The Unhappy Professional
Therapy for Executives
I work with CEOs, C-suite leaders, and senior executives in high-responsibility roles.
You've done well. Now something's off.
You've built something. You've earned your seat. The work you do is demanding, and you've met that demand for years. But something's off, and you know it.
Maybe it's at home. The relationship that used to work doesn't anymore. Your partner feels distant, or you do. There's tension you can't quite name, or tension you know exactly but don't want to face. Maybe things have crossed a line. Maybe they're about to.
Maybe it's at work. You're not executing the way you used to. The sharpness isn't there. You're getting older, and you can feel the next generation coming up behind you, hungry and unburdened by everything you're carrying.
Maybe it's something you can't explain. Panic that shows up out of nowhere. Sleep that won't come. A creeping sense that the life you've built isn't sustainable, even if you can't point to why.
Whatever brought you here, you're looking for someone who can help. Someone qualified. Someone who understands what it takes to operate at your level and what it costs.
That's what I do.
I work with executives across industries. CEOs, CFOs, senior leaders at global companies. Government executives. Principals, partners, pastors. People who carry significant responsibility and have done so for a long time. If you have searched for therapy for CEOs or therapy for C suite executives, you are in the right place.
What Brings People Here
Most executives don't seek therapy because they want to talk about their feelings. They come because something in their life isn't working, and doing nothing has become more painful than reaching out.
Sometimes it's a relationship in trouble. A partner who's pulling away, or threatening to leave. An affair, theirs or someone else's. Years of avoiding the hard conversations finally catching up.
Sometimes it's the body. Chest tightness. An electric feeling that won't settle. Exhaustion that doesn't lift. Waking up at 3am with your heart racing and your mind already running through tomorrow's problems. Panic attacks that seem to come from nowhere. Physical symptoms that doctors can't explain.
Sometimes it's work. You're not executing like you used to. You're getting older and you can feel the next generation coming up behind you. Or you've been told, by someone you trust or by someone who signs your checks, that something needs to change. For many leaders, this is executive burnout, even if they would never use that phrase.
And sometimes it's quieter than all of that. A sense of emptiness underneath the success. The feeling that something fundamental is missing, even when everything looks fine from the outside.
A lot of people who reach out aren't totally sure what's wrong. They just know something's off. That's enough.
What I've Noticed
Executives tend to show up in data mode.
They want to understand the problem. They want to know if I can help. They're willing to share, but there's a part of them that's assessing, measuring, deciding whether this is worth their time.
That makes sense. You've spent your career evaluating situations and making calls. You're not going to hand over trust on the first meeting. And I don't expect you to.
What I've also noticed is that underneath the composure, the executives I work with care deeply. About their work. About the people in their lives. About doing things right. They appreciate structure, fairness, and things having a clear role. They like being part of something that functions well. They like being rewarded for their hard work with accolades and appropriate compensation.
That's one of the things I appreciate about working with them. They're not here to waste time. Life and its decisions have meaning. And once they decide to do the work, they do it.
What I've also noticed is that a lot of people can talk about painful things without feeling them. On the surface, that looks like a strength. But often it means the body and the mind have become disconnected from the experience. It's protective, and it works for a while. But over time, that disconnection starts to cause problems.
Part of the work is closing that gap.
The Compartmentalizing Trap
Here's what I see a lot:
Executives are masters at putting things in boxes. Something painful happens, something inconvenient, something that doesn't fit the schedule, and they just set it aside. Nope, can't deal with that right now. And they move on.
Unlike other ways people avoid their feelings, compartmentalizing looks like a strength. It's productive. It's how you get through a hard quarter, a difficult negotiation, a family crisis without missing a beat. So you keep doing it.
But honestly, even when something is out of your conscious mind, it's not gone. It's still running in the background. Like a tab open on your computer that you forgot about, quietly using up memory and processing power.
You might have dozens of those tabs open. Old losses. Old wounds. Things from childhood you never dealt with. Things from last year you told yourself didn't matter.
