Burnout is an increasingly prevalent issue among psychologists. Research currently recognises it as a significant occupational challenge, with 68 per cent of professionals in the mental health field reporting high levels of burnout in recent years. Currently, this figure has surged to 75 per cent due to the additional stress related to Australian weather disasters, which impacts psychologists both personally and professionally.
The root causes of burnout in psychologists are unique compared to other professions. The pressures of working in a ‘helping’ role can put incredible strain on psychologists in their practice. Understanding these causes and finding effective strategies to manage burnout are essential for maintaining the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of these invaluable professionals.
This article covers the signs of burnout for psychologists, meaningful ways to attenuate their impact and the value of self-prioritisation in psychology practice.
Signs of burnout in psychologists
Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive stress. It’s a significant concern in high-demand professions, which may worsen with prolonged exposure to stressors and where there are limited opportunities for recovery.
For psychologists, burnout can manifest in many ways, such as:
- decreased job satisfaction
- reduced effectiveness with clients
- fatigue and reduced focus
- impending dread about going to work
Luke Lawrence from Explore Psychology in Geelong reflects on his personal experiences of burnout in private practice. He says there are specific warning signs that initially present for him that may be similarly felt by other practicing psychologists.
“The first thing that goes is my interest in continuous learning. Continuing professional development (CPD) in a career like psychology is, of course, necessary but it’s also something that keeps us going.”
“When you start to feel exhausted at the end of every interaction and you’ve been missing the opportunity for some extended self-care, your brain tries to conserve the energy that it has.”
The apathy that arises from being overworked and fatigued can translate into not wanting to invest in continued learning, which could dampen your career progress and feel like a disservice to clients.
Another critical sign of burnout that Luke feels is pertinent to psychologists is the feeling of ‘meaninglessness’. “Coming to the belief that your work doesn’t matter anymore”, Luke adds, is another sign that relates to the nature of psychology practice and is something that others should be mindful of if it arises in their own professional experience.
Broader burnout symptoms can include cynicism, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, headaches, physical pains, heart palpitations and sleep issues.
Causes of burnout for psychologists
High demands of the profession
In Australia, psychologists are under immense pressure to service the mental health needs of communities, with increased workload identified as a major factor causing burnout. The government has recognised the supply and demand gap, recently announcing plans to support psychology education pathways, helping fast-track the psychology workforce to ensure qualified psychologists can meet these growing demands.
While these incentives should help address shortages in the coming years, psychologists working in the current climate are stretched thin as they work tirelessly to support their clients. Managing a caseload, working long hours, session preparation, progress monitoring and handling acute care needs are among some of the expected norms within clinical practice. Eventually, this persistent demand can lead to exhaustion and feelings of being overwhelmed, contributing to burnout.
Enthusiasm vs experience
Luke shares his views on burnout risk factors for psychologists working in private practice. He believes that early-year psychologists are more vulnerable to experiencing burnout compared to those in their mid or late-career. This is likely due to a lack of experience in the profession and the perception of performance pressures related to their work. He says that with time, psychologists learn that they need to take breaks. In the beginning, there can be a strict adherence to ethics and many psychologists will want to be available to clients. However, going over and above for clients is a surefire path to burnout and this tendency to be too available to clients reduces with experience. Psychologists can then set better boundaries, feeling more self-assurance in their professional settings. “Over time, you develop more resilience and confidence in your practice”, Luke says.
Experience brings wisdom and the recognition that certain provisions need to be in place to sustain a psychologist’s career. A 2024 systematic review published in the journal Mental Health & Prevention echoes Luke’s lived experience, demonstrating that older psychologists had learned ‘how to preserve their emotional energy’ as they gained clinical experience.
This research may inspire younger practitioners to be mindful of the inherent risks of burning out early in their psychology careers and consider what needs to be done to foster longevity in their practice.
Compassion fatigue
Supporting clients as they work through trauma or severe mental health challenges can be both professionally rewarding and incredibly taxing. The study mentioned above highlighted that psychologists are at a particular and increased risk for experiencing burnout due to the frequent exposure to emotional states, trauma and ‘narratives of distress’ from their clients.
This phenomenon is known as compassion fatigue, a term that describes the negative impacts of caring for people in distress. It’s sometimes also referred to as ‘empathy-based stress’ and is commonly seen in mental health workers and those in other ‘helping’ healthcare roles, including nurses.
Compassion fatigue can diminish a psychologist's ability to empathise and provide support, ultimately affecting client outcomes. A sense of apathy, detachment from work and reduced empathy toward clients are the hallmarks of compassion fatigue for psychologists. Recognising these signs early can help psychologists maintain their emotional resilience, support the life of their practice and continue to offer meaningful care to those they serve.
