Professional life · Individual therapy · Chicago
Therapy for entrepreneurs in Chicago
Running a business can blur the line between a difficult week and a judgment about yourself. You may carry uncertainty alone and find it hard to stop thinking about what needs your attention.
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What you may be noticing
- Anxiety around unpredictable outcomes
- Feeling personally responsible for everything
- Difficulty disconnecting from the business
Your experience may look different. These examples are starting points for a conversation.
How we can work on this
We can examine how business pressures affect your mood, identity, and time. Therapy can support boundaries, emotional flexibility, and choices about how you want to carry responsibility.
I am Sam Rustum, LCPC. My work is collaborative: we will discuss your priorities, choose a starting point, and check whether our approach is useful to you.
Separating a business problem from a judgment about yourself
A difficult week in the business can begin to feel like evidence that you are failing personally. You might check messages during dinner, postpone rest until the next milestone, or keep concerns private because others depend on you. We can examine one of those moments in detail.
What happens when a customer leaves, revenue is uncertain, or someone needs an answer you do not have? We might notice how quickly uncertainty turns into self-blame, or how taking on every task briefly quiets anxiety while leaving you depleted. That pattern gives us something specific to work with.
Together, we can consider how you want to carry responsibility. A next step might involve discussing an expectation, deciding when to review a concern again, or protecting time that you repeatedly give away. We can also explore the meaning the business holds for you: independence, security, family expectations, identity, or the satisfaction of building something. Those meanings matter when you consider what you want to preserve and what you want to change.
Questions you may be asking
Do I need a large or established business?
No. We can discuss the emotional experience of working for yourself at different stages. The consultation is a chance to explain what you are dealing with and ask about fit.
Can therapy help me think about selling or closing a business?
We can explore grief, identity, uncertainty, and the relationships around that decision. Commercial, legal, and financial questions belong with the professionals advising you on those matters.
What if I cannot stop thinking about the business?
We can look at what triggers checking or repeated planning, what relief it offers, and what it costs. From there, we can choose a realistic boundary or response to examine together.
A place to begin
Let’s make room for what you need.
A free 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to talk about what is difficult, answer your questions, and consider whether working together fits what you need.