Therapy for Therapists

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It builds slowly—too many clients, too much paperwork, too little time to recharge. You tell yourself that you need to push through, but the truth is, burnout isn’t something you can outwork. It’s a sign of trouble, not a failure.

You don’t have to carry this alone. Therapy can help you step out of survival mode, set boundaries that actually work, and reconnect with the passion that brought you into this field in the first place.

This type of fatigue isn’t just feeling tired; it’s the slow erosion of the empathy and connection that once fueled your work. You might notice:

• Increased irritability or numbness toward clients’ struggles

• Difficulty feeling present or engaged in sessions

• Emotional exhaustion that lingers even after time off

• A sense of guilt for not “caring enough”

This isn’t a sign that you’re failing. It’s a sign that your nervous system is overwhelmed.

Therapy can help you process the emotional load, rebuild resilience, and create space for yourself without guilt.

You hold space for others, empathize deeply, and manage emotional demands. The very nature of the work makes it challenging to set limits without feeling guilty or self-doubt.

We’ll examine your relationship with boundaries. I’ll guide you in setting healthy boundaries that protect your emotional space while enabling you to be fully present for your clients.

Imposter syndrome is incredibly common among therapists, even the most experienced ones. Despite years of training and a commitment to helping others, many therapists struggle with self-doubt, wondering:

• "Am I really helping my clients?"

• "What if I don’t know enough?"

• "Who am I to support others when I don’t have it all figured out myself?"

Therapists are uniquely positioned to see behind the scenes of healing, which means they also witness setbacks, and uncertainty. Unlike other professions where success is easily measured, therapy often involves guiding clients through ambiguity, making it harder to feel a sense of mastery.

As a therapist, you are trained to reflect, question, and remain open to growth. This can make you prone to second-guessing yourself.

The very skills that make a great therapist- curiosity, humility, and self-awareness can also fuel imposter feelings.

Helping others navigate life’s challenges doesn’t mean you’re exempt from them. You’ve studied the theories, mastered the interventions, and built a career around supporting others. But, you can feel isolated when it comes to your struggles.

Maybe you tell yourself you should be able to handle it on your own. Or maybe you worry that seeking support means you’re not as competent as you want to be. The truth is, no amount of training makes you immune to stress, grief, burnout, or self-doubt. Therapists are human first.

You got into this work to help people, not to drown in paperwork, documentation, and an ever-growing caseload. Between back-to-back sessions, treatment plans, and progress notes, it feels like there’s never enough time to breathe, let alone take care of yourself.

You tell yourself, Just one more client, Just a few more notes before bed, I’ll rest when things slow down—but they never really do. The emotional weight of your work is real, and so is the exhaustion that comes with it.

Therapists aren’t meant to run on empty. If you’re feeling stretched too thin, it’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that something needs to shift. Therapy can be a space to process the overwhelm, set boundaries that actually stick, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that exist outside of work.