At the Top and Under Pressure: Supporting High-Performing Leaders in Therapy
Description
Working with high-performing leaders like CEOs, founders, business leaders, lawyers and doctors requires a nuanced understanding of the intense psychological demands and organizational dynamics they navigate daily. While often admired for their drive and resilience, these clients can mask symptoms of depression, anxiety, or burnout behind high achievement and strategic intensity. Therapists may struggle to differentiate clinical issues from occupational stress, or to address the unique power dynamics present in the therapeutic relationship.
This 3-hour continuing education course equips mental health professionals with the tools to better understand and support leaders in therapy. Drawing from clinical psychology, organizational behavior, and executive coaching, the session explores the complex intersection between leadership and mental health. Participants will learn to identify common traits and diagnostic patterns in high performers, tailor evidence-based interventions, and use workplace context as part of clinical formulation.
A key focus of the course is the concept of psychological courage, the internal strength required to act on one’s values in the face of fear, vulnerability, or risk. Cultivating this capacity is essential for therapeutic progress in leadership work. Through case vignettes, interactive discussion, and practical tools, clinicians will gain confidence in navigating issues of power, identity fusion, confidentiality, and ethical complexity. Whether working with a burned-out founder or a manic visionary, this course provides a grounded, compassionate, and clinically sound framework to support those who lead.
Learning Objectives
- Identify at least three unique psychological demands commonly experienced by high performing leaders.
- Assess the influence of organizational dynamics, role power, and identity enmeshment on a leader’s psychological functioning.
- Demonstrate how to introduce and cultivate psychological courage as part of treatment planning with high-status clients.
Instructor Bio
Dr. Booher is an outcome-driven leader with a Ph.D. in Mental Health Counseling and nearly a decade of leadership experience on Wall Street. For the past ten years, she has coached CEOs, founders, and executives of high-growth startups and scaling companies, helping them build high-performing leadership teams and resilient cultures. Her work applies psychological principles to real-world organizational challenges, integrating behavioral science with business strategy to support billion-dollar business growth.
Dr. Booher has no conflicts of interest for this program.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact: ce@gsapp.rutgers.edu
Continuing Education Information
LMFT/MFT and LPC/LAC Licensed in New Jersey: Programs approved by the American Psychological Association are acceptable sources of continuing education credits. Please see https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/regulations/Chapter-34-Subchapters-10-31-Professional-Counselors.pdf, Section: 13:34-15.4 APPROVAL OF COURSES OR PROGRAMS on page 27. For all other professional licenses and certifications, please reference your issuing state board regulations regarding reciprocity of continuing education credits.
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.