Therapy for Burnout (UK)
There are a number of evidence-based psychological therapies that can help alleviate burnout symptoms and prevent a reoccurance.
On this page you’ll find:
✔️A clear what burnout therapy is and whether this is right for you
✔️What our burnout pathway looks like at Plum Psychology
✔️A resource hub with tools, assessments, case studies and practical guides.
Burnout Therapy
What is Burnout?
Burnout goes beyond “stress”. When you're under stress you're overly engaged in resolving demands, but able to feel replenished after a break or when you've reached your end goal.
Burnout comes when you've given all you had to give and have, on some level, disengaged. This occurs in the context of unmanaged occupational stress (although hold in mind that for many this includes unpaid labour like care-giving and studying as well as paid work).
Many people in burnout describe feeling exhausted and heavy; disconnected from others, their work or even their feelings; and unable to function as they previously did (although this may take some time to fully appreciate as many people mask their struggles for a while). You can read more about the official definition here.
What is Burnout Therapy?
Burnout therapy helps you understand what’s driving it all and why you have become trapped in these unpleasant symptoms. This often includes some sort of external stressors, typically: workload, responsibilities, lack of support or resources, or exposure to toxic workplace experiences and moral distress.
But there can also be internal stressors that you might not yet be aware of, for example: perfectionism, trauma history, people-pleasing, neurodivergence, boundary-setting difficulties and so on.
Specific therapy approaches depend on the severity of your burnout symptoms. For some we need to start with the basic building blocks of structure, social support, exercise and self-care; for others we need to address the external and internal stressors through either practical psychological tools or trauma-processing.
At Plum Psychology, we offer evidence-based therapies by accredited psychologists. We can help you overcome burnout and help you break free from repeating the same patterns over and over again. Our psychological therapy service is available UK-wide online, or in Taunton, Somerset.
Who Is Burnout
Therapy For?
If you’re here, you might recognise some of these:
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You’re exhausted but can’t properly switch off.
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You’re “functional” but everything feels harder: motivation, decisions, concentration.
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You’re more irritable, numb, tearful, or anxious than you used to be.
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Your body is forcing pauses (sleep disruption, headaches, gut issues, frequent colds).
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Work takes more from you than you can replenish -and rest doesn’t make a difference
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You have escapism thoughts and feel trapped
Burnout therapy can help when you’re on the edge of collapse, already off sick, returning to work after time out, or stuck in a cycle of recovery then relapse into the same patterns.
When we recommend additional support
If you’re in acute crisis, at high risk, or your wellbeing is rapidly deteriorating, we’ll help you think about the right next step - which may include liaising with your GP, occupational health, or crisis services where appropriate
How Burnout Therapy Works at Plum Psychology
Who Are We and How Are We Qualified To Help You?
Plum Psychology is a small psychology practice (based online and in Taunton) led by Dr Claire Plumbly who is a Clinical Psychologist and author of the book Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Managed You. All members of our team are HCPC-registered psychologists, with extra training in evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, CBT), Eye Movement Desensitsaion and Reprocessing (EMDR), Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and more.
What Happens When You Come for Burnout Therapy with us?
We start by understanding:
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how burnout is showing up for you (mind, body, behaviour, work)
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what’s maintaining it (stressors + internal patterns)
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what recovery needs to include (boundaries, systems, processing, lifestyle, meaning)
You’ll leave with a clear working map of your burnout pattern, and the roadmap we will follow to feel better.
ONE
Assessment
&
Plan
TWO
Stabilisation
Skills
Next we focus on:
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soothing skills for downshifting your high threat activation (sleep, regulating strong emotions and overwhelm, skills to decompress)
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psychological skills for worrying and self-critical thoughts
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building sustainable pacing (so you stop crashing after short bursts of doing better)
THREE
Target
Root
Causes
Depending on what’s needed, therapy may include:
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trauma-processing work where burnout is linked to earlier experiences or upsetting recent events
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deeper belief work to address perfectionism, low self-esteem or insecure striving behaviours
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skills and boundaries practice for over-responsibility and people-pleasing
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support with return-to-work planning and “reasonable adjustments” thinking
FOUR
Relapse
Prevention
Finally, you’ll connect to wider values and how to stay aligned with these. Plus you will build up your awareness of early-warning signs, recovery rules, and a realistic maintenance plan that fits with the demands of your life.
Burnout Resources
Professional Accreditation and Regulatory Bodies
All of our therapists at Plum Psychology are registered with the correct governing body. The HCPC is the governing body for all practitioner psychologists, the BABCP is the governing body for CBT therapists.
Where appropriate for their therapy approaches, some of our team have also pursued accreditation with extra professional bodies. Please check each therapist's individual page for more.