Exec Psychotherapy
It was inevitable. For those unable to tear themselves away from
the office, phone counseling took off in the early 90s. Now for
executives who are overwhelmed, overworked, and worried about corporate
downsizing, chauffeured therapy is at your service.
"We thought up the idea of coming to the client and using every
moment while in transit to and from the office or from the office to a
meeting or to the airport," says New York psychologist Ursula Strauss,
Ph.D. Along with partner Shelley Lennox, Ph.D., she got Mobile
Psychological Services rolling last spring.
A trained psychologist pulls up in a van outfitted with bucket
seats, upholstered floors, curtains and blinds, and a privacy panel
between driver and cabin. At $175 per hour, execs -- mainly men, but some
women -- get to talk about whatever ails them.
Anxiety disorders are high on the list. So are depression,
substance abuse, work-family pressures, and marital problems. Many are
terrified of losing their job. One communications exec recently got the
boot and can no longer afford the stiff fee, which covers the costs of a
fleet of six shrinks, three drivers, three vans, insurance, and
gas.
Demands have so escalated on executives that many find they no
longer have time to schedule a weekly appointment even in the evening.
"We're trying to accommodate people who are greatly stressed," says
Strauss, whose service rolls from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays. "In their
quest for money they sometimes lose sight of their personal life." Most
clients are regulars, but the service also conducts one-shot
sessions.
Whether it's on lunch hour or a trip to the airport, therapy is a
moving experience. "We tell the driver to keep at a slow pace, stay in
the right-hand lane, avoid rapid turns," Strauss reports, although
potholes can admittedly disrupt a sensitive session.
Isn't it harder to steer a therapy session in motion? Says Strauss:
"You learn how to lock in, maintain eye contact, and focus on the
client."
Because many execs don't want their company to know they're in
therapy, the vans are unmarked. "We often meet them on a Manhattan street
corner and it looks as if the Mafia is in town. They enter a van with
darkened windows and blinds drawn," says Strauss. "It almost looks
illicit."
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