The Real Deal New York

From the April issue: Real estate brokers and agents may finally be becoming couch potatoes. The therapist’s couch, that is. As more real estate firms downsize — and more brokers see their bank accounts shrink — therapists report more anxiety among patients who work in real estate, and at least one brokerage is considering bringing in a psychologist to talk to its agents about their stresses. “There’s a need to continually reach out in our business from management: Not just ‘How’s business?’ because we know how it is … but [to ask], ‘How are you and how are you coping?’” said Kathy Braddock, co-founder of Charles Rutenberg Realty. Braddock said the firm is considering bringing in a psychologist to help brokers air their concerns. “It can be depressing and it can feel a little overwhelming, and one should not feel that they’re completely alone in this,” she said. When the economy gets rocky, it’s easy for people to lose perspective, mental health pros say. “The rules of the market are just thrown out the window right now, and that stresses out people incredibly,” said Dr. Kenneth Mueller, a psychotherapist in Greenwich Village who counts many real estate and financial executives among his patients.