Career Counseling in San Francisco, California

Career counseling for people facing conflict at work, burnout that won’t go away, and confusion about what comes next.

Work shouldn’t feel like a constant fight or shutdown. If you’re stuck in tense workplace dynamics, dreading meetings, or feeling invisible, it takes a toll. You may be over-functioning to keep the peace or under-functioning to protect yourself. Chronic stress starts to feel normal. Burnout becomes hard to separate from your identity.

Career counseling helps you name what’s happening and what needs to change. We’ll look at how workplace stress impacts your body, mood, and sense of self. We’ll explore patterns—like conflict avoidance, over-responsibility, or internalized pressure—that might be keeping you in survival mode. You don’t need to have answers yet. Together, we’ll make space for clarity to emerge.

Many of my clients are navigating high-pressure work environments, leadership stress, mission-driven exhaustion, or values misalignment. Sessions are practical and focused—we don’t just talk about the problem, we get underneath it. We identify root causes, build usable tools, and untangle the deeper patterns driving your stress.

What you want isn’t just a new job or better communication. You want to feel like yourself again—clear, grounded, and in charge of your life.

Career Counseling can help with:

Chronic Burnout
You feel emotionally drained, mentally foggy, and physically exhausted no matter how much rest you get.

Toxic Work Culture
You're stuck in a workplace filled with blame, politics, or poor leadership that leaves you anxious or checked out.

Unclear Career Direction
You don’t know what you want next—just that this isn’t it—and feel stuck trying to figure it out.

Workplace Conflict
Tension with managers or coworkers leaves you feeling isolated, unsafe, or constantly on edge.

Overfunctioning
You carry too much responsibility, struggle to say no, and feel like everything will fall apart if you stop.

Under-recognition
You work hard but feel invisible—overlooked for promotions, passed over in meetings, or chronically undervalued.

Fear of Change
You’re unhappy but terrified to leave, make a wrong move, or lose stability—so you stay stuck.

Imposter Syndrome
You doubt your abilities, fear being exposed as a fraud, and can't internalize your own accomplishments.

Mismatch with Company Values
You no longer believe in what your company stands for, but feel trapped by the paycheck or status.

Loss of Purpose
Your work feels meaningless or disconnected from who you are, and you’re craving something with depth and direction.

Big Life Transition:
A move, breakup, parenthood, or loss has shaken up your priorities, and now your career doesn’t quite fit anymore.

People seek career counseling for many different reasons. If you’re facing any of these common challenges—or navigating something else that feels hard to name—you’re not alone. Reach out to schedule a free discovery call and see if working together feels like a good fit.

Ready to Get Started?

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Schedule a complimentary 20-minute phone consultation.

If it feels like a fit, we will schedule your first appointment.

Sessions are 50 minutes long.

Where We’ll Meet

I offer both in person and virtual sessions.

In person sessions are offered at The Marina Counseling Center in San Francisco. Virtual sessions are available to all California residents.

 

The Marina Counseling Center
1781 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94123

Phone
(415) 212-9042

Career Counseling FAQs

  • It might be time if work has started to feel unsustainable, confusing, or out of sync with who you are. You may not know exactly what needs to change—just that something does. Career counseling can help you make sense of where you are and what direction feels right. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

  • Make sure that the logistics work (fee, insurance, location, and scheduling). Beyond that, you want to make sure it feels like a good fit. Think of questions ahead of time that you’d like to ask a prospective therapist. I recommend speaking to a few therapists to get a feel for who you’d connect with.

  • Version 1
    Past experiences often reflect a mismatch in approach or timing. This time, we’ll identify what wasn’t helpful before and tailor the process to fit your goals, communication style, and readiness.

    Version 2
    Counseling works best when there’s a strong therapeutic fit and a clear focus. If your last experience fell short, we’ll explore why and do things differently to create a more productive and respectful space.

    Version 3
    Not all counseling is the same. Different therapists, methods, and timing can lead to very different results. We’ll build a plan that addresses your concerns directly and works with how you actually relate.

  • Yes, I work with co-founders and teammates. Counseling can be especially helpful when there’s conflict, tension, or stress that’s affecting how you work together. It’s also valuable for partnerships that are strong but want more clarity, alignment, or support through high-stakes decisions. These conversations create space to reset, reconnect, and move forward with more trust.

  • Career counseling sessions are 50 minutes. We’ll work together to map out the challenges you’re facing—whether that’s stress, conflict, confusion, or burnout—and identify the patterns at play. Using a mix of conversation and somatic tools, we’ll slow things down so you can respond with more clarity and intention. Over time, this creates space for new insights, choices, and ways of relating to your work.

  • Therapy is most successful when you can commit to doing work both in and out of sessions. While I can’t promise a timeline, I can work with you to clarify goals and ensure you feel good about the progress that’s being made toward achieving that goal.

Hi, I’m Mikayla.

After nearly a decade working as an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist at large tech companies, I quit my job to pursue my Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

I specialize in Somatic Psychotherapy, but each session will look different depending on a client's unique needs. I offer virtual and in-person sessions for individuals and couples at The Marina Counseling Center in San Francisco.