Licensed to practice in California and accepts 8 insurances. Specializes in Life Transitions, Peer Relationships, Self Esteem and 4 more.
(she/her)
I'm Danielle Nunes, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. I see individual adults throughout the state by telehealth. You lead people, make decisions, and carry responsibility for outcomes that affect other people's livelihoods. That does not stay containedinside the workday. My clients are founders, executives, business owners, physicians, attorneys, and managers who are successful by every outward measure and are carrying more than the people around them realize. They come to me when a hard quarter starts to feel likea verdict on them, when an employee problem sits with them at dinner,or when they know exactly what conversation needs to happen and keep putting it off. I have been licensed since 2017 and have worked in behavioral health for more than a decade. I also spent years leading inside large organizations, responsible for teams, budgets, and outcomes. You will not have to explain why you cannot stop thinking about work.
The first session is about you. I want to understand what brought you here now, what has been going on, and what you want to be different. We will talk about your history, the pressure you are carrying, and what you have already tried. I will ask questions, and you will get to ask them too. Some people know exactly what they want to work on. Others just know something is off and cannot name it yet. Both are fine. By the end, we will have a shared sense of what the work looks like and whether I am the right fit for it. If I am not, I will say so and help you think about who would be.
I help leaders work on what sits underneath how they lead. Regulating emotion under pressure. Conversations you keep avoiding. Taking a business problem personally. Trusting someone with real responsibility. Burnout and the guilt of slowing down. You likely know what you are supposed to do. The work is understanding why doing it differently feels so hard. We look at where a pattern came from, what it has protected you from, and whether it still helps you live the way you want to. I have also held the kind of responsibility you are describing. I spent years leading inside large organizations, accountable for teams, budgets, and outcomes. You will not have to translate your world before we can get to it. I am practical and direct, and I will be honest with you, including about when something else would serve you better.
You lead people, make decisions, and carry responsibility for outcomes that affect other people's livelihoods. That does not stay contained inside the workday. My clients are founders, executives, business owners, physicians, attorneys, and managers who are successful by every outward measure and are carrying more than the people around them realize. They come to me when a hard quarter starts to feel like, a verdict on them, when an employee problem sits with them at dinner, or when they know exactly what conversation needs to happen and keep putting it off. Most of them already know what they are supposed to do. Have the conversation. Let someone else take responsibility. Stop measuring their worth by how productive or needed they are. The harder question is why doing something different feels so difficult. They are capable and self-aware, and they want a therapist who understands both human behavior and the realities of running a business or leading inside a company. What they want is usually not to care less. It is to care deeply about the company without letting every problem define them. To hold high standards without expecting themselves to be perfect. To lead people without becoming responsible for every emotion and outcome around them. Their business is an asset they own. It is not their identity.
I use cognitive behavioral therapy for the thinking that drives your reactions. We identify the patterns that show up when you feel criticized, under pressure, or responsible for an outcome, then look at whether those thoughts are accurate and what changes when you respond differently.
I use dialectical behavior therapy for regulating emotion under pressure. That means concrete skills for the moment your reaction is bigger than the situation, for staying present in a conversation you would rather avoid, and for tolerating what you cannot control.
I use acceptance and commitment therapy for the parts of this that are about values rather than fixing. Some things will not resolve. The work becomes deciding who you want to be inside them and acting on that, rather than waiting to feel differently first.