The Burnout Myth: What Helping Professionals Are Getting Wrong About Burnout
Teaching burnout differently… because “just take better care of yourself” was never the solution.
Last quarter, I gave my signature presentation as a continuing education credit to a group of fellow therapists & helping professionals. Before I got started, my peer asked: “So are you going to teach us a new skill to feel less burned out today?” In response, I laughed, stating, “Not exactly”. No one was quite prepared for the way I talk about burnout. But at the end, the same person came up to me saying that she felt emotional throughout the presentation because I had perfectly described what she was feeling; she just didn’t have the words.
Unfortunately, Texas has a catastrophic provider shortage in the community mental health sector. But I’m not surprised since up to 67% of community mental health therapists report high burnout. And, early-career therapists are burning out at rates 12 percentage points higher than seasoned clinicians (JAMA). In 2023, every one in two clinicians is burned out; however, I don’t think anything has improved since.
At the same time, we are working within a system where:
• Only about 32% of mental health needs in Texas are being met
• Therapists earn $0.73 for every $1.00 a physician assistant makes
• Nearly half (44%) of 550 therapists in 2023 noted low pay as a factor (and we know inflation has only increased), even though 3 OUT OF 4 ARE OFFERING SLIDING SCALE OR PRO BONO RATES.
And yet… we keep telling therapists to “take better care of themselves" as if we could self-care our way out of systemic strain. No wonder only 10% of therapists have been in practice for more than 20 years; we aren’t set up for success.
Throughout the hour, we had a FANTASTIC conversation about the real limitations of self-care, not because it doesn’t matter, but because it was never meant to carry the weight of broken systems. We talked about what it actually looks like to shift from individual responsibility to community care, especially for group practice owners who have the power to influence culture, workload, and sustainability.
I loved every minute. I am incredibly passionate about interrupting early-career burnout before it becomes the norm, the identity, or the reason someone leaves this field altogether. Because we don’t just need more therapists! We need therapists who can stay. And, if we want sustainable clinicians, we have to build sustainable systems.
For those who want to go deeper, this post is based on a recent presentation I gave on burnout for helping professionals, where I break down these patterns in more detail and walk through what actually creates sustainable change. If you would like to watch or share my presentation practice, you can access it here.
You can’t self-care your way out of a broken system… and that’s the part no one taught us.
Support for Therapists and Helpers
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