After a cold, snowy winter and a soaked spring, Chicagoans naturally want to enjoy the summer sun and warmth. Ask any professional trying to get some work done.

That seasonal song is familiar to Joyce Marter, a psychotherapist and co-owner of Urban Balance LLC, a therapy practice with five Chicago-area locations. “People feel frustrated and powerless and a loss of control when they can't access what they need.”

Such feelings are especially big among younger professionals lower on the vacation totem pole, who feel pressure to work longer hours while more-senior colleagues take family vacations. “They feel they're getting the raw end of the deal,” Ms. Marter says. “If they don't have kids and a dog, they can stay late, pick up the slack.”