Mom Needs a Moment

How to Stop Your Reaction Before It Starts... and Become a Calmer, Happier, More Connected Parent

Contributors

By Dr. Cassidy Freitas, PhD, LMFT

On Sale
Jun 16, 2026
Page Count
304 pages
ISBN-13
9781523533534

A warm and authoritative guide to maternal mental health, offering real solutions, by popular online therapist Dr. Cassidy Freitas.

Motherhood is messy. Mom Needs a Moment is for the moms who find themselves losing their temper more than they’d like. Or shutting down when things feel too loud or too much. Or who are tired of snapping, spiraling, or second-guessing themselves … and want to understand why this keeps happening, and how to change it. Dr. Cassidy invites mothers to see that much of what they carry didn’t start with them, and that they have the power to choose what continues and what ends.
 
So how do we break the cycle? By finding what Dr. Cassidy calls margins: the spaces we can create (mental, emotional, physical, and relational) that allow us to respond differently. Margins help us catch ourselves in the moment, regulate our nervous systems, and make more intentional choices. They are where we pause, breathe, notice, soften, and shift.
 
Weaving together stories from her own messy motherhood moments with the tools she’s gathered as a therapist, Dr. Cassidy shows how margins can help you feel less reactive, more connected, and more like yourself again.

  • "We go into parenting thinking our kids will heal us, but in reality, they trigger us. In Mom Needs a Moment, Dr. Cassidy helps moms see what’s actually happening underneath the snap and the spiral, and learn practical ways to get steady again. When a mom can meet herself with curiosity and compassion instead of blame and shame, she grows right alongside her kid—and everyone benefits." –Dr. Becky Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of Good Inside and clinical psychologist 
     “Dr. Frieitas unpacks both the internal stories we carry and the societal systems that shape them, naming the guilt and shame so many mothers quietly shoulder. With honesty and compassion, she offers tools to let go of the impossible standards, create space for ourselves without apology, and navigate the inevitable blowback that can come with setting boundaries. At the same time, she acknowledges the outsized expectations and pressures placed on mothers, single parents, and marginalized communities to be "perfect" parents.”—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play
     "This book is a gold mine for moms who wish to break the cycle of stress and parent in ways that create cycles of healing and peace. Dr. Freitas packed all the healing in this gem of a book, with both moms and their children in mind. This is a book every mother should have."—Dr. Mariel Buqué, bestselling author of Breaking the Cycle, licensed psychologist and owner of Break the Cycle Psychotherapy & Consulting®
     “As a recovering perfectionist and a mom, I’ve never read anything that so clearly named my struggles and made them feel fixable. Mom Needs a Moment is engaging, practical and beautifully organized in a way that helps you connect the dots and take real steps toward becoming a calmer, more regulated version of yourself (and the mom you've always envisioned yourself being).”—Megan McNamee MPH, RDN, #1 New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Feeding Littles.
     “This book is a lifeline for parents who love their kids fiercely but sometimes don’t love how they show up in hard moments. Dr. Cassidy Freitas doesn’t just explain reactivity — she gives you a way out of it. I couldn’t put it down, and walked away truly feeling like a better parent, and human.”—Kristin Gallant, co-founder of Big Little Feelings
     “This is the book every mom needs on her nightstand. Dr. Cassidy compassionately unpacks reactivity, perfectionism, and inherited patterns with so much warmth and clarity. She offers practical tools to create “margins” that lead to calmer moments, deeper connection, and a legacy rooted in healing. I absolutely love the message woven throughout this book.”—Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, pediatric psychologist, parent coach, and author of Love the Teen You Have

Formats and Prices

Price

$32.00

Price

$42.00 CAD

Dr. Cassidy Freitas, PhD, LMFT

About the Author

Dr. Cassidy Freitas is a lisenced family and marriage counselor. Her platform is under the umbrella of Dr. Cassidy & Co which consists of a thriving private therapy practice, a strong social media presence on Instagram and TikTok and a weekly podcast also called, Holding Space where her guests have included Dr. Becky Kennedy, Eve Rodsky of Fair Play, Kristin Gallant of Big Little Feelings, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, and Dan Siegel of The Whole-Brain Child. In addition, Cassidy is a contributor to Dr. Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside Membership Community where she has become a familiar face engaging with parents via workshops and weekly comments and posts.

Learn more about this author