Poor work-life balance
For many practising psychologists, the demands of the job can spill over into their personal lives, with negative impacts. Whether it’s finding time after hours to complete session notes or developing treatment plans for future cases, the extra hours spent away from the consultation room can impede personal time with family and leisure pursuits. This may impact personal health and relationships, which can further exacerbate negative feelings at work in a cyclical manner. This may result in poor work-life balance, which contributes to burnout for psychologists.
Administrative burden
The core of a psychologist’s work includes talk therapy and facilitating meaningful change for people during life’s challenges. However, administrative and paperwork-heavy tasks are a burdensome yet necessary part of the job. Completing client progress notes, sending invoices and tending to business matters can take significant time away from the work that psychologists are passionate about. This administrative load can create frustration, leading to disengagement and dissatisfaction and may impact the quality of patient care. This element of practice can also contribute to burnout if not properly managed.
How to identify burnout in psychology practice
Identifying burnout in psychologists is crucial, as early intervention can ensure a continued and thriving career. Assessment tools like the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) can be a valuable resource, offering a structured way to measure burnout across different life areas. Evaluating personal, work-related and client-related dimensions gives psychologists an opportunity to detect signs of exhaustion and emotional fatigue before they escalate. They can also reveal the multi-directional influence of each life dimension. This allows psychologists to make any necessary changes and employ recovery strategies to address existing issues.
Practitioners can gain clear insights into their mental and emotional state, adopt better self-awareness and proactively manage stressors that stem from different facets of life. For psychologists, this results in preserving their wellbeing and maintaining their ability to provide adequate care, ultimately benefiting their personal lives and careers.
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is a self-reported questionnaire designed to assess burnout across three dimensions: personal burnout, work-related burnout and client-related burnout.
Each dimension is evaluated through specific questions and responses are scored on a scale from 0 to 100, with options ranging from ‘always’ to ‘never/almost never.’ An answer of ‘always’ scores 100, whereas ‘never’ scores zero.
There are different versions of the CBI; however, some example questions are as follows:
Personal burnout:
- How often do you feel tired?
- How often are you physically exhausted?
- How often do you think: "I can't take it anymore?"
Work-related burnout:
- Do you feel worn out at the end of the working day?
- Are you exhausted in the morning at the thought of another day at work?
- Does your work frustrate you?
Client-related burnout:
- Do you find it hard to work with clients?
- Does it drain your energy to work with clients?
- Do you feel that you give more than you get back when you work with clients?
Depending on the question, an appropriate response could be one of the following: to a very high degree, to a high degree, somewhat, to a low degree, to a very low degree. Otherwise, respond with: always, often, sometimes, seldom, never/almost never.
The scores for each subscale are averaged to provide an overall burnout score. As a self-reflective tool, a high score indicates high burnout risk.
How to manage burnout for psychologists
Addressing burnout is about implementing actionable strategies to combat its effects. Here are some steps psychologists can take to aid in burnout recovery, protect their wellbeing and maintain their passion for the profession.
Prioritise self-care
Commit to caring about yourself as much as you care about your clients. This is an important part of mitigating burnout risk if psychologists find themselves struggling with fatigue, being overwhelmed and suffering from emotional stress from work.
Prioritise self-care practices, including taking regular breaks, reading a book, enjoying time out for personal pursuits, staying socially connected, spending time in nature and enjoying the benefits of green or blue spaces. These strategies help promote a sense of wellbeing and improve mental, emotional and physical health.
Luke offers some self-care advice for psychologists looking to create better balance in their work and life. His philosophy arose from advice given to his clients, honouring, as he describes, the ‘three tenets of wellbeing’. In his view, these core principles of optimising sleep, exercise and diet should form the basis of self-care practice for psychologists. “If one of these three areas of your health is out of alignment, the other two may suffer”, Luke adds. This could have undesirable impacts on mood, energy and focus, resulting in reduced work performance and satisfaction.
Sometimes, lack of sleep, poor eating habits and minimal daily movement are a direct consequence of a busy schedule and work life. However, circuit-breaking these patterns by making small changes outside of work can positively influence a psychologist’s overall outlook and better equip them to feel competent and happy in their practice.
Practice self-compassion
Different from practising self-care, the act of self-compassion has been outlined in a recent paper published by the Australian Psychologist as an important protective mechanism against the onset of burnout in psychologists. The key findings in this article demonstrated that psychologists who practice self-compassion experience significantly lower levels of emotional exhaustion and burnout.
