Therapy for Artists, Creatives & Entrepeneurs

Woman with glasses biting a pencil, looking stressed while working on a laptop, with a cup of colored pencils in the foreground.

At Atwater Village Therapy, we specialize in helping people manage work-related stress, particularly those working in creative industries, small businesses, and startups. These work environments often demand high levels of creativity, flexibility, and innovation, which can be both exciting and incredibly stressful.

Our therapy services are designed to address the unique pressures associated with these fields, using a range of therapeutic modalities to enhance your coping strategies, improve your work-life balance, and maintain your well-being.

Understanding Work Stress for Artists, Creative Industries & Small Businesses

Work in creative industries, small businesses, and startups can be particularly challenging. These roles often involve juggling multiple responsibilities, managing tight deadlines, and persisting despite frequent setbacks. The pressure to consistently produce and innovate can lead to significant stress, anxiety, and even burnout. Additionally, the irregular work hours and uncertain job security common in these fields can exacerbate stress levels.

Our Therapeutic Approach

At Atwater Village Therapy, we employ several therapeutic modalities to help manage and mitigate work-related stress effectively:

  • Psychodynamic Therapy: Explores underlying psychological factors that may affect your response to work stress, such as early career experiences, foundational beliefs about success and failure, and personal motivations.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that may contribute to stress, replacing them with more constructive ones to enhance resilience and productivity.

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Focuses on developing skills in mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which are crucial for managing the intense environments of creative sectors and startups.

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Encourages acceptance of stressors that cannot be changed and commitment to actions aligned with personal values and professional goals, which is particularly useful for navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurial and creative work.

Therapeutic Goals

Our therapy aims to achieve several key objectives for individuals in high-pressure work environments:

  • Understand the Why: Explore the factors that impact your expectations for yourself and others, and get curious about whether there are other perspectives that might better serve you.

  • Enhance Stress Management Skills: Develop effective coping strategies to handle day-to-day stressors and prevent burnout.

  • Define Work-Life Balance for You: Help you establish boundaries between work and personal life, ensuring that time off is restorative and fulfilling while also respecting your goals and professional needs.

  • Foster Creative and Professional Growth: Support you in nurturing creativity and sustaining motivation, even under stress, by aligning your work practices with your deepest values and aspirations.

  • Improve Relationships: Equip you with skills to navigate personal and workplace relationships and conflicts more effectively, enhancing connection and communication.

Ready to Begin?

Schedule a free, 15-minute consultation with to learn more about how we can help. At Atwater Village Therapy, we are committed to helping you thrive not just at work, but in every aspect of your life.