Counseling For Professionals

Are You A Professional Or Entrepreneur Struggling With Your Mental Health?

Is work-related stress or burnout becoming unmanageable?

Have you developed unhealthy behaviors—including substance abuse—as a result of feeling immense pressure at your job?

Do you wish you were able to balance your professional and personal life more effectively?

No matter what you do to stay on top of your workload, there is not enough time in the day. Whether your work projects are piling up or you’re unable to devote as much time to outside engagements as you’d like, you’re probably feeling suffocated by your job.

Yet, you might hesitate to seek help for a number of reasons. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur who built your business from the bottom up, afraid to let go of some of your control, or worried that you’re the only one with the knowledge and ability to solve problems. You may have inherited your business and thus feel a lot of pressure from your family to succeed. Or perhaps you’re simply in a high-pressure profession—such as medicine, law, or business—that requires too much of your mental, emotional, and physical energy.

Workplace Stress Leads To Job-Related Anxiety, Depression, And Substance Abuse

Your mental health pays the price when your job doesn’t make room for proper work-life balance. Maybe you’ve developed performance anxiety, imposter syndrome that your work is inadequate, or symptoms of depression that cause you to feel hopeless about your future. You may have put an expectation on yourself to maintain personal and professional growth at an unsustainable speed, so now you’re feeling stuck and directionless as your accomplishments have seemingly slowed to a crawl.

In high-pressure, success-driven roles like yours, substance abuse and dependence are common concerns. You may use alcohol, drugs, or other numbing behaviors to combat work burnout, and it’s possible that your use has started to impact your performance and executive functioning. If your job is in jeopardy due to substance issues or other impairments, it’s important to develop healthy coping and anxiety management skills to reduce the impact of work-related stress on your life.

In counseling for professionals at Wilmington Psychotherapy, we understand your unique situation as an entrepreneur or high-powered professional. And our therapists are available to offer you meaningful support on the path to healing.

Though Depression And Anxiety Are Common In General, Work-Related Challenges Make These Issues Even More Widespread

Anxiety and depression are incredibly common among the general population. However, entrepreneurs and other professionals experience these mental health issues at disproportionate rates. Forbes reports that while depression affects about seven percent of American adults, entrepreneurs in particular experienced symptoms of depression at a “whopping 30 percent.” This indicates that stress, burnout, and a lack of work-life balance are directly correlated to poor mental health.

Yet, as professionals, our mental health does not just affect us on a personal level—anxiety, depression, and unhealthy stress management have an impact on every aspect of life. Impairments—or any hurdles that prevent us from reaching our full personal and professional potential—can jeopardize our relationships with our colleagues, peers, family, friends, and ourselves. When we’re overwhelmed by work stress or feeling burnt out, we’re more likely to make mistakes, build resentments, lash out, or engage in self-destructive behaviors.

Not to mention, work-related impairments can have significant ethical and legal consequences. If we’re not fully present in our high-stakes workplace or if our ability to safely and effectively perform our job is compromised, everyone’s wellbeing can be put at risk. In some situations, these impairments can result in HR complaints, lawsuits, and termination.

Unfortunately, instead of seeking help, we feel the need to appear “together” and in control of every aspect of our lives as successful professionals. It doesn’t always come naturally to ask for help, and we may be afraid of seeming vulnerable or incompetent if we can’t solve certain issues on our own.

But there is no shame in seeking support. Counseling offers professionals from all walks of life a chance to explore their work stress, identify triggers, and find meaningful solutions to combat burnout. Our therapists are here to help you build anxiety and stress management tools in counseling as you foster a healthier outlook and more work-life balance.

Counseling Is A Meaningful Way For Professionals To Find Solutions, Healing, And Balance

When you’re stuck inside the pressure cooker of a high-stress job, gaining perspective on your priorities and what it takes to cultivate a healthy lifestyle can be challenging. Counseling for professionals gives you an opportunity to maximize your personal wellness so that you can be the best entrepreneur, employee, and colleague possible. We have a firsthand understanding of how demanding life can be as a business owner or entrepreneur and what you can do to lead a more balanced, satisfying life.

Our Approach

At Wilmington Psychotherapy, counseling is meant to help you grow as both a professional and as an individual. By working to clarify both your personal and professional values—as you gain the skills to live in accordance with those values—true growth and healing can take place.

Our therapists will help you identify core challenges while also collaborating with you on actionable steps you can take to manage stress. We are very solution-oriented in that we’ll work with you to discover potential solutions while fostering a sense of commitment and the possibility that lasting, meaningful change can take place. Whether you’re in need of tangible skills for anxiety and stress management, reconciling specific professional goals, or hoping to curb work-related substance abuse, we’ll tailor the counseling process to align with your needs.

We draw from a variety of evidence-based approaches to help you reach and maintain a sense of wellness. Methods like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can be useful in allowing you to clarify values and develop more acceptance for the factors that are out of your control. Behavioral therapies can help you adjust your relationship to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. And trauma-informed approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help you overcome core stressors as you develop more self-compassion and awareness.

No matter what combination of approaches is used in counseling, our therapists can help you achieve your personal and professional goals. Our extensive backgrounds in entrepreneurship, mental health, and addiction counseling give us unique insight into the specific hurdles that the professionals in our community face. By helping you to be more aware and able to manage stress, therapy gives you a chance to improve your work and enhance your relationships—including the one you have with yourself.

Maybe You’re Considering Counseling For Entrepreneurs But Not Sure If Our Services Are Right For You…

As a professional, my reputation is really important to me—I don’t want anyone to know I am in counseling for workplace stress.

We understand the importance of confidentiality and take care to maintain the privacy of all of our clients. Therapy is an entirely confidential, HIPAA-protected process, which means we will never disclose anything about your counseling sessions to others without discussing it with you first.

I am being monitored by a licensure board—are you able to help me meet the board’s requirements under my contract?

Our team has extensive experience counseling professionals who are under the supervision of a board, and we can provide proof of treatment as needed. We’re familiar with the protocols of the NC Professional Health Program and the Lawyers Assistance Program, and we would be happy to discuss your unique situation with you if your particular organization is not included here. Contact us for more information.

I’m already busy with all of my job stress. How would I find time for counseling?

Unless you’re mandated by a contract to be in counseling for a specific period, the amount of time you spend in therapy is ultimately up to you. Our counselors will collaborate with you to determine your goals for therapy, offer flexibility in scheduling, and give you an estimate for the timeframe you can expect to spend in treatment.

Optimal Mental Health Is The Key To Professional Success

If you’re an entrepreneur or professional struggling with workplace stress and burnout, counseling can help you achieve a healthier work-life balance. To schedule a free, 15-minute phone consultation with one of our counselors, please call (910) 777 – 1189 or contact us.