Online therapy for burnout and work stress

Who this is for

This page is for working adults who feel worn out, cynical or ineffective, including working parents and people caring for a family member alongside a job. If caregiving is the main load, see caregiver burnout therapy.

You might notice that:

• exhaustion that rest and weekends don’t fix
• dreading work, or feeling cynical about it
• making more mistakes, or feeling you can’t get anything done
• headaches, stomach trouble or getting sick more often
• no energy left for family or friends
• fantasizing about quitting, with no plan

This is individual psychotherapy with a licensed clinician. It isn’t coaching. Couples and family sessions are a different format that insurance may treat differently, so ask before you book if you’re interested in a joint session. Medication is a separate question: your primary care doctor or a psychiatrist can assess whether it could help, and with your permission I can coordinate with them.

What we might work on

• Sorting burnout from depression or anxiety, which can look similar
• Where your energy goes, and what refills it
• Boundaries at work: email, hours, saying no to the extra project
• Recovery time that actually helps you recover
• Perfectionism, and the belief that everything is urgent
• Deciding whether to stay, change roles or leave, without deciding from exhaustion
• The home side of the load, if you’re also parenting or caregiving

How the Care Map Method™ shapes our sessions

The Care Map Method™ is the framework I use to organize our work, alongside a standard clinical assessment. It isn’t a separate tested treatment. It keeps four kinds of needs in view:

Then we work in four steps:

1. Map the emotion and trigger. We track your energy for a week: what drains it, what restores it, and when the crashes come.
2. Match the need with a strategy. We match the biggest drain to one strategy: a boundary, a schedule change, a conversation with your manager.
3. Merge the strategy into daily life. We decide exactly when it happens and what you’ll do if there’s pushback.
4. Manage communication and responses. We script and rehearse the conversation, then review the effect and add the next change.

A shutdown ritual

At the end of the workday, take five minutes to write tomorrow’s top three tasks, close every work tab, and say a set phrase, even just “Done for today.” Then change something physical: your clothes, your room, or a short walk. The ritual tells your brain the workday is over.

How we’ll look at progress

We’ll choose markers that fit you, such as:

• a one-to-ten energy rating at the end of each day
• time spent working after hours
• sick days and physical symptoms
• how many evenings feel like your own
• clarity on the stay-or-go question, if it’s on the table

We check these every few sessions and change the plan if something isn’t helping. I can’t promise a particular result; we focus on what is in your hands.

Sessions, licenses and insurance

Sessions are online by video for adults who are physically located in California, New Jersey, Oregon or Maine during each session. Licenses: California LCSW #136364; New Jersey LCSW #44SC05528100; Oregon LCSW #L16530; Maine LCSW #LC26593.

Through Alma, I’m in network with Aetna, Cigna, Carelon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Optum plans including UnitedHealthcare, Oscar and Oxford. Coverage depends on your specific plan, not only the insurance company’s name. Alma checks it before your first session, including any copay or deductible, and handles the billing. How using insurance works.

Check Insurance and Availability on Alma →

Questions people ask

Is burnout a diagnosis?

The World Health Organization describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. It still has real effects, and it can overlap with depression and anxiety, so I’ll check for both.

Should I quit my job?

Maybe, maybe not. Decisions made from exhaustion are hard to trust. We’ll work on recovering some energy first, then look at your options clearly. The decision stays yours.

Can I have sessions during the workday?

Yes. Many people use a lunch hour or an early-evening slot. Alma shows my open times.

Is this the same as your workshops for employers?

No. This is individual therapy for you. My workshops and talks for employers are a separate service.

Do you take my insurance?

I see clients through Alma, and through Alma I’m in network with Aetna, Cigna, Carelon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Optum plans including UnitedHealthcare, Oscar and Oxford. Coverage still depends on your specific plan. Alma checks it before your first appointment, including any copay or deductible. Please share plan and health details through Alma’s secure intake, not by text or email.

Where do I need to be during sessions?

Sessions are online by video, and you need to be physically in California, New Jersey, Oregon or Maine during each one. Your insurance plan can come from another state; what matters for licensing is where you are during the session. Alma checks whether your plan covers sessions with me.

Sources and resources

• World Health Organization: Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”

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