Stress & Burnout

When being the person who copes starts to cost too much.

You may be very good at managing pressure. Perhaps you've spent years being dependable, capable and the person other people turn to when something needs sorting out.

But there can come a point when coping stops being sustainable.

You may be exhausted but unable to switch off. Sleep may be affected. Concentration and decision-making can become harder. You might feel anxious, irritable, emotionally flat or increasingly disconnected from your work, your relationships or the things you usually enjoy.

Sometimes the most unsettling part is simply: I don't feel like myself anymore.

When coping isn't enough

Chronic stress and burnout don't always arrive dramatically. They can build gradually, particularly when you are accustomed to carrying responsibility and pushing through difficult periods.

You may have become very skilled at functioning while depleted.

Therapy isn't simply about helping you become better at coping with things that are hurting you. It offers an opportunity to understand what has brought you here, what is keeping the pressure in place and what may need to change.

How I work

I am a BACP Accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist with specialist training in trauma therapy, somatic approaches and EMDR. I also bring many years of experience working with people carrying significant professional and organisational responsibility.

Together we can explore both what is happening around you and what is happening within you — including the patterns, expectations and experiences that may make it difficult to stop, set limits, ask for help or recognise your own needs.

Our work might include developing greater capacity to regulate stress, understanding patterns that keep you caught in cycles of over-responsibility, and addressing underlying experiences where these continue to shape how you respond today.

The aim is not simply to get you functioning again.

It is to help you recover your energy, clarity and sense of choice — and create a way of living and working that doesn't require you to continually override yourself.

Sessions

I offer therapy for chronic stress and burnout in person from my private practice in Mid Devon and online across the UK.

Sessions are usually weekly or fortnightly.

You don't have to wait until you can no longer cope.