Stress and Burnout — Psychologist in Fremantle
More than just tired
Stress is a normal part of life. But when it becomes chronic — when you are running on empty for months, the breaks never feel restorative, and you have lost the motivation or meaning that used to be there — something more is happening.
Burnout is the result of prolonged, unmanaged stress. It tends to develop when:
Demands consistently outpace your resources and recovery time You are giving a great deal to others with very little coming back You feel unable to say no, or unable to step back without things collapsing The work or situation that used to have meaning no longer does Your sense of worth is heavily tied to your output or performance
Who experiences stress and burnout
Stress and burnout are common across many situations — but particularly among people working in health and caring professions, people in leadership or high-responsibility roles, parents managing significant caregiving demands, and high-achieving individuals who have learned to push through for a long time.
Burnout can look like depression: low energy, flat mood, withdrawal from others. They are distinct, though they sometimes overlap, and understanding which is present matters for how we approach the work.
How I work with stress and burnout
The work here has a few threads. Understanding the pattern that led here — not just "I am stressed," but the specific demands, and the internal drivers (perfectionism, difficulty with boundaries, not feeling allowed to need things) that made it harder to protect yourself.
Building practical capacity — what changes to workload, relationships, and routine are realistic and possible.
Addressing underlying drivers — for many people, chronic stress or burnout is connected to long-standing beliefs: that their worth is conditional on their output, that they are not allowed to say no, or that something will collapse if they slow down.
Schema-informed work tends to be particularly useful here, because these beliefs often have old roots that shorter-term approaches do not reach.
Medicare
Psychology sessions for stress and burnout are covered under Medicare's Better Access initiative with a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP. Sessions are $220. With a Medicare rebate, your out-of-pocket cost is approximately $118 per session.
0468 310 853 | admin@ftpc.com.au