The life of a founder can be as challenging as it is rewarding. It often involves long hours, stress, difficult decisions, and uncertainty. That’s why more and more founders are seeking out therapy to help them cope with the challenges of getting a start-up off the ground.

Founder therapy can be a great way to manage stress, work through difficult emotions, and make tough decisions. It can also be a place to vent about the unique challenges that founder’s face every day.

In this article, Growth Mentor will be breaking down everything you need to know about therapy for startup founders. We’ll cover what it is, why it’s important, and how you can seek it out.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

What is start-up founder therapy?

First things first, we need to explain what start-up founder therapy actually is. Start-up founder therapy is a type of therapy that is specifically tailored to the unique challenges that founders face.

This includes (but is not limited to) therapies that address:

  • stress management
  • emotional regulation
  • decision-making
  • dealing with uncertainty
  • self-esteem and leadership

While almost all start-up founder therapies focus on issues that founders face, that’s where the similarities end. As we’ll see in the next section, there are tons of therapeutic approaches that a founder therapist might take, depending on their background and the founder’s goals.

What kinds of founder therapies are there?

Now that we know what start-up founder therapy is, let’s take a look at the different kinds of therapies that are out there. As we mentioned earlier, there are a ton—too many to cover in-full here.

Instead, here’s a quick rundown of a few of the most common approaches to founder therapy:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

One of the most popular types of therapy for startup founders is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of therapy that focuses on helping people to change their negative thinking patterns and behaviors.

CBT practitioners believe that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all interconnected. So, by changing the way we think, we can change the way we feel and behave.

Sessions usually include education about how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. The therapist will help the founder identify any negative thinking patterns that might be causing problems through exposure or mindfulness exercises. Then, the therapist will work with the founder to come up with more positive and productive ways of thinking and behaving.

CBT has been shown to be effective in treating anyone who wants to change their thinking patterns or behaviors—including founders!

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

Another popular type of therapy for startup founders is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). ACT is a type of therapy that focuses on helping people to accept the things that they cannot change and commit to taking action on the things that they can.

ACT practitioners believe that a lot of our suffering comes from our resistance to the things that we cannot change. For example, we might resist the fact that we’re going to die someday or that we will never be perfect. This resistance creates suffering because it prevents us from living in the present moment.

Instead, ACT therapists help their clients to develop what’s called “psychological flexibility.” This means learning to accept the things that we cannot change and take action on the things that we can.

For founders, this might mean accepting the fact that there will always be some uncertainty in running a startup. But it also might mean committing to taking action on things like building a support system or developing a self-care routine.

Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

Another popular type of therapy for startup founders is interpersonal therapy (IPT). IPT is a type of therapy that focuses on our relationships with other people.

IPT practitioners believe that our mental health is largely determined by the quality of our relationships. So, by improving our relationships, we can improve our mental health.

IPT for founders often focuses on helping them to improve their communication skills, resolve conflicts, and develop healthier relationships with their co-founders, employees, and investors.

Why is therapy important for founders?

Now that we know what therapy is and some of the different types that are out there, let’s take a look at why therapy might be important for startup founders. There are a few key reasons why therapy can be beneficial for founders:

1) Therapy can help founders to manage stress

One of the most common reasons why startup founders seek out therapy is to help them manage stress. Startups are notoriously stressful places to work. In fact, a study by Forbes found that startup employees have some of the highest levels of job-related stress.

This stress can come from a variety of sources, including:

  • Long hours
  • Tight deadlines
  • Constant uncertainty
  • Lack of confidence

This stress can take a toll on founders’ mental and physical health. It can also lead to problems in their personal relationships.

Therapy can help founders to manage their stress by helping them to identify the sources of their stress and develop coping mechanisms for dealing with them. Additionally, therapy can help them to develop healthy self-care routines that will help them to cope with stress in the long-term.

2) Therapy can help founders to address their mental health issues

Another reason why therapy might be important for startup founders is that it can help them to address any mental health issues that they might be facing. Startups are high-pressure environments where it’s common for founders to experience mental health issues.

One worrying study by Micheal Freeman found that founders and entrepreneurs are 50% more likely to suffer from mental health conditions than the general population.

