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Burnout can take root in a job when stress increases and support and reward decrease.

For therapists, burnout is a major occupational hazard.

Boundaries, meaningful relationships, self-awareness, and restorative practices can help.

Burnout is a serious public health challenge that affects a whopping 76 percent of workers worldwide. Technically speaking, it’s when a person’s strength and passion diminish over time in response to chronic workplace stress. While people can flourish in jobs in which they feel valued, feel appreciated, and have purpose, burnout can take root when stress increases and support and reward decrease. The consequences are high: Burnout can sap an individual physically, mentally, and emotionally.

For therapists, however, burnout is a major occupational hazard. It is a profession that focuses on others’ suffering, conflicts, loss, and trauma over the course of a given day. Clinicians process clients’ feelings and experiences, drawing heavily on emotional, cognitive, and physical resources. It’s no wonder, then, that therapists experience burnout at an estimated rate of 40 percent.

So how do mental health professionals manage burnout? This was the central question of a study conducted by researchers Sancia Duncan and Rachael Pond of Massey University in New Zealand. They performed a large-scale literature search of rigorous qualitative studies on burnout prevention for therapists. The search yielded nine........

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