Therapy for Entrepreneurs
& Business Owners
With a Licensed Therapist Who Understands the Entrepreneurial Mind
As a licensed therapist with over 28 years of clinical experience, I have developed a specialized focus in therapy for entrepreneurs and business owners — not by design, but organically, as clients and colleagues referred others facing the same high-stakes pressures they had navigated themselves. It’s been a natural fit. I enjoy working with fast-thinking, driven individuals who approach problems from multiple angles and expect their therapist to keep pace.
If you are a founder, business owner, or creative entrepreneur who is considering counseling, I’d love to talk about how I can help. I hold a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (M.MFT) and am licensed as a Professional Counselor in Texas (LPC #17131), New Mexico (LPCC #CCMH0213561), and as a registered telehealth provider in Florida (#85). I work 100% remotely via secure video or voice.
Why Entrepreneurs
Need Counseling
Starting, running, and growing your own business can be deeply rewarding — and relentlessly stressful. The pace is often brutal, the future uncertain, and the weight of decisions falls squarely on your shoulders. A Gallup-Healthways survey found that entrepreneurs report worry and stress at significantly higher rates than other workers.
Mental health challenges among founders are more common than the culture acknowledges. Research by Dr. Michael Freeman found that 49% of surveyed entrepreneurs reported symptoms of one or more mental health conditions. Organizations like the Carson J. Spencer Foundation have begun addressing suicidality among entrepreneurs following high-profile losses in the startup world.
Common Mental Health Struggles Among Entrepreneurs
Wearing multiple hats is taxing. Facing an uncertain future you can’t fully control creates feelings of helplessness. Projecting confidence to employees, investors, and family — even when things aren’t going well — creates internal dissonance. There is relentless pressure to be strong, show no weakness, and always have the answers. Not only is your business under scrutiny, so are you.
These are real, documented stressors. They are also exactly what therapy for entrepreneurs is designed to help with.
How Entrepreneurs
Can Help Themselves
- Connect.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety worsen when we feel alone. Although it may seem counterintuitive or even taboo to acknowledge fears and weaknesses, chances are you aren’t fooling anyone anyway. Cultivating relationships in which you can be genuine and authentic will help you feel grounded and supported.
- Exercise.
Sitting is hard on the body and mind. Moderate exercise can increase creativity, improve mood and decrease stress. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, sign up for a class or work with a trainer. The external structure, financial investment and accountability will help with consistency. Taking time for yourself can also help you avoid entrepreneurial burnout.
- Explore.
Remember all those interests and hobbies you used to do? Pick one or two of them back up. You need to exercise your brain and body in different ways to stay healthy. If you sit at a computer, all day consider taking a cooking class. Stay curious and bring new things into your life.
- Counseling.
Find someone to work with before things get bad. Physical symptoms of anxiety are one of the most common reasons why entrepreneurs call me. Typically, they have experienced symptoms consistent with a heart attack; gone to the emergency room; and after hours of tests been diagnosed with a panic attack and referred to counseling. It doesn’t have to get to that point.
How Counseling For Entrepreneurs Can Help
Therapy for entrepreneurs provides a confidential space to discuss fears, stressors, and uncertainties without consequence. As your therapist, I am not an investor, a partner, an employee, or a romantic partner. Chances are I have heard a version of whatever you are dealing with. I will validate your feelings, but I will also challenge and push you when that’s what the work calls for.
What Therapy for Entrepreneurs Addresses
When you’re deep inside something, it’s hard to see it clearly. Counseling helps broaden your perspective and understand your role in what’s happening. Being a successful entrepreneur is fundamentally about navigating ambiguity — the path forward is rarely obvious, and the ability to pivot through trial and error is critical.
Therapy for entrepreneurs can help you:
- Process and integrate lessons learned from setbacks and failures
- Strengthen resilience and cognitive flexibility under pressure
- Develop the conflict navigation skills essential for leading teams
- Build insight into personal blind spots that may be limiting growth
- Recognize when to delegate, restructure, or step back — before it costs you
- Protect and prioritize your mental health so you can continue to lead effectively
Many entrepreneurs I work with are exceptional creators but struggle as managers or growers. A good therapist helps you develop insight into those gaps and build practical strategies for each stage of your business’s evolution. And sometimes, therapy is simply the one hour each week that belongs entirely to you — a form of investment in yourself that makes every other investment more sustainable.
I’ve known a lot of entrepreneurs who were conflict avoidant. Unfortunately, conflict is unavoidable unless you are working in a complete vacuum. Counseling can help improve the skills needed to work through conflict in a variety of contexts.
Creators are not necessarily good growers or managers. Your counselor can help you develop insight into areas that need improvement and strategies for navigating the life cycle of your business. If you’re in it long enough, at some point you will be the thing holding your business back. Therapy can help you learn when to get out of the way to keep things on track.
Counseling can be an hour out of the week that is all about you. Selfishness gets a bad rap, sometimes you just need to do something just for you to help avoid burnout. The irony is that everyone else benefits when you take care of yourself.
To learn more about why I believe each entrepreneur should have a therapist, check out this article: 12 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Have a Therapist.
Therapy for Entrepreneurs with Michael Hilgers, LPC
I am Michael Hilgers, LPC, M.MFT — a licensed professional counselor with over 28 years of clinical experience. I hold a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and hold active licenses in Texas (LPC #17131), New Mexico (LPCC #CCMH0213561), and Florida (Telehealth Provider #85). I work entirely via secure telehealth — no commute, no waiting room, no disruption to your schedule.
I have provided therapy for entrepreneurs at every stage — from early-stage founders navigating uncertainty to established business owners leading multi-million dollar operations. I understand that entrepreneurship is not just a job; it shapes your identity, your relationships, and your sense of self. It is not always possible — or even desirable — to achieve perfect work-life balance, and I get that.
My job is to help you see clearly what is hard to see from the inside. If your schedule is chaotic or you travel frequently, we can work around it. All sessions are conducted remotely via video or phone. The most important thing to know is this: you don’t have to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship alone.
FAQs
What is Therapy for Entrepreneurs?
Therapy for entrepreneurs is traditional therapy combined with a deep understanding and respect for the culture, unique challenges and even language that surrounds entrepreneurship.
When is Counseling for Entrepreneurs needed?
My biased belief is that all entrepreneurs can benefit from counseling. Entrepreneurship tends to be isolating and the culture promotes putting both physical and mental health last which can lead to burn out. If you want to optimize your potential for success, taking care of yourself is key. Working with a counselor can help with that.
How much does Therapy for Entrepreneurs cost?
Therapy is typically billed at a set rate for each appointment. My current 2022 rate per appointment is $175.
How long does the counseling process take?
How long counseling lasts largely depends on time, money and need. Some folks have very clear goals that can be met over the course of half a dozen appointments while others find value in the process and may continue with counseling for years. I don’t operate from a one-size-fits-all approach but do check-in regularly to ensure that clients are getting what they want out of the process.