Staff Therapist Dr. Sara Corse Featured on KYW NewsRadio: Mother’s Day May Be More Difficult Than Usual for Some This Year, Experts Say

May 10, 2020 | For many people, this Mother’s Day can be a difficult one, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

Licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Jeanne Mayo said moms who don’t live with their children might have a hard time with Mother’s Day this year.

“With COVID-19, you have mothers and their children who are naturally going to be affected not being able to have Mother’s Day as you normally would have it,” she said.

Psychologist Dr. Sara Corse, author of “Cradled All the While: The Unexpected Gifts of a Mother’s Death,” acknowledged some people may be having a lot of feelings right now.

“Mother’s Day is a complicated day for many people’s lives because of separation,” she explained. “Maybe they lost their mom and so the separation is permanent and so that’s sad for anyone coming up to Mother’s Day any year; but this year, the separation feels more acute.”

Corse suggested giving yourself space to acknowledge the loss and consider the memories coming in.

Mayo pointed to parents who may be older, perhaps in nursing homes, who aren’t able to hug their children.

“Physical touch is a very important part of the human experience,” she said.

However, both say this is a time to get creative about how to connect and they add it’s important to talk to someone about what you’re feeling, even if you’re not able to talk with your parent or your child this year.

And Mayo added if you’re dealing with a loop of distressing thoughts in your head, you may need someone else’s voice to break it.

“You can do that by giving a call to someone,” she advised. “If that’s not accessible, there are a lot of guided meditation apps that can help.”

Listen to the full interview on KYW NewsRadio

Sara Corse, Ph.D. is a Staff Therapist at our University City Office. She currently sees clients via online therapy. To set up an appointment, you can reach her at scorse@councilforrelationships.org or 215-382-6680 ext. 3117.