When you think about emotional breakdowns in professional settings, mental health therapists and counselors probably come to mind first. But they’re not the only professionals who encounter clients experiencing emotional upset or breakdowns.
From doctors and financial advisors to massage therapists and educators, many professionals find themselves face-to-face with clients in the throes of overwhelming emotions. Yet, despite this common occurrence, few are trained to effectively help these clients process their feelings in the moment.
Rather than simply offering a comforting shoulder pat or sitting awkwardly in silence, there is a powerful tool available that can genuinely help clients resolve emotional distress—Emotional Resolution® (EmRes®). Let’s explore why emotional breakdowns happen, how they show up across professions, and how EmRes can make a transformative difference.
Emotions in Unexpected Places: It’s Not Just in the Therapist’s Office
Emotions don’t follow professional boundaries. They’re human, universal, and sometimes unpredictable. Professionals in many industries find themselves navigating emotionally charged situations, often without any formal training to handle them.
Professions Where Emotional Breakdowns Occur
Doctors and Medical Professionals: A cancer diagnosis or a concerning test result can overwhelm patients with fear or grief.
Teachers, Coachs, School Counselors and College Advisors: Discussing academic or personal struggles, failing grades, finances or future uncertainty.
Life Coaches, Yoga and Meditation Coaches, Alternative Therapists (Massage, Somatic Therapy, Reiki, etc): Discussions about life stuggles or goals or processing deep emotions during or after sessions.
First Responders - Police, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Crisis Hotline workers: Being involved in, witnessing or discussing traumatic events can lead to emotional breakdowns.
Beauty and Personal Care Professionals--Hair Stylists and Estheticians: Yes, even in salons. Clients sometimes unload deeply personal challenges during what feels like a safe and intimate appointment.
Why Emotional Upsets Happen in These Settings
Life’s most challenging moments often intersect with professional services. Whether it’s receiving care or bad news, feeling judged, or experiencing shame, real or imagined, these moments of vulnerability can trigger emotional overwhelm. Many clients aren’t just upset about the present; they’re grappling with unresolved emotional triggers from the past. These reactions might look like:
Tears and sobbing
Angry outbursts
Shutting down or going silent
Panic or anxiety symptoms
The Problem: A Lack of Training for Professionals
Most professionals don’t have training in emotional support, let alone techniques for resolving emotions. Well-meaning responses like "It’s going to be okay" or "Let’s take a deep breath" might provide temporary relief but don’t address the root of the emotional distress.
The Consequences of Inadequate Support
Without effective intervention, unresolved emotions can lead to:
Heightened client stress: Unprocessed emotions can linger long after the appointment, affecting decision-making and relationships.
Strained professional relationships: Clients may feel unsupported or misunderstood.
Burnout for professionals: Constantly witnessing emotional distress without tools to help can lead to compassion fatigue.
According to the American Psychological Association, more than 40% of Americans report heightened stress or emotional overwhelm at least once a week. This is a common experience—but it doesn’t have to be a helpless one.
The Solution: Emotional Resolution® (EmRes®)
EmRes offers professionals a practical way to help clients navigate and resolve their emotional triggers in the moment. Grounded in science, EmRes taps into the body’s natural ability to process and clear emotional distress.
What Is EmRes®?
Emotional Resolution is a method that uses interoception, or the body’s internal sensory awareness, to resolve emotional triggers. EmRes doesn’t rely on rehashing past trauma or exploring psychological insights. Instead, it’s about observing and processing the physical sensations tied to emotional distress.
For example, if a client bursts into tears during a financial planning session, guiding them through an EmRes could help them quickly process the fear or shame they’re experiencing.
Why EmRes Is a Game-Changer
Unlike traditional coping strategies that merely distract or suppress emotions, EmRes provides lasting relief.
The Benefits for Professionals
Empowered to help: You’re no longer a bystander to emotional distress.
Stronger client relationships: Clients feel supported and valued.
Improved outcomes: Clients make clearer, calmer decisions when emotions are resolved.
The Benefits for Clients
Immediate emotional relief: They’re not stuck in distress.
Long-term resilience: Resolved emotions don’t resurface later.
Improved quality of life: Emotional health supports better relationships, decision-making, and overall well-being.
The Plan: How to Help Emotional Clients with EmRes
When a client experiences an emotional breakdown during an appointment, you can use EmRes techniques to guide them toward resolution. Here’s a simple plan:
Step 1: Acknowledge the Emotion and offer Assistance using EmRes
Instead of brushing over the moment, validate your client’s experience. For example:
"I see this is really hard for you.”
“I know a quick technique that can help calm you and clear this emotion. Would you like to try it?”
Step 2: Guide Them Through Resolving Their Current Emotion
There is no need to know, understand or talk about where the emotion comes from. Your clients privacy is completely protected.
Use the basic EmRes technique to help them resolve their triggered emotion.
It only takes 60 seconds to 2 minutes.
Step 3: Reflect and Reassure
After the emotion clears, help the client feel grounded:
"How do you feel now?"
Then when you return to the original purpose of your meeting, your client will be calmer, focused and connected to the current task or goal. The triggering emotion will be processed and gone forever. You have just done a great service for your client and brought your meeting back on course. No small things!
Equip Yourself with EmRes
If you would feel comfortable helping a customer through some deep breathing to escape stress and anxiety, then you will fill very comfortable with EmRes in your tool kit. As a professional who regularly encounters emotional clients, EmRes training could transform the way you show up for them. Whether you’re a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or hairstylist, having this tool in your skillset allows you to be a true guide in moments of emotional overwhelm.
Consider booking an EmRes session for yourself or exploring EmRes training to bring this powerful technique into your practice. Together, we can create environments where emotions are not just tolerated but truly resolved.
The Impact of Emotional Health on Life
Unresolved emotions don’t just affect the moment. They ripple outward, influencing:
Relationships: Emotional triggers can strain personal and professional bonds.
Physical health: Chronic stress from unresolved emotions is linked to heart disease, immune dysfunction, and more.
Quality of life: Emotional distress limits joy, focus, and fulfillment.
Statistics on Emotional Health in the U.S.
Over 33% of Americans experience anxiety symptoms regularly (National Institute of Mental Health).
Emotional distress contributes to billions in lost workplace productivity annually (American Institute of Stress).
Individuals with strong emotional health report higher satisfaction in relationships, careers, and personal fulfillment (Harvard Study of Adult Development).
Success Stories: How EmRes Changes Lives
Imagine a financial advisor guiding a tearful client through an EmRes session, leaving them calm and focused on actionable steps. Or a hairstylist helping a client clear sadness during an appointment, turning a breakdown into a breakthrough. These are the kinds of transformations EmRes can create.
With EmRes, professionals can move beyond “there, there” to truly empower and support their clients. Let’s make every appointment—no matter the setting—a place where emotions are welcomed and resolved.
Comments