Brought to you by the Virginia Mental Health Counselors Association
About the Event
In the United States a growing number of adults fall under the caregiver category spending their time, money, and energy in taking care of their parents while raising their own kids. The caregivers in this group, referred to as the “Sandwich Generation,” are facing high rates of stress, burnout, and other mental health issues due to various factors. This event will focus on understanding in depth this specific group and along with key stressors that have clinical impact.
Learning Objectives
- Understanding in depth caregivers in the “Sandwich Generation” through psychoeducation and statistics.
- Learning about the clinical impact, therapeutic interventions, and resources to support this population in therapy.
- Explore cultural implications when working with this caregiver group.
- Review a case example for therapists to better understand the learning objectives and possible cultural implications.
About the Presenter
Sumita A. Changela, MA, LPC, NCC, is a licensed psychotherapist and founder of Suvi Behavioral Health (SBH) in Arlington, Virginia. For fifteen years, as a bilingual clinician, she works with individuals, couples, and groups to navigate life’s challenges, strengthen emotional well-being, and build deeper, more authentic connections. Her experience spans from placements at Virginia Hospital Center, George Mason University Sexual Assault Services Center, The Women’s Center, and a large group private practice in Arlington. Sumita received her undergraduate in Marketing from University of Maryland, College Park and her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marymount University.
She specializes working with anxiety, depression, burnout, stress, shame, identity issues, self- esteem, ADHD, grief/ loss, fertility issues, chronic pain, and trauma with individuals in the “Sandwich Generation” which refers to the group that is taking care of their own parents while managing kids and demanding careers. Her therapeutic style is integrative and relational, drawing from humanistic, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral (CBT), acceptance and commitment (ACT), somatic therapy, and emotionally focused therapy (EFT) for couples.
Before becoming a therapist, Sumita spent several years in the corporate world, working across industries such as beverage industry, commercial real estate, and investment banking. With having roles in sales/marketing, research, and commercial real estate finance, it helped shape her understanding of the complex interplay between ambition, identity, stress, and fulfillment. It also deepened her appreciation for how external success can sometimes mask internal struggles. This background informs her work with clients navigating high-pressure environments, career transitions, family interplay, interpersonal relationships, coping with mental illness while in search for balance between personal and professional life.
In her practice, this means that every session is guided by each client’s unique story, needs, and pace—not a single formula. With a warm, direct, and grounded approach, she helps clients explore patterns and emotions that shape their experiences, build insight, and develop practical tools for sustainable growth and change. Through the therapeutic relationship, she helps people move from feeling stuck or disconnected to living with greater clarity, confidence, connection, and authenticity. Having worked with people from a wide range of cultural, professional, and personal backgrounds, Sumita values the diversity and complexity each person brings to therapy. In addition to her clinical practice, she enjoys writing articles, resource guides, provides training for counselors and wellness workshops for companies wanting to improve employee well-being and team dynamics.