Work Stress Counseling
Work Stress Counseling: Who Can Benefit
You wake up everyday dreading going to work. You’re good at your job but you find it really hard to stop thinking and worrying about it. You chalk it up to being “perfectionistic” but deep down, you wish the stakes did not feel so high. Your work performance is too connected to your sense of worth and rather than developing your personal interests and pursuits, you find yourself giving more and more to your job. You might be asking, is this all there is? An endless daily grind of going to a job that is lackluster at best and feeling stressed, unfulfilled, and exhausted at the end of the day?
Work stress counseling helps people who are experiencing the following common work-related problems:
High stress and anxiety related to work
Being bullied by a boss or co-worker
Transitioning to a new role
Performance issues
Relationship or family conflict due to one’s job
Needing to explore changing your career or job
Having been demoted or fired from a job
Sexual harassment or hostile workplace
Stuck in a high paying job but feel bored or unfulfilled (aka “golden handcuffs”)
Working too much (aka “workaholism”)
Some people may be experiencing burnout, after prolonged exposure to chronic work stress.
Work Stress Counseling: Isn’t Work Stress Normal?
You might be wondering if you really need counseling for stress at work. After all, doesn’t everyone experience this? Aren’t we supposed to just deal with it?
According to a recent report from ComPsych, the largest provider of Employee Assistance Programs in the U.S., 62% of workers report stress levels so high at work that they have extreme fatigue and feel out of control.
The most common reasons for work stress cited include:
Workload
Concerns about people at work
Balancing work with personal time
Lack of job security
How did we get here? Well, there are multiple factors but one is American work culture and the way it shapes our relationships to our jobs. Just a few of the problems include:
Expectation that the job be the priority for each person, all the time
Basing one’s identity on one’s job
Giving a lot to your job (e.g., “I’m a hard worker”) seen as a virtue or a moral obligation
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed because of work, you’re certainly not alone. But that knowledge can only take you so far. Work stress counseling can help you take the next steps you need to feel better. Work stress counseling can specifically help you do the following:
Become aware of and understand the internal and external pressures that contribute to job stress
Re-evaluate how you relate to your job currently and how you’d like to relate to your current or future job
Develop coping skills to manage stress, anxiety, and conflict
Recharge
Create a game plan for toxic people and relationships at work
Make positive changes that prioritize your needs
Explore big decisions such as leaving a job, changing roles, or taking legal action regarding an experience
For some individuals, because of early life experiences of trauma, work stress counseling may need to incorporate a trauma focus
Hi, I’m Chu Hui, aka Dr. Cha.
I bring an affirming, humanizing lens to work stress therapy. I believe our cultural and family backgrounds shape our relationship to work. I help people make sense of their work stress by honoring their unique challenges and strengths. Read more about my story and expertise here.
