Depression, Emptiness, and Burnout

Essays on what is actually underneath the flatness. The high-functioning depression that no one sees. The disappearance of pleasure. And the slow shutdown that the productivity culture has no language for. Start with whichever one sounds like you.

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Grief That Doesn't Follow the Rules

You're supposed to be over it by now. Or you never felt it at all. A therapist explains why grief doesn't move through stages. And why the loss you haven't cried for is still waiting.

High-Functioning and Hollow

You get up, you perform, you keep it together. And underneath all of it, something is wrong. A therapist explains what happens when the system that keeps you going is the same one that keeps you from feeling.

I Can't Stop Crying and I Don't Know Why

It hits you at strange times. In the supermarket. In the shower. On the phone with your mom when she asks a question that shouldn't be hard to answer.

I Think Something Is Really Wrong But I'm Not Sure

You've been Googling symptoms. Maybe you've taken one of those online quizzes. You scored somewhere in the middle, not severe, not normal.

Why Everything Feels Pointless

Not sad. Not in crisis. Just flat. The future doesn't pull you forward and nothing feels worth the effort. A therapist explains what happens when the wanting system goes offline.

Why Burnout Has Nothing to Do with How Hard You Work

You've tried the self-care. You've set the boundaries. You've practiced saying no. None of it has fixed the thing that's actually wrong. A therapist explains what burnout really is and why the standard advice misses the point.

You're Not Failing. You're Disappearing.

What nobody told you about the psychological cost of a PhD. It's not impostor syndrome. It's something more interesting, and more fixable.

What Clients Say

“I came in thinking I knew what my issues were. I'd been over them a hundred times. But those were just the things I could already see. Aaron helped me notice what I couldn't, and that's where everything actually started to change.”

- M.J.

“I'd been in and out of therapy for years. Different therapists, different approaches, none of it really stuck. Aaron helped me understand more in a few months than all of them combined. And he talked to me like a normal person, not like all this weird therapy-speak.”

- S.A.

“A few years ago I suddenly developed prolonged panic attacks but couldn't begin to understand what had caused them. Having been in therapy in the past, and being a counseling intern student, I felt I had exhausted my resources trying to figure out “What is wrong with me?” I can honestly say Aaron provides a form of counseling that is difficult to find anywhere else regarding efficacy. Not only has his approach been effective, but he also has provided me a safe space to explore aspects about myself I may not otherwise have felt able to. I cannot recommend him enough as he has helped me feel more myself than ever before.”

- K.R.

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I'll respond within 24 hours, usually much sooner. A free 15-minute call first, just to see if this is the right fit.

Aaron Platt, MA (Counseling, La Salle; Sociology, UC Berkeley) is a therapist offering individual and couples therapy in English to clients in more than 30 countries. He completed his clinical internship at the Philadelphia Consultation Center and is a member of the American Counseling Association. His psychodynamic approach focuses on the patterns that keep people stuck, not the surface symptoms, but the underlying structure. Scheduling and policies are on the fees page.

About Aaron