Counselling For Engineers

Specialized therapy for engineers, from a clinical psychologist with 13 years of engineering experience.

My First Career as an Engineer

I earned my B.Sc. in Engineering at Queen’s University and spent the next 13 years working as an engineer. My work took me to Montreal, Vancouver, New York, and Atlanta in both applied research and consulting roles.

I ran a software project with twenty contributing professionals, gave technical talks, wrote papers, and chaired an international conference.

I survived eight rounds of job cuts, lived through a commodity crash, and ultimately had to relocate. I worked under both excellent and difficult bosses, and faced impossible deadlines in multiple roles.

From Engineering to Psychology

Over time, I became more interested in helping professionals function well under pressure than in continuing my own engineering career. I saw capable people working under tight timelines, with inadequate resources and repeated layoffs, and witnessed how difficult it was to navigate these conditions.

I returned to university and completed a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I have worked in psychology for over twenty-five years.

My engineering background shapes how I understand your work. My doctoral training in psychology allows me to help you explore your options and act strategically. Together, we examine what is happening in your life and determine how you want to move forward.

The Demands of an Engineering Career

Engineering is demanding because you carry significant professional responsibility. The work you do matters. You are expected to think clearly, make sound decisions, and deliver results under tight timelines.

When sustained pressure begins to affect sleep, judgment, and your life outside the office, it can affect your ability to perform at the level your role requires.

For many mid-career and senior engineers, the load increases over time. Technical expectations remain high. Deadlines compress. Resources are not always sufficient. Expectations continue to rise.

At times, you need a place to think through what is happening with someone who understands the pressures of engineering work.

The Engineers I Work With in My Private Practice

The engineers I work with in my private practice as a psychologist carry significant professional responsibility. They include:

Mid-career and senior engineers in complex technical roles
Leaders within large organizations
Business owners managing day-to-day operations under changing conditions
Professionals navigating complex partnership dynamics
Managers without a second-in-command during intense work periods
Executives involved in the buying or selling of companies
Engineers navigating job transitions
Engineers working under demanding or volatile leadership
Managers who have been told aspects of their leadership style need to change

Some are rising quickly and are reluctant to disrupt their trajectory, even when they are exhausted. Others are no longer satisfied with the direction of their careers and are trying to decide what to do next.

The Core Challenge

The work you do matters. What engineers design and build is necessary for society to function.

You may be making high-stakes decisions while managing inadequate resources, compressed timelines, and complex personalities. You may be protecting your team while absorbing pressure from above. You may be wondering how long you can continue at your current pace.

At times, you need a place to think through what is happening with someone who can understand both the technical side and the personal side of your work.

Burnout in Engineering

Burnout is one of the most common concerns engineers bring to my practice, but it is seldom the only one.

Burnout tends to develop when sustained demand is combined with insufficient opportunities for recovery.

At first, everything simply takes longer. Your concentration becomes less consistent. Work that once felt straightforward requires more effort.

Sleep becomes less restorative. You may find it harder to switch off at night. You may be physically present at home but your mind remains at work. Your tolerance for additional stressors decreases.

Some engineers recover by restructuring their workload. Others require a medical leave because their energy and concentration have declined too far. Part of our work together can be determining what path makes sense in your situation.

Relationships and Life Outside of Work

Engineering can take more than time. It can take mental space.

Over time, this can begin to affect your relationships.

Some engineers contact me because their partner feels they are never fully present. Others realize that work has become the place where they feel competent, while home feels more complicated. Others are navigating separation, divorce, or child custody issues.

Sometimes the strain is quieter. You may feel that your personal life has narrowed. Exercise may have dropped off. Friendships may become neglected. Personal interests may no longer hold your attention.

Part of our work together can be examining what has happened — and what you would like your life to look like moving forward.

Career Transitions and Leadership

At different points in your career, you may face important decisions, including:

Considering greater leadership responsibility
Determining whether your current role provides enough challenge
Deciding whether to accept a position with another firm
Considering whether to speak with a recruiter about potential roles
Evaluating the direction of your career
Assessing whether your work aligns with your values
Weighing the impact of taking parental leave on your career
Determining when you want to retire

These choices affect identity, financial stability, family life, and long-term direction.

In our work together, we can examine what is happening and evaluate your options. You define your level of ambition. We look at how best to move forward.

Women in Engineering

A number of the engineers I work with are women.

When I graduated with my engineering degree, very few engineers in the workplace were women. I had to learn how to navigate and advance my career in a predominantly male culture. Many aspects of that environment remain today.

Women engineers carry the same technical responsibilities as their male colleagues but may need to navigate different expectations. In our work together, we can look at the dynamics you encounter and how best to handle them.

Our work together can involve defining the problem and determining how you want to proceed. You decide your level of ambition. I help you work toward your goals.

Examples of the work we can do together include:

Learning to pace your activities and be strategic about where your energy goes
Determining when it is appropriate to lower your standards — and when maintaining them is essential
Navigating workplace politics
Managing difficult personalities, especially when no one is backing you
Deciding when to push, when to step back, and when it may be time to move on
Determining whether recovery from burnout is possible while remaining on the job, or whether medical leave is necessary
Establishing boundaries that protect your personal and family life while carrying significant professional responsibility
Making critical career decisions when the stakes are high

Our goal can be to help you remain on your feet while you continue to do work that matters.

Professional in coffee shop gazing thoughtfully out window

Taking the Next Step

If you feel overwhelmed, you don’t have to work through the issues alone.

If you would like to examine your situation and think through the next steps, I would be glad to meet with you.

You can book an appointment online or contact me to discuss whether working together would be a good fit.