And you wonder why you're tired all the time. Why your thinking feels slower than it used to. Why you can't relax even when there's nothing urgent.
It's the tabs.
Another way I explain it: it's like driving around with your parking brake on. You can do it. You might not even notice at first. But over time, you're wearing out your engine. You're burning through resources you don't have to burn. And eventually, something gives.
When Relationships Bring You In
Some of the most meaningful work I do is with people who come in because of a marriage or relationship problem, or an affair.
Not because I like seeing people in pain. But because when something that personal is on the line, people stay in the game. They show up. They do the work. And that's when things actually change.
A lot of times, what looks like a relationship problem is really two people who've been avoiding their own stuff, and now it's all coming up at once. The affair or the distance isn't the whole story. It's what finally cracked things open.
I've noticed that many of the executives I work with are more avoidant at home than they are at work. They can handle conflict in a boardroom. But with a partner, they go quiet. They appease. They sidestep the hard conversations because somewhere along the way they learned that keeping the peace was safer than saying what they actually felt.
That works until it doesn't. Until the distance becomes too wide. Until someone has an affair, or threatens to leave, or just stops trying.
But here's what I've seen over and over: when someone starts being honest, really honest, about what they've been carrying, that's when things shift. Not from tips or tricks. From truth. That's where healing starts.
Going Back
I tell people in the first conversation: if you want real results, we're going to have to look at some earlier stuff.
Not because I want to dig through your childhood for fun. But because the patterns running your life now usually started a long time ago. The voice in your head that says you're not good enough or you have to be perfect. The feeling that everyone's watching. The difficulty relaxing, trusting, being seen. That stuff didn't come from nowhere.
I don't push. Your mind and body will guide us. If something we're working on starts to raise real anxiety, or brings up depression, or disrupts your sleep in a way that feels like too much, we use that as information. It tells us there's something important here. But we don't overwhelm. We respect the pace. Everything in due time.
Many of your current challenges in life are subtle repeated patterns from things and conditioning you learned in your past. As we explore and process these things, significant healing starts to occur.
Think of it this way. All those things you've compartmentalized, the stuff from childhood, the losses, the failures, the moments that shaped you in ways you don't fully understand, they're like tabs running in the background. You're not thinking about them. But they're taking up resources. They're slowing you down. They are affecting your moods, your actions, and your outlooks.
When we go back and actually process those things, through EMDR, through the slower work of understanding where you came from, it's like closing those tabs. Suddenly there's more space. You feel lighter. Your thinking gets clearer. The processing power you've been missing comes back online.
That's what this work can do.
What Therapy Can Change
When this work lands, I see it in people's faces.
There's a softness that shows up. Something loosens. It's subtle, but it changes everything.
I've seen executives stop white-knuckling through life. They find out they can be stressed and still relaxed. That they can face hard things without falling apart. That they don't have to spend all their energy on containment.
I've seen people find the kind of love they'd been searching for their whole lives. Sometimes with their current partner, sometimes with someone new. But something shifts in them that lets them actually receive it. That shift happens when they discover the love for themselves that has been hiding in them.
I've seen people come to terms with who their parents really were. The good and the bad. They let go of the anger. They let go of the pain. They stop carrying it into every room they walk into. And they take on their future with something lighter in their chest.
I've seen someone show up to a session and cry, and it's okay. Not because crying is the goal, but because they finally trusted that being human, being soft, being affected by life, isn't weakness. It's just being a person. For some of my clients, that's the first time they've let themselves do that in decades.
If you do the work, it shows up everywhere. Your health. Your relationships. Your leadership.
What I Bring Is This
I'm not going to pretend I've walked in your shoes. I've never been a CEO or sat in the C-suite.
But I've spent the last fifteen years working with people in high-pressure environments. And I've spent the last several years working specifically with executives, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and other high-achieving professionals who carry more than most people realize.
What I bring is this: I understand that you're bright, you're capable, and you've figured out most things on your own. I also understand that underneath all of that, you're a person who cares deeply and has been carrying a lot for a long time.
