What You Are Carrying Deserves More Than Strategy Right Now.
While this quiz is not a clinical assessment, the pattern in your answers is one I recognize. Leaders who respond the way you did often need something coaching is not designed to provide -- at least not yet.
The weight you are carrying (whether it came from a toxic environment, a difficult experience, or patterns that have followed you across roles and organizations) deserves its own space before you start building strategy on top of it.
This might be one of the most important investments you can make in your career and your life right now.
I like to think of a therapist as a physical therapist -- one who helps you become fully functional. A coach is like a personal trainer -- one who accelerates getting the results you desire. Right now, your answers are telling me the physical therapy comes first. Work on being fully functional. Build the foundation. The personal trainer will still be here when you are ready.
Maybe it is the weight of experiences you have carried across roles without a real space to put them down. Maybe it is a pattern in how you respond to certain situations that you recognize but have not fully understood yet. Maybe it is simply the accumulated cost of performing at a high level for a long time without adequate support. Whatever it is -- it deserves to be properly tended to.
Some leaders work with a coach and a therapist at the same time -- and for the right person at the right moment, that can be powerful. Based on the pattern in your answers, however, therapy first might be the stronger starting point for you. Either way, please know that the leaders whose progress is most lasting are the ones who do not skip this work. Many of the most powerful senior leaders I know have engaged a therapist before or while working with a coach, and it changed everything that came after.
When you are ready for coaching, I will be here. Until then here is how to find the right support.
FINDING THE RIGHT THERAPIST
Finding a therapist who understands the specific pressures of senior leadership takes some intentionality. Here is what to look for and how to evaluate fit before you commit.
What to Look For
Specialization in high-achieving professionals or workplace trauma
Look for someone who specifically understands the dynamics of working in a competitive, high-performance organization, the stress that is created in tough work environments, and the weight that comes with the role you are carrying.
Experience with anxiety, life transitions, or identity work
These are the most common presenting areas for leaders at your level. A therapist with depth in these areas will be better equipped to meet you where you are.
Experience with relational or family trauma
Not all of what shows up at work originates there. If patterns in how you respond to authority, conflict, or trust feel older than your current situation, a therapist with experience in relational or family dynamics can help you understand where those patterns come from and how they are showing up now.
A Therapeutic Approach that Fits How You Process
Therapists work differently; below are methods typically used by therapists:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - This therapist helps you catch yourself in the moment: "Notice what you told yourself right before you shut down in that meeting."
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - This therapist helps you move forward without waiting to feel ready: "You do not have to stop feeling anxious to take that step."
- Psychodynamic Therapy - This therapist tracks patterns across your story over time: "You mentioned something similar a few sessions ago -- I am noticing a thread here."
- Attachment-Based Therapy - This therapist connects a present-day reaction directly to an earlier relational experience: "When your manager dismissed your idea in that meeting, you went quiet and pulled back. Where have you felt that before?"
Which style would suit you best?
Your Next Step
Start your search here and use the filters to narrow by specialization and insurance accepted.
Many therapists offer a free initial consultation. Use it to assess fit before you commit. You are not obligated to continue after one session.
If something in these results surprised you, or if you want to talk through whether this is the right frame for where you are, my door is open. Sometimes the line between coaching and therapy is less clear than a quiz can capture -- and a real conversation is worth more than a score.
Email me if you would like to talk it through.