Specifically, practising self-compassion allows individuals to take a kinder approach to their perceived failures, reducing the stress associated with work demands. It also serves as a buffer against depressive symptoms, reducing self-critical tendencies that may commonly arise in high-demand roles such as psychology practice.
Adopting self-compassion practices also helps build resilience in the face of occupational stress. Psychologists actively engaging in self-compassion have a better chance at maintaining healthier perspectives on work-related challenges with clients, as they accept these events as learning opportunities for growth.
In practical terms, engaging in mindfulness, daily reflections and self-assessments can lead to a more fulfilling practice and psychology career. This is an actionable step toward reducing psychologist burnout and continuing high-quality client care.
Engage in supervision and peer support
Normalising the process of seeking help is necessary for psychologists to have a thriving and healthy career.
Feelings of isolation may arise for psychologists, which is why supervision and peer support groups are so valuable. Discussing challenging cases, venting emotions and sharing advice helps build a sense of solidarity in the psychology field.
As part of their ongoing regulatory requirements, psychologists are required to receive at least 10 hours per year of peer supervision, also known as ‘peer consultation’. However, Luke says that most psychologists will have a dedicated board-approved supervisor in addition to this, to provide regular advice regarding ethical issues, work through client cases and to offer general support in their practice.
Luke shared that the supervisor he sees monthly is one he found during his internship and has provided invaluable support in his practice. He acknowledges the benefits of having someone dedicated solely to you who can offer up support. “They become your own therapist of sorts,” he explains.
Streamline work processes
It’s important to streamline the work process to alleviate administrative tasks for psychologists. In private practice, the administrative burdens can be substantial. Tasks like scheduling, follow-up processes, client note-taking and report writing consume valuable hours that could be better spent on client sessions.
By simplifying these processes, psychologists reclaim precious time and reduce the mental load associated with juggling multiple responsibilities. This efficiency shift enables them to focus on the core of their work, which is to support the psycho-emotional needs of their clients. For psychologists with small practices, in particular, streamlining becomes essential to maintaining professional productivity, ensuring these processes run smoothly without unnecessary stress.
AI tools may offer powerful solutions to automate these repetitive tasks, presenting an opportunity to reshape how psychologists manage their daily workload. These tools can assist with transcribing patient notes or supporting treatment plan development and should be employed with careful consideration, adhering to the relevant professional guidelines.
Automation and streamlining also allow psychologists to finish work at more reasonable hours, fostering a healthier work-life balance. This facilitates greater job satisfaction, ensures clearer boundaries between work and personal life and reduces the overall burnout risks.
Undertake professional development
CPD is valuable for psychologists to reduce the risks of burnout and sustain their professional wellbeing. By actively engaging in CPD programs, psychologists can ensure their skills remain relevant and aligned with the latest evidence-based practices, enhancing the quality of care they provide and boosting their confidence in managing complex cases.
Staying updated on current research and techniques allows psychologists to approach their work more efficiently and effectively, reducing the stress of engaging potentially outdated or less effective methods. Beyond skill-building, CPD offers opportunities for reflection, peer interaction and learning strategies to manage workloads, which can provide emotional and professional support. This proactive approach to growth fosters resilience, enabling psychologists to maintain a fulfiling career while safeguarding their mental and emotional wellbeing.
The value of self-prioritisation to avoid burnout in psychology practice
Psychologists should remember they are human beings, too. They have vulnerabilities and life experiences that shape who they are as people. Ultimately, a sustained career as a psychologist depends on the prioritisation of self-care, seeking support and recognising personal limitations when it comes to helping people on their mental health journey.
By learning how to manage burnout and changing what’s not working in their practice to better support their longevity, psychologists can continue to help others without sacrificing their happiness and career success.
Courses to advance your skills in psychology practice
Studying an online APAC-accredited postgraduate psychology course, such as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology or Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Bridging) offered by GlobalHealth Education’s university partners, can propel your career in this rewarding field. There are a range of psychology courses, including graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and master’s degrees, to set you on the path in this profession.
The courses below are listed by qualification level, from lowest to highest.
It’s an opportunity to deepen your foundational knowledge and refine the skills needed for professional psychological practice, going beyond what undergraduate studies provide. Whether you're aiming for provisional registration or endorsement in a specific area of practice, postgraduate programs can provide pathways to help you reach your career goals.
If you’re wondering how to prepare for a postgraduate psychology degree, learn helpful tips on getting the most out of your study experience here.
GlobalHealth Education’s university partners offer healthcare courses in a range of fields, including social work, public health, counselling, nursing, psychology, leadership and mental health. Choose a course and enquire to speak to a Student Enrolment Advisor for further guidance with the enrolment process.
