Silicon Valley is the place where you will find some of the
biggest tech companies such as Facebook and Google. It becomes obvious that the
people working there are some of the most intelligent ones and they put in a
lot of hours. However, it should also be mentioned that these companies are
where most mental health issues are vivid; all due to the responsibilities and
stress that rises to keep the company up with the latest technology.
Therapist Gal Szekely began his career in the tech world,
but he said he has always been interested in personal growth. He has been a
product manager for many years, but then he left the technology community and
became a management consultant, after that, Szekely and his wife became therapists.
Their focus is on couples and they offer treatments and weekend workshops. Szekely
said that many of the problems he saw were influenced by the tech industry and
culture, even if one of the people in the relationship is involved. The first
problem that Szekely found was that the people working in the tech world are
often very logical, so they don't have language skills in terms of
relationships. He is committed to helping patients learn how to get out of the
"work mode" so that they can express their feelings and needs.
Another major problem is the cultural difference. Many
people in Silicon Valley are not born in the United States or are the first
generation of immigrants. Szekely said that if couples come from different
cultures, they have many ways to make them miss each other based on the assumptions
of parenting or other tasks.
Szekely has said that working in the tech industry opens
more doors to affairs than any other industry and that long hours and clear
communication can build closeness among coworkers, moreover, work trips are a good chance for bonding.
He suggests that his clients should set boundaries with their partners
about what is acceptable, what is flirting and where they should draw a line
before an affair happens.
