If you’re running on empty, dreading Monday by Saturday afternoon, or giving your best hours to work and what’s left to the people at home, you’re not imagining it. Burnout is real, and it usually eases once you understand what’s feeding it.
Just Mind Counseling offers burnout and work stress therapy at our North Austin and Westlake offices and online across Texas.
We work with people in just about every kind of job: executives and tech teams, nurses and physicians, teachers, lawyers and business owners, plus parents holding a career together with one hand.
Clinically reviewed by William Schroeder, LPC, NCC, co-founder of Just Mind. Last reviewed October 21, 2026.
We accept several insurance plans; you can check yours on our rates and insurance page.
Get Matched With a Burnout Therapist
Tell us a little about what’s going on: the job, the hours, what’s starting to slip. A person on our Austin client care team reads it, gets back to you within 24 hours, and suggests two or three therapists who fit what you described. You don’t need to have it all figured out first.
Ready to get started? Browse our burnout and work stress therapists.
What Is Burnout?
The World Health Organization describes burnout as the result of chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. It has three parts: exhaustion, a growing distance or cynicism about your job, and a sense that you’re no longer effective at it. WHO calls it an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition, which matters for insurance (see the FAQs).
NIOSH, the federal agency that studies workplace health, puts the cause plainly. Job stress happens when the demands of a job don’t match a worker’s abilities, resources or needs. So burnout says something about the fit between you and the work. It doesn’t mean you’re weak.
A quick way to tell them apart: stress feels like too much. Burnout feels like not enough, with less energy every week and less care left for work you used to like.
In the video below we give examples of the difference between acute stress and chronic stress.
What Drives Burnout at Work
- A workload that never lets up, or a job that follows you home on your phone
- Little say over how or when you do your work
- Layoffs, reorganizations and the worry about who’s next
- Work that clashes with your values, or effort that goes unnoticed
- Caregiving, parenting or a second job stacked on top of a full-time role
Job insecurity makes all of it heavier, and right now it’s common. In the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey, 54% of working adults said job insecurity had a significant effect on their stress at work. Later that year, APA’s Stress in America survey found 60% of employed adults named the rise of AI as a stressor, up from 51% a year earlier.
Healthcare is its own case. CDC data show 46% of health workers said they felt burned out often or very often in 2022, up from 32% in 2018. If you’re a nurse, physician or other clinician, tell us when you reach out and we’ll look for a therapist who works with healthcare workers.
Personality plays a part too. High achievers and perfectionists burn out because they keep raising the bar on themselves. William Schroeder has written about how fear and perfectionism feed each other. You set impossibly high expectations, feel anxious trying to meet them, criticize yourself when you fall short, then raise the bar again. His way out keeps your standards and works on loosening fear’s control.
Signs of Burnout at Work
- Exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix
- Dreading work, or feeling numb about it
- Irritability with coworkers or family
- Trouble concentrating or making decisions
- Headaches, stomach trouble, tight shoulders or poor sleep
- Pulling away from friends and things you used to enjoy
When the Stress Isn't About Work
Not all stress comes from a job. Caring for a parent or partner, a move, a breakup, a new baby, school pressure or a health scare can drain you the same way, and we help with those too. If you’re looking after someone else, our post on caregiver burnout is a good place to start. Students may find our stress management techniques for students useful.
When Is It Time to Get Help for Burnout?
Everyone has hard seasons at work. It’s worth talking to a therapist when the strain stops lifting on weekends and vacations, or starts showing up everywhere else in your life. Reach out when:
- Time off doesn’t help anymore
- Work stress is spilling into your relationships
- You’re thinking about quitting but can’t tell if it’s the job or you
- You’re having trouble sleeping
- Stress is showing up in your body
- You feel flat or unlike yourself (our depression therapists can help with that too)
Why It Can Be Hard to Reach Out
Plenty of people assume constant stress is the price of a good job. In medicine, law, tech and teaching, that belief can be part of the culture.
But asking for help says nothing about your competence. Often the people who burn out are the ones who’ve been quietly absorbing everyone else’s extra work.
