Executive Therapy for Professionals NYC
CONFIDENTIAL THERAPY FOR LEADERS WHO CARRY MORE THAN MOST SEE
You can keep your drive — and still feel better. Confidential therapy for C-suite leaders, founders, partners in law/finance, medical executives, and other high-performing professionals navigating high pressure, complex decisions, and the emotional weight of leadership.
The goal isn’t to eliminate your drive. It’s to make sure it’s working for you – not running you.
– Dr. Michael Brustein, PsyD
Therapy for Executives & High Achievers
You’re performing at a high level. And something feels quietly off.
Your career has momentum. People rely on you. From the outside, everything looks successful.
But success doesn’t eliminate pressure.
What once felt like ambition can become obligation. High standards become exhausting. The margin for error feels thinner than it used to.
You may be functioning well without feeling well.
Executive therapy provides a confidential place to step out of performance mode, understand what’s driving the pressure, and reconnect with what allows you to lead sustainably.
You don’t need to be in crisis. You only need to recognize that something underneath the surface deserves attention.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Common Signs Executive Therapy Can Help
Pushing through fatigue — Treating exhaustion as an obstacle rather than a signal, until the body or performance forces a stop.
Uses pressure as fuel — Relying on urgency to feel focused and using self-imposed stress to stay productive. Effective until it isn’t.
Self-criticism as control — Using harsh internal standards to manage performance — exhausting and rarely effective long-term.
Overfunctioning — Absorbing disproportionate responsibility and carrying more than your share, quietly.
Replaying and second-guessing — Excessive preparation and post-mortems that feel productive but rarely bring relief for long or resolve the underlying anxiety.
How Dr. Brustein Works with Executives
01 — Map the self-fulfilling pattern
High-performing executives often develop beliefs about success, failure, and responsibility that once served them well but now run automatically. Together, we identify these patterns so you can recognize them—and make choices instead of letting them make choices for you.
02 — Build defusion. The ability to step back from the thought.
Defusion, a skill from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), helps you observe thoughts rather than automatically believe them. Instead of letting self-critical thoughts drive your reactions, you learn to respond with greater clarity, flexibility, and confidence under pressure.
03 — Work the situation. Understand what’s beneath it.
We begin with the challenge in front of you—the difficult conversation, the decision you’re avoiding, or the pressure you can’t release. Then we explore the deeper patterns those situations may activate. Understanding that connection is often where lasting change begins.
04 — Formal assessment, when it adds precision
For some clients, therapy is complemented by formal psychological assessment using tools such as the PAI, Rorschach, or cognitive testing. The goal isn’t simply a report—it’s a clearer understanding that guides more effective therapy and a personalized path forward.
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
Pre-doctoral Internship
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY
Doctorate in Psychology
ALBERT EINSTEIN
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
Faculty
AUTHOR
Perfectionism: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals (Springer, 2013)
LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST IN NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY | PSYPACT-CREDENTIALLED TO PRACTICE VIRTUALLY IN 40+ STATES
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this therapy or executive coaching?
This is licensed clinical therapy, not coaching.
How is executive therapy different from executive coaching?
Coaching operates at the level of strategy and behavior; therapy works with the underlying cognitive and emotional patterns that determine how you respond under pressure — and why those patterns persist even when you know better. Many clients also work with coaches. This complements that work, or goes where coaching cannot.
Do I need to be in crisis to start executive therapy?
No. Most clients are performing well by every external measure. What brings them in is a quiet recognition that something underneath the surface is costing them — in energy, relationships, or how they feel about their own work.
Is executive therapy confidential?
Therapy sessions are confidential and protected by professional ethics and applicable privacy laws. Information from your sessions is not shared with employers, boards, colleagues, or professional networks without your written permission.
Confidentiality may only be broken in limited circumstances when required by law, such as when there is an imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or another person, suspected abuse or neglect of a child or other protected individual, or a valid court order requiring disclosure. These situations are uncommon, and when possible, I will discuss any required disclosure with you in advance.
Do you offer online executive therapy sessions?
Yes. Dr. Brustein’s PSYPACT credential permits virtual practice across 40+ participating states.
What happens in the first executive therapy appointment?
The initial consultation is a conversation, not an intake form. We discuss what’s bringing you in, whether this approach is a good fit, and what kind of work would be most useful. No commitment required.
How is this executive therapy different from therapy I’ve tried before?
The approach is integrative — CBT, ACT, psychodynamic work, and imagery-based techniques, combined depending on what’s actually needed — and sequenced toward the Clarity → Wisdom → Activation progression described above. If past therapy produced insight without traction, this sequencing is usually why.
What is psychological assessment, and do I need one with executive therapy?
Assessment uses structured instruments — including the PAI, Rorschach, and cognitive testing — to build a more precise picture of personality and cognitive style where talk therapy alone leaves things unclear. It’s not required, and findings are integrated directly into the clinical work rather than delivered as a standalone report.
Many clients begin with a single conversation.
There’s no commitment. Just a chance to talk about what’s bringing you here and whether this work feels like the right fit.
Or Call 917-847-4217