Therapy for stressed out professionals in Santa Rosa
Therapy for high-achieving individuals who feel on-edge and disconnected in their personal lives.
You know how to work hard and do well professionally. But it’s taking over. The pressures are building up.
You’re ready to show up more fully in your life without giving up your drive.
And be present with the people who matter without losing your edge.
I get it, and am ready to help you.
You’re busy all the time, but missing the moments that matter
Another night goes by without being fully present for your partner who wanted to talk to you. You snap at them or shut down, like a zombie in the home. You’re exhausted and drained.
The only time you spent with your kids was wrangling them through the night-time routine and getting short with them when they act out.
You feel so guilty about it all. And deeply frustrated at yourself.
This Isn’t Just Stress—It’s Something Deeper
You have a great life on paper, everyone would say you’ve got it together. The home, career, business, prestige, money, and family.
You’ve built your life by being disciplined, responsible, dependable, and pushing through. It’s part of what made you successful.
But life feels empty. Like life is on autopilot.
You wonder, “why can’t I handle this anymore?”
You know it’s stress. You can’t sleep well, it’s hard to concentrate even on little tasks, and you obsess over your finances, the business, the problems, and the future.
You start to wonder if therapy is even worth it.
You know it’s a good thing to do but wonder what you can gain from it beyond just venting about another stressful week.
It’s hard to justify carving out an hour in your already packed schedule… for that.
In-Person Therapy in Santa Rosa and Online Therapy in California for Disconnection and Work Burn-Out
Angela Sitka, MA, LMFT, licensed psychotherapist specializing in stress management
I’m Angela Sitka, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
I help high-achieving professionals who are tired of living in their heads: overthinking, on-edge, and burned out learn how to feel more grounded and in control of their lives.
Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), I’ll teach you practical tools to handle stress, step out of mental loops, and start living in alignment with your values, not just your responsibilities and obligations.
How does this type of therapy help me?
This Isn’t Just Talking About Your Week
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy isn’t your typical “talk therapy.”
We don’t just vent about the stressor of the week, we look at the bigger picture of how you navigate your internal world (the thoughts and feelings that arise when you are living your life), so that you show up differently in your life even if your external circumstances don’t change.
This Is Where Things Start to Change
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I use visuals, handouts, metaphors, exercises and modeling (showing you what it looks like/sounds like) to teach you these new skills. We use your real-life challenges and problems as we apply these concepts, and you know what to work on each week.
My clients often say one of the most helpful parts of our work is the specific feedback I provide as we practice these skills and walk through real interactions. It opens the door to new ways of approaching the same stuck problems you face.
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Our brains are wired to be risk-averse, trying to keep us from pain, both physical and emotional. The source of those thoughts that feel self-protective can also cause us a lot of suffering.
Instead of trying to change the way our brains naturally think, we work with the system we have evolved to have, and by understanding the nature of it, we aren’t fighting with it anymore.
At the end of the day, this work isn’t about becoming a completely different person, it’s about showing up as the person you want to be, even when your mind is loud, stressed, or uncertain.
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Most of us have deep-rooted insecurities, fears, rigid beliefs and doubts that influence our behavior.
And many of our relational patterns develop early on, and life experiences like loss, injury, or past relationships can shape how we show up with others.
This is where my clinical training comes in. Helping to connect the dots between your background, your current challenges, and the patterns that keep showing up.
Together, we make sense of what’s underneath and identify the blind spots that may be keeping you stuck.
Some Examples of What You’ll Learn in Therapy
Defusion techniques: when overthinking takes over, these are the ways to get some space from them, so you don’t find yourself reacting to them in ways that makes your life worse… like lashing out at your loved ones, shutting down, isolating, or trying to numb out and distract yourself.
Clarify your values in a concrete way, so when you are faced with uncertainty, problems, and life challenges you have an internal compass to figure out the next steps forward.
You will leave therapy with me knowing exactly where you need to focus so the overwhelm doesn’t have a place to fester anymore.
Proactively take control in the areas of your life you DO have some control over. In ACT therapy, we call it “committed action,” and the impact can be huge.
Communication skill building that allows you to set boundaries, address conflict-avoidance, make repairs with others when mistakes happen, and help you be better understood by others.
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My approach tends to be well-suited for people who find themselves in high-pressure and high-responsibility careers, such as:
First responders (law enforcement, EMS, firefighters)
Medical and mental health professionals
Pilots and aviation professionals
Military
Entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners
Corporate leadership and management roles
Attorneys and other high-responsibility professionals
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Many of my clients have had past therapy experience and have already made meaningful strides in understanding themselves.
This work is about helping you respond differently in the moments that matter, so you’re not just aware of your patterns, you’re changing how you show up in your relationships, your work, and your day-to-day life.
It’s easy to be the person you want to be when life is going smoothly. The work we do is about showing up that way when you’re stressed, overwhelmed, or under pressure.
And when you start acting like the person you want to be, feeling better often becomes a natural byproduct, not something you have to chase.
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You’re already stretched thin, and the idea of adding one more thing to your schedule can feel overwhelming.
Therapy with me is designed to be focused, practical, and directly applicable to your real life.
The time you spend doesn’t stay in the therapy room, it shows up in how you think, respond, and connect throughout your week.
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I love this question. It’s something that comes up so frequently in my practice that I wrote a whole blog on it.
In a nutshell, here’s my answer:
You’re probably really good at pushing through. It’s part of what’s helped you build the life you have.
And it works, until it doesn’t.
At a certain point, pushing through starts to look like constant stress, disconnection, and putting your own needs on the back burner just to keep everything running.
Therapy isn’t about taking that drive away. We don’t meditate it away or require you to quit your job.
It’s about helping you show up the way you want to, even when things are hard.
ACT Therapy gives you a different way to respond, so you’re not just getting through your life, you’re actually present for it.
You Pick Your Therapy Option:
Weekly Therapy
Weekly traditional model of therapy with once a week 50-minute sessions provides a structured space to work through challenges as they arise while building new skills over time. This option is a good fit if you want ongoing support, accountability, and a consistent place to process what's happening in your relationships and life.
Therapy Intensives
A therapy intensive is an extended, concentrated block of therapy, with sessions of 3 hour increments one-on-one with Angela Sitka, LMFT. This structure of therapy allows us to dive deeply into the patterns, challenges, and skills that are most relevant to your situation. For people who need help fast, want to skip the waitlists, and jump-start their progress.
Not Sure Which Option Is Right for You?
That's okay. During our consultation call, we can talk about your goals, what you're hoping to get out of therapy, and which option makes the most sense for your situation.
About Angela Sitka, M.A., LMFT
With a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Sonoma State University and licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#97770), I provide ACT-based therapy for individuals dealing with chronic stress, anxiety, and mental overload.
Beyond my clinical education and experience, I have previously worked in high-pressure work environments and can relate to the dilemma working professionals face when we want (and need) to maintain our careers that support us, without completely losing ourselves in the work.
My approach is practical, helping you move from constant pressure and overthinking into focused, values-driven action.
Angela Sitka, LMFT, licensed psychotherapist in Santa Rosa