Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Bergen County
Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Ep # 166 - Caregivers Need Care Too
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Burnout doesn’t always look like collapse. Sometimes it’s the quiet loss of joy, the way favorite routines turn flat, and the constant hum of responsibility that never lets up. We sit down with licensed clinical social worker Lisa Medico, founder of Taking Care Therapy Services in Cresskill, NJ, to talk about the people who hold everything together—caregivers, parents, healthcare workers, and high achievers—and why they’re so prone to running on empty.
Lisa breaks down anhedonia in plain language and shows how it sneaks in when life becomes nonstop output. Instead of generic advice to “slow down,” she shares practical steps that fit real schedules: micro breaks between tasks, trading one draining obligation for a true recharge, and choosing boundaries that prevent late-night spirals. We dive into how she blends CBT to challenge unhelpful thoughts with DBT skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness. The approach is person-centered and collaborative, with SMART goals that help clients see traction without perfectionism.
You’ll also hear Lisa’s path from hospital social work to private practice, what it’s like to carry hard stories and still celebrate client wins, and how she supports young adults—especially women in their 20s and 30s—through big life transitions. If you’re part of the sandwich generation, pulled between kids and aging parents, Lisa offers ways to ask for help and set limits you can keep. The message is simple and compassionate: small, consistent changes can restore energy, focus, and a sense of meaning.
If the checklist has replaced your joy, this conversation offers tools to get it back. Listen, share with someone who needs it, and subscribe for more stories and strategies from neighbors building healthier lives.
Taking Care Therapy Services
Lisa Medico
(201) 208-2835
155 County Road, Suite 5
Cresskill, NJ 07626
lisa.medico@takingcaretherapy.com
takingcaretherapy.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
Doug Drohan:Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, brought to you by the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. I am your host, Doug Drohan. Today we are joined by Lisa Medico. She is the owner of an amazing practice. It's called Taking Care Therapy Services based down the road in Creskell, New Jersey. Welcome to the show.
Lisa Medico:Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, I I uh I've had a few therapists on the show. And um you know, I think uh, you know, everybody has their kind of take on why they're different or you know, maybe not different, but certainly what drives them and and how they help people or how they take care of people.
Lisa Medico:Yeah, what they like to do. Yep.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, and so what what is taking care of therapy all about?
Lisa Medico:So it is all about taking care of yourself. Pretty simple, pretty straightforward, but you know, we don't take the time to do it. I think we are so busy taking care of everyone else. Um, we have demanding jobs, our family life is busy, our personal life is busy, and sometimes we really need to slow down and take a moment and reflect and what do I need and really pay attention to that so that we can, in fact, show up for all those things and those people who really need us and do the best job that we want to be able to do.
Doug Drohan:Yeah. Now I know mothers take a lot of that responsibility on, but do you feel like men or fathers also feel overwhelmed and they're not taking care of themselves?
Lisa Medico:Definitely, for sure. I see a lot of men in my practice too, actually, and a lot of them are parents. Um, and I consider the umbrella of like the caregiver type of person. You know, it can be someone who literally is taking care of a sick loved one. It's definitely the mom or dad who's overwhelmed and struggling to find time for themselves. It's the healthcare worker who takes care of people as their full-time profession. And sometimes it's also that high-achieving driven person at work that we all know who, you know, for some reason or another has kind of gotten into this role of doing everything for everyone and overfunctioning kind of to the point of exhaustion or burnout. So I umbrella those together because they're playing the role differently and what they do is different, but I think the sacrifices are pretty similar.
Doug Drohan:So, what is a sign or some signs that you're kind of reaching that tipping point where you are burning out?
Lisa Medico:I think it's really the lack of pleasure in your day-to-day life. It's referred to as anhedonia. That's what it means when you stop feeling the joy and pleasure in things that you would normally enjoy. And you can see that that would kind of be really easy to do when you're constantly on the move and scrambling. You're not slowing down to really pay attention to how you feel and kind of be mindful and enjoy the small moments because I think that's really what brings us happiness.
Doug Drohan:What's it called?
Lisa Medico:What's the it's called Anidonia?
Doug Drohan:I swore I dated a girl, I dated a girl in college name Anadonia. But uh, yeah, you know, I mean the whole old saying of stop and smell the roses. But um I think, yeah, you know, I'm trying to think of in cases in my own life where yeah, the the the things that you got really excited about in the past don't seem to really have that same effect on it.
