Therapy for Burnout: Recovery and Prevention
Burnout is a growing issue in the United States. As I cover in my post Burnout Prevalence and Cost in 2025, over half of people report negative impacts from work-related stress. Over one third of employees report high or extreme levels of stress “often” or “always” at their job. And, burnout rates seem to be on the rise.
The good news is that there are many forms of therapy for burnout that may be effective. Rather than struggling alone with the feelings of stress and burnout, you can find support from professionals to help improve your experience.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion related to work. It is generally agreed to be caused by prolonged and/or excessive stress. Different models will offer different “stages” of burnout. Like many other experiences or difficulties, this means burnout can arise in many different ways.
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defines burnout as:
Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
reduced professional efficacy.
Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.
Signs of Burnout
The signs and symptoms of burnout can vary from one individual to another, but there are a few things to look out for.
Exhaustion not made better by rest
Detachment or numbness
Lack of motivation
Problems focusing and/or making errors at work
Irritation, anxiety, and/or overwhelm
Physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive issues, and muscle tension
Alienation from employees and/or employers
Types of Burnout Therapy
There are multiple types of therapy for burnout that can be effective. Different therapeutic techniques may work better for some people than others. Burnout therapy can not only help you when you’re experiencing burnout, but also to prevent burnout in the future. Here are a few types of therapy used to work with burnout.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a popular choice for therapists working with burnout. Cognitive behavioral therapy research has found it to be effective for working with stress and anxiety, two major components of burnout. Furthermore, CBT can work specifically with individuals experiencing various stages of burnout.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help work with neurotic traits and black-or-white thinking. You may have thoughts about how hard you need to work in order to have value, or thoughts of how other people may see you if you don’t complete a task. CBT can help you work with these thoughts to replace them with more useful and productive patterns of thinking.
You also may work with common cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are defined as irrational, negative, and/or exaggerated thought patterns that can lead to an inaccurate perception of reality. They’re often automatic and seem to be outside of our control. Examples include black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, or personalizing.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy such as mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is another way you might address your burnout. As suggested by the name, these are modalities influenced by mindfulness. By paying attention and being present, you can grow to become more aware of and in touch with the physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions that arise.
With mindfulness, you might be able to better notice your triggers, when you’re getting knocked off balance, and what supports you in feeling better. Much research has shown mindfulness to be an effective tool in working with stress. With MBSR or MBCBT, you will discover tools to focus on the present moment, tune into your experience deeply, and free yourself from worrying about the future or ruminating about the past.
With mindfulness-based therapies you may utilize somatic exercises, different breathing techniques, body scan meditations, and mindful movement such as yoga or walking meditation.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy was originally developed as a therapy to work with individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Since then, it has been used to treat a variety of conditions and experiences. DBT is actually built from CBT and is considered a type of CBT.
Dialectical behavior therapy specifically works on helping individuals regulate themselves in relation to emotions like stress or anxiety, control impulsive behaviors, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. DBT can help individuals with burnout by giving them a set of tools to investigate their thoughts and mental reactions as well as their actual responses.
DBT incorporates mindfulness as the first of its four components as well. It also incorporates distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Distress tolerance allows us to accept uncomfortable emotions rather than trying to rid ourselves of them. Emotion regulation focuses on finding healthy and productive ways to regulate our emotions so they don’t arise in such a strong manner. And interpersonal effectiveness is all about communicating our needs and opinions in a wholesome and helpful way.
If you or somebody you know is struggling with burnout, please reach out for a free consultation. If I am not the right fit for you, I will help you find the right fit.
