The Unhappy Professional
A Robinhood Therapy Brand
Therapy for Executives
At The Unhappy Professional, we specialize in therapy for executives, CEOs, and high-level leaders who shoulder extraordinary responsibility both at work and at home.
Whether you’re managing billion-dollar decisions, leading a growing company, or steering a complex organization, the pressure can feel relentless.
Our therapy helps executives reduce stress, prevent burnout, and make clear, confident decisions — without sacrificing personal wellbeing.
Sessions are private, results-focused, and available nationwide via secure telehealth.
You’re the one others depend on.
You’re expected to lead with clarity, carry risk, manage people, drive results, and make the hard calls.
But no matter how strong your title or team is, you’re still human.
That part gets ignored.
You’re under constant internal and external demand:
Meetings that drain more than they produce
Board or investor pressure to always scale or stabilize
A team that needs your energy even when you don’t have it
Critical decisions that keep you up at night
A schedule that feels like it’s never truly under your control
And in the rare moments alone, a quiet question shows up:
“How long can I keep doing it like this?”
Common Challenges Executives Bring to Therapy
While every leader’s journey is unique, many executives we work with share similar challenges:
Decision fatigue from constant high-stakes choices
Emotional isolation at the top , limited safe spaces to be vulnerable
Work-life imbalance and difficulty switching off after hours
Pressure to always perform even when personally struggling
A sense of success without fulfillment , achieving goals but feeling empty
Addressing these patterns is about more than managing stress , it’s about creating lasting changes that improve both leadership performance and personal satisfaction.
At Home, It Doesn’t Let Up
It’s not just the board that needs you.
You get home from work and...
A partner wants connection, but you’re too mentally tapped out
Kids see the stress in your eyes or the anger in your voice
A guilt creeps in for missing your own family dinners
What Therapy For Executives Can Do
Therapy for executives isn’t about one-size-fits-all solutions.
As an executive, you've encountered situations that leave a mark. A public failure that still makes you second-guess yourself. A firing that changed how you trust colleagues. A divorce that happened while you were building the company. A family crisis you had to compartmentalize to stay functional. The relentless pressure of staying competitive. A betrayal by a business partner you considered a friend.
These experiences don't just fade because you're successful now. They shape how you lead, how you relate to people, and how you handle pressure.
Executive therapy identifies the unconscious patterns these experiences created and resolves them at the source.
Why EMDR Therapy Works for Executives and Leaders
Many executives choose EMDR therapy because it’s effective for processing the specific experiences that created your current patterns.
If you are experiencing anxiety, depression, or panic, know that they aren't character flaws. They're signals pointing to unresolved pain. EMDR uses these symptoms as a guide to identify and process the experiences that created your current patterns.
Your history is unique, but common targets include: moments of public humiliation or failure, times when authority figures shamed or dismissed you, experiences that taught you vulnerability is dangerous, situations where you had to perform despite personal crisis. Often these experiences trace back to our childhood in not so obvious ways.
These memories stay active in your nervous system. A tense board meeting triggers the same physical response as being called out in front of your peers decades ago. The prospect of delegating brings up the panic you felt watching someone you trusted make a catastrophic mistake. An argument with your spouse activates the same shutdown you learned as a child when emotions felt unsafe.
EMDR reprocesses these memories so they lose their emotional charge. The past stops controlling your present reactions. You can navigate high-stakes situations without your nervous system treating them as threats. You can be present with your family without work anxiety bleeding into dinner. You can handle intimacy without the defenses that serve you in the boardroom. The anxiety, depression, or panic diminishes because the underlying wound is resolved.
By targeting these root causes, EMDR helps leaders respond calmly under pressure and lead with clarity.
Common benefits:
Mental clarity when the pressure doesn’t stop
Emotional recovery after conflict, criticism, or high-stakes events
Better boundaries that keep work from taking over everything
Reduced stress so you can connect, lead, and relax without the constant drain
Confidence that isn’t tied to outcomes but to sustainable self-worth
Learn more about EMDR therapy here.
Why Work With Us for Executive Therapy
We understand executive responsibility
EMDR + performance-focused therapy gets to the source of what’s slowing you down
100% private sessions tailored for your life and schedule
This is not executive coaching.
This is what coaching can’t reach.
Details
Private-pay only, no insurance
$250 per session
30-minute video consultation available at no cost
Virtual sessions offered in CO, DC, NC, NY, TX, VA & WA
Schedule a Free Consultation
No pressure. No obligation.
Just a confidential space to talk about what’s really going on—and whether this is the right next step.
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.
Need more answers?
Check out our General Therapy FAQ.
I understand first hand how difficult it can be to carry the weight of unresolved emotional pain. My diverse personal and professional experiences have given me a deep appreciation for how unique each individual’s journey is.
Whether it’s healing from childhood trauma, navigating relationship difficulties, or overcoming professional stress, I’m here to help you find the peace and fulfillment you deserve.
Zack Rothwell, PMHNP
Psychiatric Health Nurse Practitioner
Master of Science - UNC Chapel Hill