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What is burnout?
Burnout is a syndrome caused by chronic workplace stress that hasn't been successfully managed. The World Health Organization includes it in ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition, and describes three dimensions (World Health Organization).
Exhaustion
Feeling depleted or drained of energy, even after a weekend off.
Mental distance
Feeling cynical, negative, or detached from your job and the people in it.
Reduced effectiveness
Feeling less capable at work, as if your effort no longer makes a difference.
It's also common. In 2025, 39% of Canadian employees said they often or always feel burned out, up from 35% in 2023 (Mental Health Research Canada). Because the WHO definition is tied to work, the term doesn't officially apply to other parts of life, but many people use it for the exhaustion that comes with caregiving or parenting, and our therapists help with those too.
What are the signs of burnout?
Burnout tends to creep in. You might notice it first in your body, then in how you feel about work, and eventually at home. Ongoing stress can show up physically, too, from headaches and muscle tension to poor sleep (American Psychological Association).
In your body
Tired all the time, getting sick more often, and sleep that doesn't leave you rested.
In your mind
Brain fog, forgetfulness, and trouble focusing on tasks that used to feel easy.
At work
Sunday-night dread, cynicism about your job, and a sense that nothing you do is enough.
At home
Less patience, pulling away from friends and family, and no energy for things you enjoy.
If several of these sound familiar and have lasted for weeks—or rest no longer seems to help—they're worth taking seriously. Our guide Are you burning out without realizing it? walks through the early signs people most often miss.
What causes burnout?
Burnout grows out of a mismatch between you and your work, especially around workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values (Maslach and Leiter, World Psychiatry). These are the five patterns we see most often.
Burnout isn't a personal failing: it usually reflects a poor fit between you and your work.
Workload
Too much to do in too little time, with no real chance to rest and recover.
Control
Little say over what you work on, how you do it, or when it has to be done.
Culture
Low support, unresolved conflict, unfair treatment, or values that don't match yours.
Technology
Email and messages that follow you home, so the workday never really ends.
Personality
Perfectionism and a hard time saying no can keep burnout going, especially under a heavy load.
What's the difference between burnout and stress?
Stress usually feels like too much: too much pressure, too many demands, and a body that won't switch off. Burnout feels more like not enough—not enough energy, motivation, or care left to give. It can develop when stress stays in its exhaustion stage for too long (StatPearls).
| Stress | Burnout | |
|---|---|---|
| Core feeling | Over-engaged and urgent | Disengaged and empty |
| Energy | Wired, restless, always on | Exhausted, even after rest |
| Emotions | Anxious and on edge | Flat, cynical, or hopeless |
| Focus | Too much to do | Nothing feels worth doing |
| Source | Any part of life | Chronic work stress |
| Where to start | Stress therapy | Burnout therapy (this page) |
If the main source of pressure is outside work, or you mostly feel wired rather than empty, our stress therapy page may be the better place to start. Either way, our intake team can help you decide.
How can therapy help with burnout?
Therapy helps you recover your energy, understand what led to burnout, and change what you can, both at work and in how you respond to it. A 2024 umbrella review found support for mindfulness, CBT, acceptance and commitment therapy, and rational emotive therapy for burnout, with CBT especially helpful for emotional exhaustion (Kern et al., 2024).
Lasting change often depends on what happens at work, too. Therapy that includes the work situation, such as a problem analysis and a return-to-work plan, helped people get back to work sooner than standard CBT (Demerouti et al., 2021). That's why our therapists look at both you and your job.
The situation: it's Sunday night, and you're already dreading Monday's inbox.
Running on empty
The tank keeps drainingWith a recovery plan
Room to recoverSame job, same inbox. The difference is how you protect your time and energy, and working with a therapist can help you figure out how.
Which types of therapy help with burnout?
Your therapist will tailor the approach to you. These four come up most often in burnout therapy.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Untangle the thinking—like "I can never say no"—that keeps you overextended.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Reconnect with what matters to you and act on it, even when stress is high.
Mindfulness-based therapy
Notice your limits sooner and give your nervous system a real break.
Work-focused support
Plan your return, rethink workload and boundaries, and prepare for conversations with your manager.
Who provides therapy for burnout at Trillium Counselling?
Therapy for Burnout at Trillium Counselling is provided by Registered Social Workers (MSW, RSW) and Registered Psychotherapists (RP). Every therapist on our team can help with burnout and commonly help clients with work and life stressors of all sorts. All of them also offer secure online sessions, and most also see clients at our Waterloo office.
You're welcome to book directly with one of the therapists below, or book a free 20-minute matching consultation where we'll help match you with a therapist who feels like a good fit.
