Therapy for women managing stress, expectations & past relationship patterns
online support for women in Minnesota who are over-responsible and feel overlooked
Being the responsible one can be exhausting
Exhausted, overlooked, misunderstood
Sure, it’s great to know you can be counted on to get things done—especially when you can count on yourself. It feels good to be capable and dependable. You’re a doer. You make things happen. But when others constantly lean on your strength, it can take a heavy toll.
It’s not just feeling physically tired, although that’s true too. It’s feeling:
Stifled (You’re fitting me into your nice little box of who I am to you.)
Constricted (This is all I am to you?)
Exasperated (Really?! You can’t handle this?!)
Uninspired (This is not where I want to spend my time and energy.)
It’s exhausting to be the responsible one all the time—and it’s even more exhausting when you feel overlooked and misunderstood in return.
You’re the one people turn to
Family, friends, co-workers count on you, but do they really see you?
People know they can rely on you—and they do.
They turn to you first when something needs to be addressed.
They trust you’ll figure it out, fix it, & manage it.
They assume you ‘have it all together’—because that’s how you always show up.
But inside, it’s different.
You feel the loneliness of having to ‘hold it all together’—and the weight of being misunderstood for how much effort it takes to keep everything running smoothly.
You may even feel like an outsider in your own family—the one who’s expected to do for others, but rarely seen for who you are.
The mental and emotional exhaustion takes a toll
Stress is certainly part of it. But there’s more underneath—it’s also feeling
Disconnected from the people you want to feel closest to.
Underappreciated even when you give so much.
Unseen and misunderstood despite showing up so fully.
Maybe you’re realizing that being strong and responsible has come at the cost of feeling connected, inspired, and understood.
On your own terms
Therapy is a place to put down the burdens you've been carrying for everyone else and pick up your own hopes, needs, and dreams again.
Together, we’ll work on:
Easing the stress and pressure you carry.
Untangling the old relationship patterns that still weigh on you.
Building relationships that nourish you instead of draining you.
Feeling confident setting limits—without guilt or second-guessing.
Reconnecting with what lights you up.
You don’t have to stay stuck in the cycle of being over-responsible and overlooked.
Therapy can help you create new patterns and step into a life that feels lighter, fuller, and more you.
Imagine if you could …
Let go of the pressure to always be ‘the strong one’.
Set boundaries with confidence and without guilt.
Show up for yourself how you’ve always shown up for others.
Reconnect with your own needs—not just everyone else’s.
You deserve to feel supported
And it’s okay to want more for yourself …
… more ease, peace, emotional balance, and connection.
Let’s start the conversation so you can stop over-doing.
Schedule a free, 20-minute consultation.
Women I work with generally
>> Feel stretched thin by work or family of origin responsibilities.
>> Are seen as ‘the ones who have it together’.
>> Identify with having internal circuitry that is usually stuck in the ‘on’ position.
>> Want to withdraw from long-standing family roles or expectations.
>> Live a childfree life, either by choice or circumstance.
Hi. I’m JoEllen.
JoEllen Lange (she/her), MA, LMFT
Therapist for women who are over-responsible and feel overlooked
I help thoughtful, capable women like you who are often the strong one, the steady one, the one others rely on—even when they're running on empty.
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I work with high-functioning women who are sincerely caring and quietly tired of carrying so much responsibility.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and respectful with room for humor, self-reflection, and real relief. I draw from principle-based approaches and integrate techniques to help you reconnect with what matters most to you.
If you’re ready for a space where your needs come first for one hour a week, I’m here.