Professional Mental Health Counseling in Wausau, Wisconsin
In-person and virtual mental health support for attorneys and high-pressure professionals who choose not to let burnout define their careers.
Welcome to Sidebar Counseling.
Your resource for sustaining mental health and wellness in your work, career, and life.
I'm Matt Shin, and I understand the weight of high-stakes responsibility because I've carried it myself. After over a decade practicing law—from large firm pressure to in-house corporate demands to solo practice challenges—I know what it's like when stress starts undermining your performance, when anxiety makes routine tasks feel overwhelming, and when burnout leaves you questioning whether your career is sustainable.
Now as a licensed therapist, I've dedicated my practice to helping attorneys, executives, and other high-pressure professionals navigate the unique mental health challenges that come with demanding careers. Whether you're struggling with billable hour pressures, perfectionism that's become paralyzing, or the relentless pace that's leaving you depleted, you've found someone who truly understands your world.
At Sidebar Counseling, I provide specialized mental health support designed for professionals who can't afford to slow down—but also can't afford to burn out. Using evidence-based approaches tailored to high-achievers, I help you reclaim both your career satisfaction and personal well-being.
Services
Clinical Counseling
Therapy designed for professionals who understand pressure—and refuse to let it break them.
Whether you're an attorney facing billable hour anxiety, an executive struggling with perfectionism, or any professional whose stress is affecting your work quality, I provide targeted therapy that addresses the unique challenges of high-responsibility careers. Using evidence-based approaches tailored to high-achievers, these sessions help you regain control, build resilience, and perform at your best while maintaining your well-being.
Burnout Therapy
For high-achievers who've hit the wall—when exhaustion is affecting your work quality and you need strategies to rebuild sustainable performance without sacrificing your career goals.
Anxiety Therapy
For professionals whose worry and perfectionism have become roadblocks—when anxiety about performance, deadlines, or client expectations is interfering with your ability to think clearly and work effectively.
Depression Therapy
For high-achievers experiencing loss of motivation and engagement—when the work that once energized you feels meaningless and you're struggling to find purpose in your professional life.
Professional Wellness Consulting
Strategic support for professionals and organizations ready to optimize performance sustainably.
Beyond individual therapy, I provide coaching, workshops, and consulting services that help professionals and teams build resilience without compromising excellence. Drawing from both my legal career experience and mental health expertise, these services address the systemic challenges that create burnout and the strategic solutions that support long-term success.
Career Coaching
For professionals at career crossroads—whether you're considering a practice area change, evaluating partnership tracks, or seeking more fulfillment in your current role while maintaining professional momentum.
Performance Coaching
For high-achievers who know they're capable of more—when you're hitting productivity plateaus, struggling with time management, or need strategies to optimize your performance without burning out.
Workshops
Interactive training designed for high-pressure teams—practical sessions that build resilience, improve stress management, and create sustainable performance cultures without sacrificing productivity or standards.
Speaking
Keynote presentations that combine research-backed insights with real-world experience—engaging talks that educate, entertain, and inspire audiences to build healthier relationships with high-stakes work.
Coaching for Attorneys
For legal professionals navigating the unique demands of practice—from managing client relationships and billable hour pressures to building sustainable approaches that support both career advancement and personal well-being.
Research
Evidence-based analysis for organizations serious about employee well-being—customized research to inform policy decisions, wellness initiatives, and workplace culture changes that support both performance and mental health.
Take the first step toward sustainable success
Schedule a consultation for expert guidance to help you manage stress, prevent burnout, and rediscover fulfillment in your personal and professional lives.
About Sidebar Counseling
We all want our lives to be meaningful.
We want to make a difference, be productive, and achieve our goals. But sometimes the very careers we've worked so hard to build become sources of overwhelming stress.
I understand because I lived it. After more than a decade practicing patent law—from associate at Foley & Lardner LLP to IP Counsel at Mars Wrigley Confectionery to solo practitioner—I reached a breaking point. I was contemplating leaving law to do literally anything else, struggling to accomplish basic tasks, and had lost all enjoyment in my personal life. I realized I didn't want to grow into any other legal role, nor stay in my current one.
That crisis became clarity. Looking back, I felt most engaged during genuine, vulnerable conversations with clients and colleagues—but I didn't know how to best support them. Mental health work wasn't just a career change; it was my calling.
After earning my Master's in Counseling from Northwestern University and building my practice at Sidebar Counseling, I now help attorneys and other high-pressure professionals navigate the same challenges I faced. I've spoken on mental health and wellness for the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Office of Lawyer Regulation, and other professional organizations because I believe addressing these issues is crucial for our profession's future.
Founded by someone who truly understands your world, Sidebar Counseling provides the specialized support you need to reclaim both your career and your well-being.
Ready to take the first step? Contact me for a confidential consultation and let's discuss how we can work together.
Wausau Office
300 N 3rd Street
Suite 302
Wausau, WI 54401
Virtual services are also available.