You’ve built a life that looks successful, but you feel burnt out.
You’re overworked, exhausted, and just plain tired of trying to hold it all together. You’re unable to shut off the stress even in your free time. Therapy for burnout helps you to replenish your energy, set boundaries, and feel like yourself again.
As seen in
Signs of job burnout and work-related exhaustion
Are you feeling exhausted, mentally, physically, emotionally? Is that the case even after you’ve rested? Perhaps you’ve noticed you feel disconnected from the things that matter most to you, or you’re feeling unusually cynical about things that used to bring you joy. Maybe you’ve noticed that you’re feeling increasingly irritable even when you can’t quite put your finger on why.
Burnout and work-related exhaustion creep up gradually. You may not have noticed it accumulating, and then one day you woke up and thought, “where did my life go?” In other words, it’s usually a frog-in-pot scenario. On the outside things may still look fine — your job performance is good, you’re keeping up with chores and relationships at home. On the inside it’s a different tale: you feel worn down, tired and torn. You’re just trying to get through the day . . . and trying not to think about the next. This is what burnout often feels like. Therapy can help you shake off the malaise and regain your energy, passion, and focus.
How therapy for burnout helps
You want to wake up in the morning and feel a spark — to have a sense of wonder about what you can do today, and not a pit in your stomach as you mull over what you have to do today. You want to have the energy after work to take the kids for a mini-outdoor adventure before dinner, or to dust off that old guitar or easel in the closet and reconnect with that wellspring of creativity inside you that currently feels like it’s been paved over and had a Wawa built on top. You want to feel like the work you do energizes you.
Therapy can help you get there. I want to help you to replenish your energy, carve out a more sustainable path for yourself, and feel more present and alive at and away from the job.
How therapy for burnout works
Therapy for burnout focuses on discovering the underlying causes of your burnout and then addressing them in a thoughtful and productive way. We begin this by exploring what your day-to-day experience actually looks like and what sorts of things have been causing your burnout. There are a few ‘usual suspects’ that tend to drive burnout, such as excessive workload, lack of control, and emotional labor (feeling pressured to experience given emotions), among others.
In therapy, you can make sense of both short-term and long-term patterns that keep you overworked and depleted. Sometimes these patterns are embedded in the workplace culture, other times they may be patterns you’re bringing with you. And then oftentimes it’s both in different measures. You will learn how to notice early signs of burnout and overwhelm and how to address them as well as how to recover from prolonged burnout. From there you can learn how to set and maintain boundaries at work, reduce the impact of chronic stress, and change habits that cause you to over-function.
In the end, therapy for burnout enables you to feel more balanced and in control of your time and mental resources.
About John Mathews, LCSW
Helping professionals in their 30s and 40s who are burnt out and overwhelmed find more sustainable ways to live and work without losing their identity or well-being.
I provide online therapy for clients across Virginia and in-person therapy in Midlothian, VA. I have 10+ years of experience helping clients work through burnout, anxiety, and chronic stress, with a focus on building practical, sustainable change.
My approach is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for burnout, which focuses on how thoughts and behaviors shape emotional experience. I draw from evidence-based methods while keeping therapy practical, collaborative, and focused on real-life change.
I also supplement this background with insights from practical philosophy. The thinkers who resonate most with me include Martin Buber, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Socrates. The theme that connects all of them is the importance of genuine dialogue for coming to understand ourselves and to take part in the good life.
At its core, therapy with me is a space for genuine dialogue to heal through connection, to help understand what is driving your burnout, and to make changes that support a more balanced and manageable life.
Please reach out if you are feeling exhausted and burnt out. Therapy can help you recover your energy and focus. I look forward to hearing from you!
Read more about John’s approach to therapy.
Online therapist for burnout
I provide online therapy for clients located across Virginia. For online therapy sessions, you will receive a confidential and secure Google Meet link before your session. It connects automatically with any laptop with a webcam. You can also use your phone or tablet for the session, though you may need to download the Google Meet app first if you don’t already have it.
Therapy for burnout in Midlothian, VA
I provide a limited number of home-based psychotherapy appointments in or near Midlothian, VA (23112) and Moseley VA (23120). I also provide walk-and-talk therapy in these and nearby locations as well. If you are interested in home-based or walk-and-talk therapy, please contact me .
What to expect when scheduling your first session
Once you have selected an appointment time that works for you, I will send you an invitation to my portal where you will fill out an intake packet, which lets me know a little more about you and what you’d like to work on, as well as some other relevant information such as confidentiality, and notice of privacy practices.
Our sessions will typically last about an hour. The first session will be an intake session, which will be a little bit more structured than average, but still mostly just a conversation about what brings you to therapy and what you’d like to get out of it.
Cost of services
The cost of services can vary based on and are based on a number of factors. I accept most major insurances in the state of Virginia, including Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Optima, Optum, and others. Using your insurance benefits can make the cost of therapy very affordable. Some plans feature copay options in which you will be responsible for a low flat rate for each session.
If you have insurance, you can find your rates by checking your insurance plan benefits online or calling the Mental/Behavioral health number on the back of your insurance card.
Read more about cost of services and other frequently asked questions.
Ready to reach out? Here is how to take the first step.
When you’re ready to book your first session, you can reach out to schedule or ask questions:
- Book a session directly (and see my upcoming availability) by clicking here
- Use my contact form to schedule or ask questions by clicking here
- Email me directly at contact@vacounseling.com
- Call or text me at 804-317-5756. I am often in session but you can leave a voicemail and I will get back with you
I will respond within 1 business day and your first session can be within a week or sooner.
Ready to recover from burnout?
Therapy can help you recover from work burnout and chronic stress to rebuild your energy and create a more sustainable way of living.
Schedule your first session now.