hayes.
Retreat Behavioral Health, a metal health center in Lake Worth, is looking to change that.
"We wanted to kind of provide support for the community, for moms to come and have a safe place to speak about it," said Vanina Hochman, a licensed marriage and family therapist.
The center is offering "Mom’s Toolkit," a free virtual workshop with licensed family therapists to offer mothers advice on how to cope with the pressures of parenting in a pandemic.
"That brought on a lot of stressors," said Hochman. "You are worried about the impact of the virus on the health of your family and the impact of the community as a whole."
The bi-weekly workshops have helped Hayes know she’s not alone.
"I’m not the only one with chaos. I’m not the only one having a hard time with online learning. We are all in this together let’s be a little easier on ourselves," said Hayes.
To attend the "Mom’s Toolkit" virtual workshop, click here.
To learn more about Retreat Behavioral Health, click here.