Lisa Medico:That same feeling.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, yeah.
Lisa Medico:So a high functioner sometimes feels that anodonia, that depression. Um, and it can all also manifest as really high anxiety, too. So that is um, I would say kind of like a trademark of something that happens often.
Doug Drohan:Right. So then um, so what are the what are the types of things people do? Like what do you help them with in terms of being more mindful and trying to like you know better than than anyone, like it's tough to tell type A personality, hey, relax, take a break, you know?
Lisa Medico:And often that's really offensive too.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, okay. So what things you can help somebody like that with that's not offensive to them?
Lisa Medico:Yeah, I mean, really validating what they're experiencing and what how busy their life is and how difficult it is and the stress. Um, but really like taking a look at kind of their day-to-day life and responsibilities and trying to see what makes sense for them. Where can they take these kind of micro breaks and um have a moment to themselves? And what can they also add? Sometimes it's about adding something to your life, and sometimes it's about letting things go that maybe aren't that necessary or that vital.
Doug Drohan:Right, right. Yeah, the other thing you hear about now is the sandwich generation. So there's a certain age, like say 40s, 50s, 60s, you're taking care of your kids, but now you're taking care of your parents.
Lisa Medico:Mm-hmm. And sometimes in your 30s, too, you know, depends on the ages that we're looking at. But if you're in your 30s or early 40s, um, you have probably kids who are a little bit younger plus your parents to look out for and take care of. That's really, really difficult.
Doug Drohan:Yeah. So what I mean, um obviously it's about acknowledging, okay, yes, it's it's difficult what you're doing, but you can't tell them to let go because they gotta, you know, their parents need help. And maybe uh they're siblings and they don't live nearby, or you know, the cases they're about or that it's usually one sibling is the one who usually takes on the majority because the other ones aren't there or just aren't stepping up, or maybe so it's been their personality to feel like they have to take it on because they're the only ones who can handle this, but then they they wallow in the uh suffering of oh my god, I gotta do all this, but they have to actually ask for help. So is it sometimes do they come to you, or is it their spouse or family member that says, Hey, I think you need, you know, you definitely look overwhelmed, you need to talk to someone.
Lisa Medico:Yeah, both. I mean, sometimes encouragement from a spouse or friend, and other times they just maybe get to a tipping point where they're saying, Okay, this is too much and something's wrong, and something's gotta give.
Doug Drohan:Right. So then, um, like how did you get into this business? Like, what was it? Um, you know, you used to obviously this is your own company, but where did you start? Like, was it in college where you decided you you wanted to get into uh therapy and and be um, you know, uh is it a um a licensed clinical social worker or what what is your uh what what acronyms, or not acronyms, but what uh you know initials do you have next to your name?
Lisa Medico:Yeah, so I am a licensed clinical social worker. Um I would say that I knew pretty early that I wanted to study psychology and work in some capacity in that area. I think I was a deeper thinker about why people do or say certain things, why they operate a certain way. And I was kind of perceptive to certain patterns, and it seemed like a choice that made sense to me, but I didn't want to go for my PhD. I didn't necessarily want to teach or anything like that. I wanted to be a little bit more hands-on, and a social work degree was a great option for me and just made sense that it would give me a diverse set of opportunities to do that and be directly in front of people. So through that, I tried a couple different things. I tried school social work, it was okay. I tried a nursing home setting, actually. I really liked it, but it was a little bit of a slower pace for me. Okay. So I stayed in the healthcare arena, but I moved to the hospital system and I was like, this is it. I felt like I belonged there. I love the pace. I think I thrived on the pressure. I really liked the people I worked with. Um, until I also faced my own burnout too and frustrations with other things just within the system. So um I moved full-time into clinical work. I had gotten my clinical license, kind of dabbled a little bit, but moved full-time into clinical work and worked for a different practice for a few years before really just thinking about it and saying, you know, I could probably do this. So I just took the leap. I think you're never 100% ready for something like that. But if it makes sense and you can um manage and you're interested in taking the time to really figure it out and network and ask a lot of questions, do the research, it just seemed worth it to me.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, yeah. So when was that? When did you when did taking care services?
Lisa Medico:A little over a year ago now.
