The Mental Load and Women’s Mental Health
Communication Strategies for the Division of Childcare and Household Labor
- Speaker:
- Darby Saxbe, PhD
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 02 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
May 01, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150788
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
The transition to parenthood triggers a need to balance new roles and revisit the division of labor in a relationship. With childcare responsibilities on top of household tasks, couples are often overwhelmed by challenges that impact both their personal mental health and the quality of their relationship. And very often, women find themselves in a position of doing more than their fair share.
In this session, Dr. Darby Saxbe – clinician and award-winning researcher on family relationship behaviors – will highlight how the division of childcare and household labor impacts women’s mental health. You’ll learn:
- How to target the mental load in therapy, even when your clients aren’t bringing it up
- Strategies for making invisible labor visible
- Research-informed communication strategies for couples working on dividing responsibilities
Credit
Handouts/Brochure
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - The Mental Load and Women's Mental Health (4.20 MB) | 45 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Transcript - The Mental Load (979.1 KB) | 17 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - The Mental Load and Women's Mental Health - French (4.20 MB) | 45 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Transcript - The Mental Load - French (979.1 KB) | 17 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - The Mental Load and Women's Mental Health - Italian (4.20 MB) | 45 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Transcript - The Mental Load - Italian (979.1 KB) | 17 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - The Mental Load and Women's Mental Health - German (4.20 MB) | 45 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Transcript - The Mental Load - German (979.1 KB) | 17 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - The Mental Load and Women's Mental Health - Spanish (4.20 MB) | 45 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Transcript - The Mental Load - Spanish (979.1 KB) | 17 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Speaker
Darby Saxbe, PhD Related seminars and products
Darby Saxbe, PhD is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. She has published over eighty scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. She earned awards from the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research in Child Development and was a Fulbright fellow. Dr. Saxbe has written for outlets such as The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Scientific American, and consulted on bestselling books, including Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA and her BA in English and psychology from Yale University. Her first book, Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood is coming out on Flatiron Books in summer 2026.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Darby Saxbe has an employment relationship with the University of California. She receives grants from the NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Build & Broaden Award. She is an advisory board member for Bezos Family Foundation and Pampers Think Tank. Darby Saxbe receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Darby Saxbe is an Ad hoc reviewer for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
Questions?
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Objectives
- Identify the mental health impacts to the individual and couple of the transition to parenthood.
- Evaluate how division of labor and domestic workload issues cause conflict for couples.
- Utilize non-defensive communication strategies to improve couples’ communication about the mental load.
Outline
Women’s Transition to Parenthood can we use the word matrescence?
- Changes to the brain and body
- Psychological shifts – identity and relationships
- Division of labor issues in couples
Intentions v reality in sharing the load
- The mental load as a unique stressor for women
- Interventions to Maternal Mental Health
- The cost of not targeting mental load burden in therapy
- Intervention – need more detail
- Intervention – need more detail
- Intervention – need more detail
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Reviews
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