We work on what’s underneath burnout, high-functioning anxiety, and perfectionism: the beliefs, history, and nervous system patterns that keep you pushing when you’d rather rest. Some people find trauma at the root; many don’t. Either way, the goal is for your drive to come from choice rather than threat.
Who this is for
People who are often the most capable person in the room: the one others call when things go sideways, who keeps things running, and who is quietly running on fumes. Your title doesn’t matter here. What matters is the pattern: high standards, a hard time resting, and a sense that slowing down isn’t safe.
You don’t need a trauma history to be here. Sometimes the cause is years of chronic pressure, a culture that never lets up, or a sense of worth that got tied to performance a long time ago.
What it often looks like
- High-functioning anxiety. Calm and capable on the outside, constant scanning and worry on the inside.
- Inability to rest. Downtime brings guilt or restlessness rather than relief. Vacations take days to feel like vacations.
- Perfectionism and over-preparation. Working three times harder than needed to avoid any chance of failing.
- Outsized reactions to feedback. Knowing a critique is minor, but feeling it as a threat for days.
- Impostor feelings. Accomplishments don’t quite land, and you’re waiting to be found out.
- Burnout. Exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense that your effort isn’t producing what it used to.
- Relationships on the back burner. Fully present at work, depleted or distant at home.
- Body signals you’ve learned to ignore. Jaw clenching, shallow breathing, waking at 3 a.m. with your mind already running.
The traits that make you effective and the patterns that are wearing you down are often the same traits, running without an off switch.
Where these patterns come from
Achievement skills like scanning for problems, staying calm under pressure, and putting your own needs last are often learned early. For some people they grew out of a home that was unpredictable, or love that felt conditional on doing well. For others they were built over years in demanding environments that rewarded nothing else. In both cases they work, often well enough to become a career. The cost tends to show up later, when the stakes rise and the pace never lets up.
Burnout or trauma? Sometimes both, sometimes neither
Burnout comes from chronic stress, and rest and boundaries help. But for many high achievers those fixes don’t stick, because something underneath makes rest feel unsafe or makes saying no feel like a risk. When we work on that layer, the practical changes, like delegating, logging off, and taking real time away, become much easier to sustain. If trauma is part of the picture, we can address it directly with trauma therapy and EMDR. If it isn’t, we focus on the beliefs and nervous system patterns driving the cycle.
How therapy helps
1. Practical regulation
Tools to notice and shift your nervous system state in real time: before a hard conversation, after a tense meeting, or at 3 a.m. Useful from the first few sessions.
2. Understanding the pattern
Mapping what your drive is protecting and where it came from. Most people find relief in seeing their reactions as adaptations that made sense, not personal failures.
3. Changing the core beliefs
Working directly on beliefs like “I’m only valuable when I’m producing” or “If I relax, something bad will happen,” often using EMDR, so they stop running the show.
4. Performing from a steadier place
As the threat response quiets, people usually find they still care about their work, but from choice rather than fear. Decisions get clearer, relationships get warmer, and rest starts to feel like rest.
Why work with me
Before becoming a therapist, I spent nearly two decades in leadership, about half of it at the executive level. I understand board pressure, budget seasons, managing up and down at once, and the loneliness of being the person everyone leans on. That background saves a lot of explaining, so we can get to the real work. Many clients say therapy is the one hour of the week where they don’t have to be impressive.
Practical details for busy professionals
- Private pay, no insurance billing. Nothing goes to your employer-sponsored insurance unless you choose to submit a superbill yourself.
- In person or online. My office is in Wheat Ridge, and I offer secure video sessions anywhere in Colorado.
- $165 per 50-minute session. Free 15-minute consultation to start, or book a first session directly. Fee details.
Is this coaching?
No. Coaching focuses on goals and performance. Therapy addresses the patterns, history, and nervous system responses underneath how you perform and how you feel. If you’re looking primarily for performance coaching, or need a higher level of care than outpatient therapy, I’ll help you find the right fit. If you’re in crisis right now, call or text 988.