Doug Drohan:Oh wow. Okay. So relevant. Yeah. So, you know, one of the things I ask a lot of business owners is like, look, you studied psychology, you didn't study business, marketing, accounting, uh, all the different things that you need to be good at or need to hire people to help you in building your practice. Because uh just because you put a sign out in front of your door, virtual door, uh doesn't mean people come running. And then when you still do start getting people, then maybe you have to grow and you have to hire, and you know, there's all the different things that go into it. So, what has that been like? It's only been a year. What has that journey been like for you?
Lisa Medico:Yeah, it's been challenging. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people have told you this, but there are zero classes in social work school about owning a business, not at all. So I just did a ton of research on my own. I asked a lot of questions, I networked with a lot of people, I had a lot of coffee dates where I was asking questions about how'd you get started with this and which EHR do you use, and how did you know, how did it go? Where did you find people? So I did a lot of that. But like I said, you're never a hundred percent ready, but it just seemed worth the risk for me. And I researched until I was a point of feeling at a point of feeling comfortable taking that leap.
Doug Drohan:So you did the research before you decided to go off on your own.
Lisa Medico:I did, yeah.
Doug Drohan:Smart. Yeah, because I think some people just dive into it and then think they're gonna, you know, and you do, you figure it out as you go, but sometimes it's you do.
Lisa Medico:You do still learning, still figuring it out.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, yeah. I mean, I've been in business for eight years, and this is my ninth year, and yeah, you're still learning. That's the good thing about like when you own your own businesses, you have the opportunity to try and fail, but also figuring things out makes it somewhat fun. I I heard somebody say the definition of business is is problems and problem solving. Yes, whether you're problem solving for your patients or you're problem solving for your own business. That's if you're not interested in that, uh it doesn't, if it totally overwhelms you, then maybe that you should work for somebody else.
Lisa Medico:It'll be hard, yes.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, yeah. So you have um, you know, a couple of different therapies, and one I'm familiar with, which is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, but there's another one that I'm not familiar with, which is dialectical, which I hope I pronounced that right. Yeah, uh DBT, dialectical behavior therapy. What is what is that?
Lisa Medico:So it is if you practice DBT, there's a lot of um like facilities that do this in a very formal way. If you practice it but very by the book in a very formal way, there's technically an individual component, there's a social component that everybody goes through where they're in a group together and they're learning together and sharing. Um, I've taken courses on this, I read a lot about it. It is a lot of skill set and tools. You're teaching emotional regulation skills, distress tolerance, mindfulness practices, and it's really managing intense emotions or behaviors, sometimes suicidal, so more extreme cases. And it's kind of based off CBT, that dialectical talking therapy, plus the skill component that you're really teaching in kind of a structured way. So I pull a lot of my work from CBT. I'm sure a lot of people tell you this, that they kind of pull the best pieces from different areas and depending on the needs of your client. Um, a lot of CBT, a lot of DBT. Um, I work with people very solution focused, so setting smart goals that are collaborative and sometimes time sensitive. And overall, I consider my therapy style to be very person-centered, like Regirian therapy, um, where the client is their expert in their own life and they lead the way in what we talk about and how we operate. The therapist provides the insights, the support, the guidance to be able to do that, and allows them to self-explore, help them gain new perspectives, and ultimately grow. So that's how I kind of describe my modality, my way of working with people.
Doug Drohan:So it's a form of dialectical, it's a form of talk therapy. And it's part of a, I guess, a holistic connection of different things, like you were saying. Mindfulness and yeah, part of CBT. So, do you find um that type of therapy? It's not like you're taking a pill and I'm calming down. Thank you. See you in a month or six months, whatever. You know, it requires work right from your patient. It requires them to work on themselves. Do you find that challenging for people to accept that in a world of instant gratification? I mean, and I don't want to like, I know we all say like today with social media and everything else, it's all about taking a pill or wanting that instant, you know, results. But we probably as human beings always gravitated towards the easy path. Um, I don't know what it was like 200 years ago, but I'm sure there was an easy way and a hard way. Um do you find it more um challenging, or do you feel like there's a certain patient that has to really understand what it's gonna take to heal that they're gonna have to put the work in? Is that a challenge for some people?
