How do I know if it is burnout or depression?

They overlap, and they can occur together. Burnout is usually tied to a particular role, such as work or caregiving, and often eases when you step away from that role for long enough. Depression tends to follow you everywhere, into weekends and holidays and the things you used to enjoy. If you are not sure, that is fine. We can sort it out together, and the work often helps with both.

Do I have to quit my job?

No. Some people do decide to make a large change, and if that is where your thinking leads, we can explore it carefully. But most people find that recovery comes from changing how they work and how they recover, setting boundaries they did not think were possible, and addressing the internal pressure that keeps them overextended.

I do not have time for therapy. Is it worth it?

That is one of the most common things people say when they are burned out, and it is part of the pattern. Fifty minutes a week, from your own room, with no commute, is a small investment in the capacity that everything else depends on. Evening and Saturday times can make it easier to fit.

What if my burnout is from caring for a family member?

Then your exhaustion is often mixed with love, guilt, grief and sometimes resentment, all at once. All of that is welcome here. We work on sustaining you through the caregiving, and on the grief that often begins long before a loss. The page on anticipatory grief and caregiving may also help.

Specialty · stress and burnout

Therapy for stress and burnout

Burnout usually happens to people who care. You kept going because the work mattered, because people depended on you, because stopping felt impossible. Now the tank is empty, and rest does not refill it the way it used to. We work on recovering your capacity without asking you to stop caring about what you care about.

Telehealth only, by secure video or audio, for people physically located in California. Laurie, LMFT.

Book a free consult Text (831) 477-7007

Or email lauriechristysessions@gmail.com

An empty hammock hanging between two oak trees in dappled afternoon light

What burnout work looks like with me

Burnout is more than being tired. It tends to show up as three things together: exhaustion that does not lift, a growing cynicism or numbness toward work or people you once cared about, and a sense that you are no longer effective, however hard you try. If that sounds familiar, you are not weak and you are not lazy. You have been running a system past its limits for a long time.

We begin with the nervous system, because that is where burnout lives. A body that has been in overdrive for months or years does not calm down just because you take a weekend off. Somatic and mindfulness work help you notice where you are holding, learn what actually settles you, and build small, reliable moments of recovery into days that currently have none.

Then we look at the drivers. Some are external: a workload that is genuinely too much, a caregiving role with no relief, a workplace culture that rewards self-erasure. Some are internal: a part of you that believes your worth depends on output, or that everything will fall apart if you are not holding it. We treat both with respect. Internal Family Systems is particularly helpful with the internal drivers, because those parts are usually loyal, hardworking and very tired themselves.

The goal is not simply to get you functioning again so you can repeat the cycle. It is to find a way of working and living that has room for peace, joy, purpose and fulfillment, and that you can sustain for years rather than months.

Rest is not a reward for finishing. It is part of how you last.

Caring is not the problem. Caring without limits is.

Where burnout often comes from

Demanding careers

Leaders, clinicians, attorneys, founders, teachers and anyone whose job asks for constant judgment and responsiveness. High capability can hide burnout for a long time.

Caregiving

Caring for a parent, a partner, a child with extra needs, or all three at once. Caregiver burnout is real, and it often arrives alongside grief for the life you had before.

Helping professions

Therapists, nurses, doctors, chaplains and others who hold other people's pain for a living. Compassion fatigue is a particular kind of depletion, and it deserves care of its own.

Carrying everyone

Being the steady one in your family, friend group or community. When everyone leans on you, it can be very hard to notice that no one is holding you up.

How we would work

We start with a free 20-minute consult by phone, text or video. You tell me what the last stretch has been like and what you need, and I tell you honestly whether I think I can help. There is no pressure in that call and no obligation afterward.

If we go ahead, sessions are weekly to begin with, by secure video or audio anywhere in California. My weekday hours run into the evening and include Saturday afternoons, which helps when your working day is full. I draw on somatic and mindfulness work, Internal Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for reconnecting with what matters, CBT for the thoughts that keep you overcommitting, hypnotherapy for deep rest when it suits you, and my own Positive Re-Narrative and Repatterning.

Work burnout and chronic stress
Caregiver exhaustion
Compassion fatigue in helping professions
Perfectionism and difficulty resting
Boundaries at work and at home
Stress that shows up in sleep, digestion or tension
Burnout that has tipped into low mood or anxiety

Questions people ask about burnout

How do I know if it is burnout or depression?: They overlap, and they can occur together. Burnout is usually tied to a particular role, such as work or caregiving, and often eases when you step away from that role for long enough. Depression tends to follow you everywhere, into weekends and holidays and the things you used to enjoy. If you are not sure, that is fine. We can sort it out together, and the work often helps with both.
Do I have to quit my job?: No. Some people do decide to make a large change, and if that is where your thinking leads, we can explore it carefully. But most people find that recovery comes from changing how they work and how they recover, setting boundaries they did not think were possible, and addressing the internal pressure that keeps them overextended.
I do not have time for therapy. Is it worth it?: That is one of the most common things people say when they are burned out, and it is part of the pattern. Fifty minutes a week, from your own room, with no commute, is a small investment in the capacity that everything else depends on. Evening and Saturday times can make it easier to fit.
What if my burnout is from caring for a family member?: Then your exhaustion is often mixed with love, guilt, grief and sometimes resentment, all at once. All of that is welcome here. We work on sustaining you through the caregiving, and on the grief that often begins long before a loss. The page on anticipatory grief and caregiving may also help.

If you are running on empty

You do not need to be at the point of collapse to deserve support. Text or email and we will find a time to talk. Telehealth only, by secure video or audio, for people physically located in California. Laurie, LMFT.