Therapy for San Francisco
Executives and Founders.
Private telehealth sessions for leaders navigating the specific pressures of the Bay Area's high-performance culture.
A Different Kind of Pressure.
The Bay Area attracts some of the most driven, capable people in the world. It also produces some of the most specific mental health pressures. There's the expectation to always be working on something consequential, to be building toward something that matters at scale. There's the social comparison that comes from being surrounded by founders and executives at every dinner party, every school pickup, every casual conversation at a coffee shop in the Mission. What you're working on is always on the table, always being sized up, always being compared.
Then there's the identity question, which cuts deeper. Bay Area culture has a way of fusing who you are with what you're building. Your company becomes your identity, your title becomes your self-worth, your cap table becomes a measure of how seriously to take you. This isn't an accident. It's baked into the culture. And it creates a particular kind of psychological fragility that doesn't announce itself until something goes wrong: a down round, a key departure, a pivot that didn't land, or simply the accumulated weight of years operating at full intensity with no real off switch.
These aren't personal failings. They're the predictable outcomes of a specific environment, and they respond to the right kind of therapeutic work. In sessions, we focus on untangling what's situational from what's structural, building the kind of internal foundation that doesn't depend on external metrics, and developing the clarity to lead, decide, and relate from a more grounded place. If you've been quietly wondering whether a therapist who actually understands this world might be useful, that instinct is probably right. You can read more about the specific patterns of executive burnout and how they show up differently for high performers.
Leaders at Every Stage.
From first-time founders to seasoned C-suite executives, the work is tailored to what you're actually navigating, not a generic treatment model.
Founders Pre and Post-Fundraise
The anxiety of a raise and the unexpected disorientation that often follows a successful one. Both deserve attention.
C-Suite Executives in Tech
The loneliness of senior leadership, the political complexity of large organizations, and the pressure to perform without a peer group who fully understands.
Dual-Career Couples in High-Growth Companies
When both partners are operating at full capacity, the relationship often absorbs the cost. Therapy for couples navigating ambition alongside intimacy.
Leaders Navigating IPO or Acquisition
Major liquidity events carry psychological weight that rarely gets discussed. Identity, purpose, and what comes next.
Professionals in Role Transition
Stepping into a new company, stepping back from a founder role, or figuring out what you actually want after years of chasing a specific version of success.
High Achievers with High-Functioning Anxiety
The kind of anxiety that looks like productivity from the outside and feels like dread on the inside. More on how this shows up for executives.
No Commute. No Waiting Room.
Anyone who has navigated the 101 at 5pm or tried to park in Hayes Valley knows that adding a cross-town appointment to a full day is its own kind of stress. Telehealth removes that friction entirely. Sessions happen from wherever you are: your home office, a quiet hotel room between meetings, wherever you have thirty seconds of privacy and a stable connection.
The Bay Area is also a place where discretion matters. Telehealth means no shared waiting rooms, no chance encounters, and no overhead of physically appearing at an office. For executives and founders who are visible in their communities, that matters. All sessions use a HIPAA-compliant video platform. Visit the services page for full details on how sessions work.
Credentials Built for This Work.
Diana Chu is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #105546) and Registered Drama Therapist (RDT #659), licensed in California and based in San Francisco. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and has trained as a facilitator through Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Her practice is built specifically around the psychology of high performance: the patterns, pressures, and identity dynamics that are distinct to executives, founders, and people operating at the outer edges of their capacity. This isn't a general practice with a "corporate clients" specialty tucked in. It's the whole practice.
Learn More About Diana →Your first session starts with a conversation.
Book a free 20-minute consultation. We'll talk through what you're looking for and whether working together is the right fit.
No commitment required · Telehealth only · California & Florida