ELDEST DAUGHTER SYNDROME
The one who holds it all together shouldn’t have to hold it alone
You were the responsible one before you even had a childhood. The helper. The fixer. The mini therapist, mediator, or parent in your own home. You got used to putting others first, reading the room, keeping it all together.
And now? You’re tired. Resentful. Maybe even burnt out. But it’s hard to let go of the role that made you feel needed.
Therapy for Eldest Daughters and
Over-functioners
This work is for the eldest daughters, oldest siblings, parentified children, and anyone who feels like they’ve carried the weight of the world since day one.
You might find yourself:
1.
Being hyper-independent, but silently wishing someone would take care of you
2.
Struggling to say no without guilt
3.
Feeling responsible for everyone’s emotions
4.
Achieving a lot, but still feeling like you’re not enough
You may not even realize how much pressure you’re under—until it starts to show up in your body, your relationships, your energy levels.
Therapy for High-Functioning Adults in New York City (and surrounding statewide areas)
Flexible, collaborative, and rooted in your lived experience. We currently offer:
1:1 Therapy for High-Functioning Adults
Weekly or bi-weekly sessions that focus on complex trauma, relational patterns, ADHD masking, and burnout.
Group Therapy for
Boundary-Setters
Supportive, therapist-led groups focused on healing people-pleasing, building emotional boundaries, and reconnecting with self.
Personalized Tools
Together, we’ll come up with strategies that make sense for you. This isn’t one-size-fits-all therapy. It’s built around your real needs and your goals.
We help you step out of the role and into yourself
You don’t have to keep performing strength. Therapy is a space where you don’t have to be the caretaker, the achiever, or the one who’s always okay. It’s a place to:
• Explore how early roles shaped your identity
• Get comfortable setting boundaries and asking for support
• Heal from burnout and emotional exhaustion
• Reconnect with the parts of you that were never allowed to need
This isn’t about becoming selfish. It’s about becoming whole.
“Irene is a compassionate clinician with strong clinical skills and an unwavering commitment to growth. She is well-rounded in evidenced based practices as well as somatic therapies that uniquely assist clients in their healing journeys.”
- Julia Schubert, LCSW
This work is for you if:
You feel like you can’t rest until everything and everyone is okay
You’ve been told you’re "so strong," but you just feel numb
You’re tired of performing self-sufficiency
You want to feel cared for, not just capable
You deserve more than survival mode.
And you don’t have to earn your rest. We’ll help you soften the harsh inner voice, build a new way of relating to yourself, and create a life that nourishes you back.
Not sure where to start?
That’s normal. You’ve spent a lifetime tuning into everyone else’s needs first. Let this be your first act of tuning into your own.
You Don't Need
to Earn Rest
If you were raised in a home where emotional safety wasn't a given, or you learned to earn love through achievement, it's no surprise you're exhausted. Here, we create space to slow down, soften, and make sense of it all—not by fixing who you are, but by healing what you've been carrying.
Many of our clients arrive feeling like they've checked every box but still feel unfulfilled. They're leaders, caregivers, creatives—people who know how to push through, but not how to pause.