Work Issues and Burnout
The average person spends around 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. When work becomes a source of chronic stress or suffering, psychological support can help you recover and rebuild.
UNDERSTANDING WORK DIFFICULTIES
When work stops working for you.
Work can be a significant source of meaning, structure, and connection, but it can also be a major source of stress and distress. Workplace difficulties may include chronic overload, role conflict or ambiguity, interpersonal difficulties with colleagues or managers, values conflicts, and underemployment.
Burnout is not simply tiredness. It is a state of chronic stress that has led to physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of reduced effectiveness. Recovery from burnout typically requires addressing both the internal factors, such as perfectionism, difficulty with boundaries, and high self-criticism, and the external contributors in the work environment itself.
Psychological support can help you understand what is driving your difficulties, develop strategies for managing stress and setting boundaries, clarify your values, and navigate significant decisions about your career and life.
SIGNS OF BURNOUT
Persistent exhaustion that does not resolve with rest
Emotional detachment, cynicism, or feeling numb about work
Reduced sense of competence or achievement despite effort
Lethargy, poor motivation, and difficulty initiating tasks
Feelings of hopelessness about your work or career
Lowered self-esteem related to work performance
Anxiety symptoms such as worry, tension, or panic
Depressed mood, tearfulness, or loss of enjoyment
Physical symptoms including headaches, illness, and fatigue
Difficulty separating work from personal life
WHAT WE SUPPORT
Work difficulties take many forms.
Burnout
Characterised by exhaustion, cynicism or detachment, and a reduced sense of efficacy in the context of chronic workplace stress. Burnout is distinct from depression, though the two can co-occur. Recovery typically involves addressing both internal and external contributors.
Workplace stress
Arising from chronic overload, role conflict or ambiguity, interpersonal difficulties, or values conflicts. Left unaddressed, ongoing workplace stress can contribute to burnout, anxiety, and depression.
Workplace trauma
Traumatic experiences that occur in or are related to work, including bullying, harassment, witnessing distressing incidents, or catastrophic events. These can have lasting psychological effects that require professional support.
Career transitions
Navigating significant changes in role, industry, or career direction, including redundancy, resignation, or returning to work after illness. These transitions often involve identity and meaning concerns alongside practical challenges.
WorkCover or TAC claim?
We accept WorkCover and TAC-funded psychology sessions for clients navigating workplace injury or transport accident claims.
OUR PSYCHOLOGISTS
Support for burnout and work difficulties.
Lucy Adlard
Psychologist
Lucy supports clients navigating burnout, workplace stress, and career transitions. She helps clients understand the intersection of personal history and workplace context, and develop practical strategies for recovery and sustainable change.
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Rivkah Bendet
Psychologist
Rivkah brings a neurodivergent-affirming lens to work-related difficulties, recognising that burnout often presents with particular intensity in autistic and ADHD individuals. She works with clients to understand their specific vulnerabilities and build sustainable strategies for managing work demands.
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Avi Winner
Psychologist
Avi supports clients navigating workplace stress, burnout, and occupational challenges. He has a particular interest in how executive functioning difficulties and neurodivergence intersect with work demands, and helps clients build practical strategies for sustainable performance and wellbeing.
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Bridget Kosmas
Provisional Psychologist
Bridget works with clients experiencing work-related stress, burnout, and adjustment difficulties. She uses a collaborative, evidence-based approach drawing on CBT and ACT to help clients manage demands, set boundaries, and reconnect with what matters most in their work and life.
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Claudia Hounslow
Director & Psychologist
Claudia has extensive experience supporting professionals navigating burnout, workplace conflict, and career challenges. With a background in organisational psychology and leadership coaching, she brings a uniquely informed perspective to work-related difficulties and helps clients build sustainable, values-aligned ways of working.
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David Bokan
Psychologist
David supports clients navigating work stress, burnout, and occupational difficulties. He takes a practical, collaborative approach to help clients manage demands, set healthy boundaries, and reconnect with their sense of purpose and wellbeing at work.
View full profileFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions about burnout and work stress.
No. ICD-11 classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition, defined by exhaustion, mental distance from the job, and reduced professional efficacy. It is distinct from depression, although the two can occur together, and that distinction matters because the responses differ.
Yes. We accept WorkCover and TAC funded psychology sessions for clients navigating a workplace injury or transport accident claim. Approved claims are billed to the insurer rather than to you.
No. You can book directly with any of our psychologists without a GP referral. A referral is only needed if you want to claim the Medicare rebate, which requires a Mental Health Care Plan prepared by your GP. Appointments are available in person at our St Kilda clinic and by telehealth across Australia.
Sessions with our registered psychologists are $260.30 before 4pm and $270.45 from 4pm, sessions with our director Claudia Hounslow are $290 before 4pm and $300 from 4pm, and sessions with Bridget Kosmas, our provisional psychologist, are $100 before 4pm and $110 from 4pm. With a valid Mental Health Care Plan from your GP you can claim a Medicare rebate of $101.55 per session for up to 10 sessions per calendar year. The rebate is processed on the spot, so you pay the gap only. Medicare rebates apply to registered psychologists only, not to provisional psychologists.
Lucy Adlard, Rivkah Bendet, Avi Winner, Bridget Kosmas, Claudia Hounslow and David Bokan work with burnout and work related difficulties at our St Kilda clinic. You can read each of their profiles on our team page, or use our matching questionnaire if you would like help choosing.
Recovery starts with a conversation.
No referral required. Book an appointment or contact us for a free intake call to discuss how we can support your recovery.
FROM THE BLOG