Lisa Medico:It can be. And I think everybody comes to therapy at a different stage of change. I think some, I think ultimately they know that something has to change. I think it's harder to enact those changes um and to really sort of forces them to really be honest with themselves too. Um I think week to week showing up says the most, though. You know, I think there are some people who kind of bail and maybe they're not ready yet, and that's totally fine. You're welcome to come back anytime. Um, but I do think that some people really understand that, and I think some people kind of understand that in theory, but it's very hard to face it and make those changes. So it really depends. But I say that even if they're not necessarily doing the work in between sessions, if you're still coming back, that says a lot. Yeah, and I really take that into consideration that they do want this. Maybe they're just a little bit nervous, maybe they're scared, you know. So there's some sort of barrier that we have to identify. And, you know, that does come out slowly.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, I mean, a lot of people like to talk. I mean, it helps them feel better if they can talk about things. I mean, bartenders are like uh, you know, bartenders' hairdresses are somewhat therapists sometimes. I used to be a personal trainer, so you'd get people talking to you about things, and it helps. It helps just get it up your chest, and I guess it helps to be heard because it does.
Lisa Medico:And the client therapist relationship too is a learning experience in and of itself. You know, the therapist is provide, it's very relational in nature. A therapist is providing this sort of corrective emotional experience for you that's different from past relationships that may have been unhealthy or toxic or just negative for one reason or another.
Doug Drohan:Right, right. So, what is it like? I've always often thought about this with therapists, like you hear people's problems for want of a better world, every day. Yeah. And then you gotta go home and you gotta go home to your own life. Um, what is it like being uh exposed to that every single day and then trying to put that, you know, turn that part off? I'm home. I have to be present for my kids. You know, you talk about being a mom yourself, and uh do you find that difficult? Is it getting easier as you, you know, as you progress in your career, or is it always a challenge?
Lisa Medico:I think that to a degree, you kind of have to be good at turning that off a little, but uh, you know, leaving it out the door a tiny bit. But we're still human, and something that happens in session that is really difficult is gonna kind of stick with you a little bit. I think um you you do have to be good at taking care of yourself, and you do have to be good at separating those things. And a lot of people ask that, and it's always it's kind of interesting because while that's true, you also have so many wins with your clients. You also have people that land the new job and come really excited to session to tell you about it. They start that new relationship, they do that thing for themselves, they meet, you know, a new friend, they took a risk that ended up paying off. So I think as hard as the bad times are, there are a lot of highs as well. Um, so it's a little bit of a balance. It can be difficult sometimes, but you also have to remember that there are a lot of exciting moments too.
Doug Drohan:Right. It kind of reminds you why you do what you do.
Lisa Medico:Exactly.
Doug Drohan:Yeah. That's great. So um you are located in Creskell. So you do in-person sessions?
Lisa Medico:I do. I do. I rent an office a couple days of the week and I'm virtual the rest of the time.
Doug Drohan:Okay. So where are you located in Cresco?
Lisa Medico:I'm on County Road.
Doug Drohan:Okay, so it's 155 County Road.
Lisa Medico:155 County Road, yep.
Doug Drohan:And what's the best way for people to reach you?
Lisa Medico:The best way is on my website because the contact form is going to send me an email right away. It's www.takingcare therapy.com. You can also call me at 201-208-2835. Um, I am on social media. I wouldn't necessarily recommend reaching me that way just because it's not HIPAA compliant. But if you want to learn a little bit more about me, you can check me out there. It's at taking care underscore therapy.
Doug Drohan:So let me uh so let's just backtrack a second just to recap. So who are the, you know, if I'm listening to this, like who's a a person? That uh that you most I'll say good fit, like that somebody's suffering from, as you said, if we just recap what you talked about in the beginning, just to kind of sum it up.
Lisa Medico:So, really briefly, I feel like I have two niches. I have that caregiver type, which is the one who's always doing the most for everybody and feeling a little stressed and burned out and needing to take a break. And then the other niche that I'm passionate about is the young adult population, um, especially young women, even up to their 20s, 30s. There's a lot of transitions happening at one time. It can be really overwhelming to find your footing and figure out where you belong and how to navigate it. It's really a very positive and exciting time of life, a lot of new opportunities, but there's also a lot of pressure. Um, so I really love working with them to kind of just figure out the dynamics and logistics of their kind of new life that's starting.
Doug Drohan:Right, right. Well, that's great. Well, Lisa, thank you very much for joining us today. This was very enlightening. And um, you know, I mean, I like to talk. That's why I have a uh podcast, like a talk show. But uh for you. I think exactly. So you and I will be right back. We're just gonna have Chuck uh say a few words and then uh I'll talk to you on the other side. Thank you very much.
Lisa Medico:Sounds good. Thank you.
Doug Drohan:Thank you.
Intro/Close:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen.com. That's gnpbergen.com or call 201 298 8325.