You’ve built a life that looks successful, but you feel burnt out.
You’re overworked, exhausted, and tired of the stress that never ends. And you can’t see a way out of it anytime soon. Starting therapy for burnout can help you feel like yourself again.
Here’s what I know from 10+ years of clinical experience AND having overcome burnout myself: The way you’re feeling now isn’t the way it has to be. Overcoming burnout isn’t about enduring – it’s about building new frameworks that actually support the life you want.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
As seen in
Burnout symptoms: what it actually feels like to be burnt out
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 maybe you’re feeling unusually cynical about things that used to bring you joy. Maybe you’ve even noticed that you’re feeling increasingly irritable but 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.
There is a way out… 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 Sheetz built on top. Ultimately, you want to feel like the work you do energizes you.
Burnout 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.
You are not alone in this — 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 things that tend to drive burnout: excessive workload, lack of control, and emotional labor (feeling pressured to experience given emotions). We work together to identify your specific drivers and we help you build new frameworks to overcome them.
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. Some of the things you can learn are: how to set and maintain boundaries at work, reduce the impact of chronic stress, and change habits that cause you to over-function. In therapy, we find and work through the specific things that help for you.
Working with a therapist for burnout enables you to stop feeling always maxed out and at your limit. With the right support, you can start to feel like life is more balanced. And that you are in control of your time and mental resources.
About John Mathews, LCSW
Helping professionals who are burnt out to find your specific sustainable way to live and work — without becoming more maxed out or losing your identity in the process.
I provide online therapy for clients across Virginia and in-person therapy in Midlothian and Richmond, VA. With 10+ years of experience helping clients work through burnout, anxiety, and chronic stress, we can with focus on your specific needs to help you overcome burnout with practical, doable, and sustainable change.
My approach is grounded evidence-based methods including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for burnout. CBT focuses on how thoughts and behaviors shape emotional experience. I keep therapy practical, collaborative, NOT overwhelming, and focused on specifics for your life and bandwidth to bring about real-life change.
I also supplement our approach 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 time to focus on you. Together we create space for genuine dialogue to heal through connection, to help understand what is driving your burnout, and to make doable changes that support a more balanced and manageable life.
If you are feeling exhausted or burnt out, please reach out. Therapy really can help you recover your energy and focus and I look forward to hearing from you!
Read more about John’s approach to therapy.
Online burnout therapy for clients in Virginia
If you are looking for a therapist for burnout, you’ve come to the right place. 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.
Therapist for burnout in Midlothian and Richmond, VA
I provide a limited number of home-based psychotherapy appointments in or near Midlothian, VA (23112), Moseley VA (23120) and Richmond (Southside). I also provide walk-and-talk therapy in these and nearby locations as well. If you are interested meeting with a therapist for burnout for home-based or walk-and-talk therapy, please contact me.
What to expect when scheduling your first session with a therapist for burnout
Once you schedule your appointment, I will send you an invitation to my portal with the intake paperwork. This lets me know a little more about you and what you’d like to work on. It also include the necessary stuff 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 therapy for burnout
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 to a therapist for burnout? Here is how to take the first step.
When you’re ready to book your first session with a therapist for burnout, 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.