You used to care about your work. Now you sit in front of your inbox with a heavy feeling, you are tired even after a weekend off and small tasks feel huge. If that sounds familiar, you may be dealing with burnout. Burnout therapy in Ottawa can help you understand what is happening and find your footing again. This post walks through the three parts of burnout, what counselling works on for each and how to see a therapist downtown or online.
This post is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis.
What is burnout, in three parts
The World Health Organization describes burnout as the result of long-running workplace stress that has not been well managed. It is not classified as a medical condition. WHO calls it an occupational phenomenon, and it has three parts (see Sources):
Exhaustion. Feeling drained of energy.
Mental distance. Feeling detached, negative or cynical about your job.
Feeling less effective. A sense that you are not doing your job as well as you used to.
Stress and burnout therapy in Ottawa can look at all three. Many people notice one part more than the others. Some feel all three at once. Below, we look at each part and what counselling can work on.
Stress itself is not always bad. The National Institute of Mental Health describes stress as the body's physical or mental response to an outside cause (see Sources). Short bursts can help you meet a deadline. Burnout is what can happen when the pressure goes on and on without enough relief.
Running on empty, exhaustion
Exhaustion is often the first thing people notice. It can look like:
Feeling tired even after rest or a holiday
Sleep that doesn't leave you refreshed
Getting headaches, colds or aches more often
Needing a lot of effort to start simple tasks
Having nothing left for family or friends at the end of the day
What counselling works on. A therapist can help you look at your pace and where your energy goes. Together you can find rest that actually restores you, not just collapsing on the couch. Counselling can also help you practise saying no, or "not right now," when your plate is full.
Many people with burnout feel guilty about resting. A counsellor can help you see rest as part of doing your work well, not a reward you have to earn.
Not caring any more, distance and cynicism
The second part of burnout can be harder to talk about. People often feel ashamed of it. It may look like:
Feeling numb or flat about work you used to enjoy
Getting irritable with coworkers, clients or family
Dreading messages and calls
Pulling away from people at work
Thinking "What's the point?" about tasks that once felt meaningful
This distance is often a way of protecting yourself when you have given too much for too long. It does not mean you are a bad person or that you have stopped caring deep down.
What counselling works on. A therapist can help you reconnect with your values, the reasons you chose this work or role in the first place. You can look at boundaries that would protect your energy. Counselling also makes room for grief, because burnout can mean losing what a job used to mean to you.
"I used to be good at this", feeling less effective
The third part of burnout often shows up as self-doubt. You might notice:
Second-guessing decisions you used to make easily
Harsher self-talk, like "I can't do anything right"
Trying to be perfect to make up for feeling behind
Trouble focusing or remembering things
Feeling like a fraud, even when others say you are doing fine
What counselling works on. A therapist can help you notice and soften self-criticism. You can work on setting realistic standards, so "good enough" feels okay again. Counselling can also help you sort out which demands are reasonable and which are not.
When it is not only the job
WHO's definition of burnout is about work. But research suggests life outside work can matter too.
A study of schoolteachers in France, Spain and Switzerland looked at many possible links to burnout. Along with strain at work, burnout was linked with things like how secure people felt in daily life, conflict between work and the rest of life, and personality (Bianchi and colleagues, 2021, see Sources). The authors suggested that factors outside work should not be ignored.
That fits what many people describe. Burnout can feel worse when you are also:
Caring for a child, parent or partner who needs a lot of support
Worried about money
Dealing with conflict at home
Going through a loss or a big change
Family caregivers often describe a very similar kind of exhaustion. Burnout counselling in Ottawa looks at the whole picture, not just your job description.
When burnout may be something more
Burnout can overlap with other concerns. It may be time to talk to a professional if:
Low mood doesn't lift, even on days off
You feel anxious or on edge most of the time
You've lost interest in things outside work too
You feel hopeless or have thoughts of not wanting to be here
If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 any time. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.
Seeing a burnout therapist, downtown or online
Our Ottawa office is at 1 Rideau St, 7th Floor, inside the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, a short walk from Rideau Station. You can also choose online burnout therapy from anywhere in Ontario. Online sessions use a secure video link, with nothing to download.
These therapists list burnout on their own profiles, see adults 18+ and work in person in Ottawa and online:
Our stress and burnout service page and our post on recovering from burnout have more on self-help steps you can try between sessions.
What a first session can look like
In a first session, your therapist will usually ask what has been happening, how long you have felt this way and what you hope will change. You don't need to have it all figured out. Many people start with, "I just feel done."
From there, you and your therapist can choose where to begin. For some people that is rest and pacing. For others it is boundaries, self-criticism or the stress at home that is adding to the load. There is no set timeline. The goal is to help you feel more like yourself again.
Common questions about burnout therapy
What are the three signs of burnout? WHO describes three parts: exhaustion, mental distance or cynicism about your job, and feeling less effective at work.
Is burnout only about work? WHO's definition is about work. Research suggests life outside work can add to it, and caregivers often describe something very similar.
Can therapy help with burnout? Counselling can help you understand what is draining you, protect your energy and rebuild a healthier relationship with work.
Can I see a burnout therapist online in Ontario? Yes. All three therapists named above also see clients online anywhere in Ontario.
Cost, billing and your first step
Sessions with our therapists range from $130 to $200, depending on the clinician.
We accept Health Spending Accounts (HSAs).
We can direct bill many insurers. Coverage depends on your plan, so check with your insurer before you start.
Book a free 15-minute consultation with our admin team. If you're running on empty, a counsellor can help you get your footing back.
If you're in crisis: if you or someone you love is in immediate danger, call 911. If you're thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 any time, day or night.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Sources
World Health Organization. "Burn-out an 'occupational phenomenon': International Classification of Diseases." 2019. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
Bianchi R, Manzano-García G, Rolland JP. "Is Burnout Primarily Linked to Work-Situated Factors? A Relative Weight Analytic Study." Front Psychol. 2021;11:623912. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7838215/
National Institute of Mental Health. "I'm So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet." https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet