Find a Mental Health Professional for Burnout & Workplace Stress

About Burnout & Workplace Stress support

Burnout is a state of chronic exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to demanding work with insufficient recovery. It involves more than ordinary tiredness and can include emotional depletion, a growing sense of cynicism or detachment from work, and a reduced sense of effectiveness or accomplishment. Burnout is particularly common in caring professions, high-pressure industries, and roles where people feel they have little control over their work. It can develop gradually and is often not recognised until it is severe. Recovery from burnout requires more than a holiday. Sustainable recovery involves addressing the structural conditions contributing to burnout as much as possible, building genuine recovery practices, improving sleep, and restoring a sense of meaning and agency. Therapy can support this process by helping people understand their patterns, reconnect with their values, address any underlying anxiety or perfectionism, and develop more sustainable ways of working and living. In Australia, EAPs provide short-term counselling through many employers and are free and confidential for staff. For more significant burnout or related mental health concerns, a GP referral to a psychologist under Medicare's Better Access initiative is recommended. The Black Dog Institute offers online resources on burnout, and HeadsUp.org.au provides workplace mental health tools for both employees and employers.