I'm not going to waste your time with therapy that sounds nice but doesn't go anywhere. And I'm not going to be impressed or intimidated by your title. I'm just going to treat you like a regular human being and help you get where you want to go.
What To Expect
This work takes time. Most executives I work with stay for six months to two years.
Some people come in, unlock a few things, get relief, and move on. That's a valid outcome. Others go deeper. They work through the surface issues, build trust, and eventually address what's underneath. That's where the real change happens.
I use a blend of approaches: EMDR to process memories and experiences that are still running your nervous system, psychodynamic therapy to understand why you do what you do, and parts work when there's internal conflict that needs attention. These aren't just modalities I list on a website. They're how I actually help people change.
I've found that healing the past heals the present. When someone can finally process what they've been carrying, sometimes for decades, everything else starts to shift. Relationships improve. Work feels different. The weight lifts.
The Consultation
The first step is a 30-minute consultation. It's free, and it happens over Zoom.
We'll have a conversation. You'll tell me what's going on. I'll share whether I think I can help and how. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you that too, and we'll spend the rest of the time helping you figure out who might be.
I just need to confirm you're in a state where I'm licensed. I'm currently licensed in Colorado, Washington D.C., North Carolina, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
I don't work with insurance. I don't offer super bills. This is private pay.
Sessions are 55 minutes. $250 per session.
.
Scheduling
I know your schedule is demanding. Mine is flexible.
You can self-schedule through my website. As long as you give 24 hours notice, you can reschedule as much as you need. Business trip comes up, that's fine. Meeting runs over, that's fine. I won't hold it against you.
If it's less than 24 hours, you pay the full session cost. Otherwise, you don't.
A Final Word
The people I work with have spent their lives performing. They've learned to be tough, to push through, to not let things get to them. That works, until it doesn't.
What I've found is that underneath all of that, most executives are people who care deeply. About their work, about the people in their lives, about doing things right. They've just been carrying a lot for a long time, and they've gotten used to carrying it alone.
You don't have to.
Real Questions Executives Ask Before Starting Therapy (FAQs)
What’s the best therapy for CEOs and executives?
While every leader’s needs are unique, approaches like EMDR and targeted talk therapy are highly effective for executives. They address both the immediate stress and the deeper patterns that influence leadership performance.
I’m successful, why do I still feel like I’m not doing enough?
That internal pressure often comes from old, invisible rules you’ve been following for decades. Achievement was probably how you created safety, earned love, or avoided chaos early on. We help you rewire that system so your drive becomes a tool, not a tyrant.
Can therapy really improve leadership performance?
Yes. Therapy doesn’t just help you feel better, it can sharpen decision-making, improve communication, and reduce stress reactions that might impact your leadership style.
What if therapy opens up things I’ve kept buried to stay functional?
That’s a valid concern. You’ve built a life that works so we’re not here to dismantle it. We honor the protective strategies that helped you survive. The work is to gently make room for what’s underneath, in a way that doesn’t destabilize but strengthens you.
Can this help with decision fatigue and overthinking?
Yes. Many executives are mentally overloaded juggling staff, family, risk, and outcomes. Therapy reduces mental noise by helping you resolve unprocessed conflicts that clutter your inner world. The result is more clarity, less self-doubt, and faster decision-making.
I compartmentalize well. Why would I want to stop?
Compartmentalization is a skill, and we won’t take it away. But sometimes, what’s locked in one box bleeds into others, resentment shows up at home, stress leaks into your sleep, intimacy feels distant. We help you integrate those boxes so you don’t live fragmented.
Can therapy help with executive burnout?
Yes. If you’re experiencing burnout, therapy can help you recover faster and prevent it from recurring.
Learn more about executive burnout here.
Will this actually make me better at what I do or just more emotional?
Both, but not in the way you fear. Better emotional processing leads to better focus, resilience, and leadership presence. Emotional authority doesn’t mean getting lost in feelings. It means knowing what drives you so you lead yourself (and others) with clarity.