Burnout in therapists

ABOUT THE EPISODE

What does therapist burnout actually look like?

Claire and Natalie explore why burnout can be difficult to spot, the risk factors that build over time and the link between trauma and burnout.

They discuss signs therapists may overlook in themselves, and ways to intervene and reset before reaching crisis point.

• Common myths about burnout
• The stages and early warning signs
• Burnout beyond the workplace
• Supporting ourselves and clients

Why can therapist burnout be difficult to recognise?

Burnout often builds over time, which can make the change difficult to see from inside it. Dr Claire Plumbly and Natalie explore common myths, accumulating risk factors and the connection between trauma and burnout.

The signs may also extend beyond the workplace. A therapist might explain them away as a busy period, a personal failing or something they should be able to manage, while changes in energy, capacity and functioning are becoming harder to ignore.

What can help before burnout reaches crisis point?

Recognising stages and early warning signs creates more opportunity to respond. The episode considers ways therapists can intervene and reset before reaching crisis, rather than waiting until they are no longer able to keep going.

Support needs to make sense in the person's actual context. The conversation includes both caring for ourselves and recognising burnout in clients, while avoiding the idea that individual coping strategies can solve every workload, trauma or systemic pressure on their own.

Related listening: For the self-doubt that can sit alongside therapist burnout, listen to Working with Imposter Syndrome for an ACT perspective on flexibility, values and action.