How Burnout Therapy Helps
William Schroeder, LPC, NCC, Just Mind’s co-founder, puts it this way:
“The challenge of burnout is it can feel like you are torn. You are exhausted, have nothing else, but you also need to keep pushing to try and make it around the next corner. You may consider quitting, or maybe you are going the other direction and renting a hotel room to quarantine yourself from everyone else to try and get things back on track. The challenge is that none of this, not even vacations, works. There is a distinct therapeutic process to break free, though, so there is relief. And it’s not doing more.”
Therapy for burnout helps you figure out what’s draining you, decide what to change, and get enough energy back to change it. The goal is never to help you put up with more.
Rest That's Actually for You
Early sessions often start with sleep and rest, because it’s hard to think clearly on five hours a night. Just Mind therapist Andrea Chavez, LMFT, sees a lot of people who feel “like a cog in the wheel,” going from work to rest and back again. Rest that only exists to make you a better worker doesn’t refill much. Andrea suggests a menu of small things that are just for you, some free and taking no extra time, like singing in the car or driving a new route home.
Saying No Without a Guilt Spiral
Limits are a skill you can practice: turning down the extra project, logging off at a set time, pushing back on a deadline that was never realistic. Your therapist will help you plan the conversation and handle the guilt that tends to show up afterward.
Quiet the Inner Critic
A lot of burnout runs on guilt and perfectionism. Therapy helps you notice the rules you’re working under (“I can’t let anyone down”) and loosen the ones that are hurting you.
When Your Body Won't Stand Down
Months of stress can leave you wired at night and wiped out by day. Somatic therapy works with that directly. Alan Nelson, LPC, SEP, and Kris Downing, LCSW-S, SEP, are both Somatic Experiencing Practitioners. For moments when stress tips into a spiral, a post on our blog by Diana Schaefer, LCSW-S, offers small physical tools, like standing on one leg, since it’s hard to think about anything else while you balance. She also suggests keeping a list of what works on your phone.
Stay, Renegotiate or Leave?
Burnout makes every option look bad, which is a poor time to quit on impulse. Therapy gives you a place to work out what you want before you act, whether that’s a talk with your manager, a different role or an exit plan.
Know Your Early Warning Signs
As things improve, you’ll learn your own early warning signs, so the next hard stretch doesn’t get as far.
Ready to feel like yourself again?
Tell us what’s going on. We’ll match you with a therapist who understands work stress and can help you build a plan that fits your actual life.
Burnout and Work Stress Treatment Options
Your therapist will choose what fits you. Most people get a mix:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to catch thoughts that keep you overworking, like “if I don’t do it, no one will.”
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), to keep doing what matters to you even while stress is present.
- Somatic therapy, for the physical side of chronic stress.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS), when one part of you won’t let you rest and another part is fed up.
- EMDR, when today’s work stress is tangled up with older painful experiences.
- Mindfulness and relaxation skills you can use at your desk.
- Straight talk about values and career direction.
Burnout often leaves anxiety, low mood or relationship strain behind it. If that’s part of your picture, see our anxiety therapy and depression therapy pages too.
What Clients Say
Find a Burnout Therapist Near You
Each therapist below works with stress and burnout. If you’d like a place to start, Malka Fenig, LPC, NCC, focuses on chronic stress and trauma and worked in sales before she became a counselor. If the stress lives in your body, look at Alan Nelson or Kris Downing. Or skip the scrolling and let our client care team suggest a few names.
Not sure which therapist to work with? We can help!
FAQs About Burnout Therapy
What's the difference between stress and burnout?
Stress is pressure you expect to ease once things calm down: a deadline, a busy season. Burnout is what happens when the pressure doesn’t let up for months and starts draining your energy and how much you care. Both are worth addressing, and stress is easier to turn around before it becomes burnout.
Can therapy help with the physical symptoms of burnout?
Often, yes. Therapy works on what keeps your body on alert, and many people sleep better and carry less tension as it eases. See your doctor too, so a medical cause doesn’t get missed.
