Burnout Therapy in Chicago
At Tides Mental Health, burnout therapy helps you work out what's draining you, recover your energy, and change the patterns that got you here, whether you lead a team, care for others all day, or are simply the person everyone relies on.
Burnout isn't a personal failing, and a long weekend rarely fixes it. It's what happens when chronic stress outlasts your ability to recover. Therapy gives you room to sort out what needs to change at work, at home, and in how you treat yourself.
Book Free ConsultationYour First Step Doesn't Have to Be a Big One
Free 15-Minute Consultation
Tell us what's wearing you down and what a better week would look like, even if you can't picture it yet.
Get Matched with a Therapist
Our intake team connects you with a therapist who works with burnout, perfectionism, and high-pressure lives.
Build Your Care Team
If a psychiatric evaluation or medication management would help alongside therapy, we can coordinate that too.
What Burnout Therapy Looks Like Here
Sessions run 50 to 60 minutes, usually weekly at the start. Early on, the work is figuring out what burnout looks like for you: bone-deep exhaustion, cynicism about work you used to care about, a feeling that nothing you do makes a difference, or all three at once.
Rest alone rarely solves it, because the pressure is usually still waiting when the vacation ends. Therapy looks at what keeps you overextending: perfectionism, trouble saying no, a role that expects more than one person can give, or a belief that your worth depends on what you produce.
Our therapists draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps you get clear on what matters and act on it even when you're depleted, along with CBT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and DBT skills depending on the therapist. The approach is matched to you, not applied as a script.
Burnout often overlaps with anxiety and depression, and with life transitions when a career change is on the table. Many people work on more than one at once.
Start Burnout TherapyWhy Choose Tides for Burnout Therapy
Beyond Rest and Self-Care Tips
A spa day won't fix a workload that's still waiting on Monday. We work on the patterns and pressures underneath, not just the symptoms.
No Judgment About Your Job
You don't have to prove your work is hard enough to be tired. We start where you are, without telling you to quit or to tough it out.
Psychiatric Care on the Team
If it would help, our psychiatric nurse practitioner offers evaluation and medication management by telehealth, coordinated with your therapy.
Flexible Treatment Options
In-person sessions at our Chicago office and secure online therapy across Illinois, which makes it easier to fit around a demanding schedule.
Burnout Signs We Help With
Exhaustion That Rest Doesn't Fix
Sleeping in and taking time off don't touch it, and Sunday nights bring a sense of dread.
Cynicism & Detachment
Caring less about work you used to care about, or feeling numb and checked out.
Perfectionism & Overworking
Holding yourself to a standard no one could meet, then feeling like it's never enough.
Anxiety & Irritability
A short fuse, racing thoughts, and trouble switching off once the workday ends.
Burnout in Caregiving & Helping Roles
Clinicians, teachers, caregivers, and others who give all day and have little left for themselves.
Career Crossroads
Wondering whether to push through, set firmer boundaries, change roles, or walk away.
Therapists Who Work With Burnout
Vanesa Zografski
Works with adults on perfectionism and burnout, career changes, and life transitions, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and DBT skills. In-person in Chicago on Wednesdays and by telehealth across Illinois.
Olivia Davis
A psychiatric nurse practitioner who offers evaluation and collaborative medication management, including for burnout and high-achieving stress. Sees clients by telehealth across Illinois.
Chloe Coulstock
Works with adults navigating anxiety, stress, and emotional overwhelm, including burnout, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and CBT in a strengths-based, client-centered way.
Not Sure Who to Choose?
Tell our intake team what you're dealing with and we'll match you with a therapist who fits. There's no cost for the first conversation.
Burnout Therapy Near You in Lincoln Park & Lakeview
Lincoln Park & Lakeview
Our Chicago office sits on the Lincoln Park/Lakeview border, convenient from either neighborhood, River North, or nearby areas of the North Side.
Online Therapy, Anywhere in Illinois
Join from home or from your office as long as you're physically located in Illinois, which is often easier to fit around a packed workday than getting to an appointment.
What to Expect: Your Burnout Therapy Journey
We'll ask what's bringing you in, what your work and home load looks like, and answer questions about how sessions work before you schedule anything.
Early sessions map where the load is coming from, what you do to keep up, and what recovery would actually look like for you. The goal isn't to fix everything in week one.
Most people meet weekly at first. Your therapist works with you on practical changes, like boundaries, workload, and how you talk to yourself, and adjusts the pace as your energy returns.
Every so often, your therapist checks in on your energy, sleep, and how work feels, and adjusts the plan if things aren't shifting.
Frequently Asked Questions
They overlap: exhaustion, low motivation, trouble concentrating. Burnout is usually tied to a specific source of chronic stress, often work, while depression tends to reach into every area of life, including things you used to enjoy. It's also possible to have both. A therapist can help sort out which is which.
Not necessarily. Some people change their workload or boundaries, some change roles, some leave, and many find a middle path. Therapy isn't about pushing you toward any one choice. If you're thinking about medical leave, that's a conversation for your doctor and your employer, and your therapist can help you think it through.
Yes. Many people who come in for burnout hold demanding roles with a lot of responsibility, and some of our therapists focus on perfectionism and high-achieving stress. Online sessions are available if your schedule is tight.
Therapy can't fix a toxic workplace, and we won't pretend it can. What it can change is how much of the load you carry home, what you say yes to, and whether staying makes sense for you.
It depends on how long you've been depleted and what's driving it. Many people notice some relief within a few months of weekly sessions, with regular check-ins along the way. There's no fixed number of sessions.
It can be. Burnout is described by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition, so it isn't a diagnosis on its own. Many people with burnout also have anxiety, depression, or an adjustment disorder, and your therapist can tell you whether a diagnosis fits. Call our intake team and we'll walk through your benefits before you start.
Yes, as long as you're physically in Illinois during the session. Many people prefer online sessions on busy workdays, and in-person sessions are available at our Chicago office.
About Tides Mental Health
Tides Mental Health is a Chicago-based practice providing inclusive, relationship-focused mental health care for individuals, couples, and families. From our Chicago office, our clinical therapists offer burnout therapy with both in-person and secure telehealth options. New clients start with a free 15-minute consultation before committing to a full intake appointment.
Ready to Start Burnout Therapy?
Being tired isn't a reason to wait. Book a free 15-minute consultation and talk through what's draining you with someone who can help you work out what comes next.
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