The Hidden Cost of Caring: Understanding Burnout, Grief, and Resilience

The Hidden Cost of Caring: Understanding Burnout, Grief, and Resilience

Practical strategies for sustaining well-being on the long-term caregiving journey.

Details:

Days:  Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Time:  11:00 am – 1:00 pm EST, 10:00-12:00 pm CST, 9:00-11:00am MST, 8:00-10:00am PST

Cost: $69 Parents, Caregivers; $99 Professionals

2 CEs $10 for Florida LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, and MCSW through CEBroker, Certificates provided for self-reporting for others.

DESCRIPTION:

Parenting children with FASD and other brain-based differences can be a deeply meaningful experience, but it can also be demanding in unexpected ways. The chronic stress of navigating challenging behaviors, advocating for support, and managing ongoing uncertainty can take a significant toll on caregivers. Yet these experiences are often overlooked or misunderstood, leaving many feeling isolated, exhausted, and questioning their own capacity to keep going.

This training explores the emotional realities of long-term caregiving through a compassionate, neuroscience-informed lens. Participants will examine the impact of chronic stress, burnout, disenfranchised grief, and the ways our deeply held values and beliefs can intensify difficult moments. The training will also explore how stress can spread through families, influencing relationships beyond the child-parent dynamic.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to resilience and practical strategies for protecting their own well-being. Emphasis will be placed on sustainable practices, supportive relationships, and building communities that allow caregivers to access the endurance they need for this unique parenting journey, with greater connection, hope, and compassion.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Describe the impact of chronic stress on caregiver well-being, including the development of burnout and compassion fatigue.
• Recognize the experiences of disenfranchised grief and value clashes in the caregiver experience, and their influence on relationships and decision-making.
• Identify evidence-informed resilience-building practices that promote long-term well-being and sustainability in caregiving roles.

FACILITATOR:

Eileen Devine, LCSW

Eileen Devine is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Brain First Parenting and the Think Brain First Training Program for professionals. With over 20 years of clinical experience, she is an internationally recognized expert in supporting families raising children with FASD and other neurobehavioral conditions, as well as the professionals who serve them. In addition to her clinical work with parents, Eileen delivers dozens of workshops and trainings worldwide each year for parents, educators, mental health professionals, and agency leaders. She is also a trainer for the Center for Adoption Support and Education’s (C.A.S.E.) accredited Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) Program, where she teaches clinicians across Oregon to provide adoption- and foster-competent care. Eileen lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two teenage children, one of whom has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, a serious and lifelong brain-based condition.