Do I have to quit my job to recover from burnout?
No. Many people recover in the same job after changing their workload, their limits or their recovery time. If a change does make sense, therapy can help you decide what kind and plan it.
How long does burnout therapy take?
It depends on how long you’ve been running on empty and what’s driving it. Many people notice a difference within the first couple of months of regular sessions. Your therapist will check in with you on progress along the way.
Can I do burnout therapy online?
Yes. Every Just Mind therapist offers secure online sessions for anyone in Texas, which helps when your calendar is already full.
Do I need a diagnosis to start therapy for stress?
No. You can reach out without one. If you use insurance, most plans require a diagnosis for sessions to be covered, and your therapist will explain what that means for you. If you pay out of pocket, a diagnosis isn’t required.
Can you help if my stress isn't about a job?
Yes. Caregiving, school, parenting, a move or a relationship ending can wear you down the same way work does. Our therapists help with stress from any part of your life.
How is therapy for burnout different from just taking time off?
Time off helps with exhaustion, but burnout usually comes back if the patterns that caused it are unchanged. Therapy works on those patterns, such as over-responsibility, trouble setting limits, or tying your worth to output.
Does insurance cover therapy for stress and burnout?
Burnout isn’t a diagnosis, so insurance won’t cover it by name. Insurance pays for treatment of a diagnosed condition, and burnout often comes with one, such as anxiety, depression or an adjustment disorder. Many (not all) of our clinicians are in network with Aetna, EHN/WebTPA, Harbor Health, Nomi Health and Sana. Without insurance, a standard 50-minute individual session is $145 to $215, depending on the therapist. If we’re out of network for you, we can give you a superbill to file for possible reimbursement. Our rates and insurance page has the details.
Can I use my employer's EAP?
Many of our clinicians accept EAP referrals. Check your benefits for the provider name and number of sessions, then tell our client care team when you book. If you’re an employer, our employee mental wellness program is set up for companies.
Will my employer find out I'm in therapy?
We don’t share anything with your employer without your written permission. If you come through an EAP, ask the EAP what, if anything, it reports back to your company.
What if it's more than burnout?
Sometimes burnout turns into depression, and sometimes the two get confused. If you’re having thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline any time, day or night. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. Once you’re safe, our therapists can help with what’s underneath.
Where To Find A Therapist In Austin, TX
Our Just Mind Counseling has two physical locations in Austin, TX:
If you can’t make it to an office, we also offer online therapy for burnout and work stress anywhere in Texas, including evening and weekend times.
Learn More About Burnout and Stress
A few articles from our therapists on stress, burnout and recovery.
Is burnout therapy not quite what you need? Explore our other therapy services.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- ADHD Counseling
- ADHD Testing
- Adult Counseling
- Affordable Counseling
- Anxiety Counseling
- Anxious Attachment Therapy
- Autism Counseling, Acceptance & Support
- Autism Testing
- Child Counseling & Play Therapy
- Childhood Trauma Counseling
- Cofounder Counseling
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT
- DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
- Dating & Relationships Counseling
- Depression Counseling
- Discernment Counseling
- EMDR Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Employee Mental Wellness
- Family & Parenting Counseling
- Food Struggles & Body Image Counseling
- Gottman Method Therapy
- Grief Counseling
- Immigration Hardship Evaluations
- Individual Counseling & Coaching
- Internal Family Systems Therapy
- LGBTQ+ Counseling
- LGBTQ+ Couples Counseling
- Marriage & Couples Counseling
- Multicultural Counseling
- Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy
- Personal Growth Counseling
- Postpartum Depression Counseling
- OCD Therapy
- Pregnancy and Perinatal Therapy
- Premarital Counseling
- Psychological Assessments
- PTSD & Trauma Counseling
- Self-Esteem Therapy
- Single Session Therapy
- Somatic Therapy & Somatic Experiencing
- Spanish-Speaking Therapy
- Stress Management Therapy
- Teen Counseling
- Telehealth & Online Counseling
- Therapy for Men
- Therapy for Women