To be more specific, founders are:

  • 2X more likely to suffer from depression
  • 6X more likely to suffer from ADHD
  • 3X more likely to suffer from substance abuse
  • 10X more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder
  • 2X more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric reasons

Therapy can help founders to address their mental health issues in a few different ways.

First, therapy can help them to understand their mental health issues and develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with it. Second, therapy can help them to develop a support system of friends, family, and healthcare professionals who can help them to manage their mental health issues in the long-term.

3) Therapy can help founders to improve their communication skills

Another reason why therapy might be important for startup founders is that it can help them to improve their communication skills. Startups are fast-paced environments where it’s often necessary to make quick decisions. This can sometimes lead to founders communicating in a way that is less than ideal.

For example, a founder might send an angry email to an employee when they’re feeling frustrated. Or, a founder might have a difficult conversation with a co-founder and end up saying something that they later regret.

Therapy can help founders to improve their communication skills by helping them to identify the times when they’re most likely to communicate in a way that is less than ideal. In addition, therapy can help them to develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with these situations. Finally, therapy can help them to develop better communication skills that they can use in the future.

4) Therapy can help founders to develop healthy coping mechanisms

Founder therapy can also help founders to develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with the challenges of running a startup. Startups are unpredictable environments where it’s often necessary to deal with difficult situations. This can sometimes lead to founders developing unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as using drugs or alcohol, withdrawing from friends and family, or engaging in risky behavior.

Therapy can help founders to develop healthy coping mechanisms by helping them to identify the times when they’re most likely to resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

In addition, therapy can help them to develop healthy alternatives for dealing with these situations. Finally, therapy can help them to develop a support system of friends, family, and healthcare professionals who can help them to manage their stress in the long-term.

5) Therapy can help founders to address their personal relationships

Finally, therapy can help founders to address any problems that they might be having in their personal relationships. Startups are time-consuming endeavors that can often lead to founders neglecting their personal relationships. This can sometimes lead to conflict and strain in these relationships.

There are a few ways that therapy can help founders to address these problems. First, therapy can help them to identify the times when they’re most likely to neglect their personal relationships.

Second, therapy can help them to develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with these situations. Finally, therapy can help them to develop a support system of friends, family, and healthcare professionals who can help them to manage their personal relationships in the long-term.

How to find a great start-up founder therapist

Hopefully we’ve managed to convince you that therapy can be an important part of a startup founder’s life. But how do you actually go about finding a great therapist?

Here are a few ideas:

1) Online therapy

Founders are notoriously busy people. As a result, searching for an in-person therapist and then making the trip to their office might not always be an option. Fortunately, there are a growing number of online therapy options that make it easy to get started with therapy from the comfort of your own home.

Here are a few great online therapy options:

Online therapy can be incredibly convenient, but that sometimes comes at the cost of founder-specific experience. If you go for this option, it’s important that you come with a specific set of goals to help guide your sessions!

2) In-person therapy

Of course, not everyone is interested in online therapy. If you’re someone who prefers to meet with their therapist in person, there are still plenty of great options available.

To find great options near you, start by researching the different therapeutic approaches we mentioned earlier. If you find one that seems like a good fit, you can start searching for local practitioners who have the experience needed to help you with your specific goals.

3) Mentorship

It’s worth mentioning that mentorship can be a great alternative (or supplement) to therapy for startup founders. Startups are often complex and challenging endeavors, and managing them can feel isolating at times. Finding a mentor who can relate to your current circumstances and offer advice might be the answer.

If you’re interested in finding a mentor, Growth Mentor is a great place to start. Growth Mentor is a platform that connects professionals to mentors and advisors who can help them and their businesses grow.

Tip: Just want to vent about start-up life? Use Growth Mentor’s “venting frustrations” filter to connect with mentors who are happy to listen and offer moral support.

4) Books

If you’re the type of person who likes to do things on your own, there are also plenty of great resources available in the form of books.

Here are a few great options:

The bottom line

Therapy can be an important tool for startup founders. Therapy can help them to understand their mental health issues, develop healthy coping mechanisms, improve their communication skills, and address any problems that they might be having in their personal relationships.

If you’re a startup founder who is struggling with your mental health, consider seeking out therapy from a qualified professional. And if you’re looking for a mentor to help you fast track your growth both personally and professionally, give Growth Mentor a try!