Therapy Issues

While stress is characterized by feeling overwhelmed and frantic, burnout is a more profound state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. The key difference is a feeling of chronic cynicism, detachment, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment that doesn’t resolve with a few days off. You might notice a persistent lack of energy, increased irritability, and a growing distance from your work and personal relationships. Because burnout often involves a dysregulated nervous system, it can feel like a complete depletion of your internal resources, which is why a trauma-informed approach is so crucial for true recovery.

If your symptoms have lasted for more than a few weeks and are significantly impacting your daily life—your sleep, your relationships, your physical health, or your ability to function at work—it’s time to seek support. You don’t have to wait until you hit rock bottom. At Evergreen Counseling, we believe that seeking help is a sign of strength and self-awareness. Our trauma-informed approach means we won’t just focus on time management; we’ll gently explore the underlying causes, like chronic stress or past trauma, that have made you vulnerable to this level of exhaustion.

Recovery from burnout requires a holistic approach that addresses both the mind and the body. We find that modalities focused on nervous system regulation are highly effective. Specifically, Somatic Experiencing (SE) helps you safely process the stored stress and trauma in your body, while Internal Family Systems (IFS) allows you to understand and care for the parts of you that are exhausted or overwhelmed. Our trauma-informed framework ensures that we prioritize safety and pacing, helping you rebuild your capacity for energy and joy without pushing you past your limits.

Our approach is fundamentally different because we view chronic stress and burnout through a trauma-informed lens. Regular counseling might focus primarily on cognitive restructuring or boundary-setting, but we recognize that burnout is often a physiological response to an unsustainable environment or unresolved past experiences. We use tools like EMDR and Somatic Experiencing to calm a hyper-alert nervous system, which is essential for long-term recovery. We don’t just treat the symptoms; we help you heal the underlying patterns that led to the exhaustion, empowering you to create a truly sustainable life.

The timeline for recovery is unique to everyone, but most clients report a noticeable shift in their energy and mood within the first few weeks as we establish safety and begin nervous system regulation. True, deep recovery is a process, not a quick fix. We focus on sustainable change, which means we move at your pace to avoid re-traumatization or further exhaustion. We’ll work together to identify small, measurable signs of progress—like improved sleep, less irritability, or a renewed sense of hope—rather than focusing on an arbitrary end date.

The decision to use medication is a personal one that you should discuss with a psychiatrist or medical doctor. Our primary focus at Evergreen Counseling is on therapy and holistic healing. We believe that a trauma-informed therapeutic approach—using modalities like IFS and SE—offers powerful tools for regulating the nervous system and restoring emotional balance without relying on medication. We are happy to collaborate with your medical providers if you choose to pursue medication, but we are committed to helping you find deep, lasting relief through therapy alone if that is your preference.

Our initial sessions will focus on creating a safe, non-judgmental space and understanding the full scope of your exhaustion. We won’t force you to dive into painful topics immediately. Instead, we might start by exploring your current coping mechanisms, your relationship with work, and the physical manifestations of your stress. We will use gentle, body-centered techniques to help you reconnect with your internal resources, learn to set boundaries, and rediscover your capacity for rest and pleasure. The content is always guided by you, prioritizing your safety and comfort above all else.

Not necessarily, but we will explore the connection between your past and present experiences as it feels safe for you. Burnout is often a sign that your nervous system has been operating in a state of chronic activation, which can be a result of past trauma, even if it’s not a single, dramatic event. We will never pressure you to share details you are not ready to share. Our trauma-informed approach means we focus on stabilizing your nervous system first, using techniques like EMDR and Somatic Experiencing to process the emotional residue of stress and trauma without requiring a detailed narrative.

Success in burnout recovery looks like a return to a sustainable, more regulated state of being. You’ll know therapy is working when you start to notice small but significant changes: your sleep improves, your physical tension decreases, you feel a genuine sense of pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, and you can set boundaries without feeling overwhelming guilt. Ultimately, recovery means moving from a state of chronic depletion to a place of internal resourcefulness, where you feel empowered to make choices that honor your energy and well-being.

Your confidentiality is one of our highest priorities and is protected by law. Everything you share in session is kept strictly private, with a few legally mandated exceptions (such as immediate threat of harm to yourself or others). We will thoroughly review these limits with you during your first session. Your employer, family, or friends will not be informed that you are seeking therapy for burnout unless you explicitly choose to tell them. Our goal is to create a secure, private space where you can focus entirely on your healing.

At Evergreen Counseling, we operate as an out-of-network provider, which means we do not bill insurance companies directly. This allows us to prioritize your care and autonomy over the limitations often imposed by insurance panels. We are transparent about our session fees, and we understand that cost is a significant factor. To help you seek reimbursement, we are happy to provide you with a superbill upon request. This detailed receipt contains all the necessary information for you to submit a claim to your insurance company for potential out-of-network benefits.

Finding the right therapist is the most critical factor in successful healing, and we honor your autonomy in this process. We encourage you to use the initial consultation to assess the fit—it’s a two-way street. If, after a few sessions, you feel that the connection isn’t clicking, we welcome an honest conversation. We are part of a wide network and are committed to helping you find a better match, whether it’s within our practice or with a trusted colleague outside of Evergreen Counseling. Your comfort and safety are paramount.