Counselling for stress & burnout
When you’re running on empty and can’t picture how things change, talking it through with someone outside the situation can help.
When 'coping' is all you're doing
- You get through the day and have nothing left by the evening
- Sleep doesn't seem to recharge you any more
- Small things land much harder than they used to
- You can't remember when you last properly switched off
Burnout builds up slowly, and it eases that way too
I'll help you look at what's been draining you, and at the habits and expectations underneath it, not just the workload. From there we work out what can realistically change, and how you start protecting your own limits.
Counselling offers support and space to work things through. It isn't a medical treatment or a quick fix.
Book a free 10-minute callPeople often come to talk about
- Work pressure that has stopped feeling manageable
- Tiredness that rest doesn't fix
- Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
- Feeling short-tempered with the people you care about
- A sense of failing at everything at once
You don't need to tick every one of those, or wait until you've properly broken down. Feeling like this is reason enough.
The approach
We'll look at what's driving the exhaustion, which is often as much about expectations and habits as it is about workload itself, and work out what can realistically change.
Counselling isn't a medical treatment and I can't promise a particular outcome. In sessions, you get space to think clearly about a situation you're too close to, and practical support in protecting your own limits.
Sessions can help with:
- Working out what's actually driving the exhaustion, not just the symptoms
- Practical changes to protect your time and energy
- Untangling work pressure from what's happening in the rest of your life
- Rebuilding rest that actually recharges you
- Deciding what needs to change, and what's realistic to change first
I'm a Registered Member of the BACP (45587) and an Accredited Registrant with the NCPS (NCS20-00911), and I work within the BACP Ethical Framework.
What happens in sessions
You can start with a free 10-minute call, or book a session straight away if you already know you'd like to. The call has no forms and no commitment. You tell me a little about what's going on, I tell you how I'd work with it, and you decide whether it feels right.
Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly to start. There's no fixed number of sessions and no contract tying you in.
What you tell me is confidential, with the standard exceptions every counsellor works to around serious risk of harm. I'll explain exactly how that works before we begin.
Fees, no surprises
Start with a free 10-minute call, or book a session directly.
Registered to accept referrals from Bupa and Aviva. Please check any policy excess with your provider before booking.
Your options, in full
Private counselling with me is one way through this, not the only one. Here's the full picture for stress and burnout, so you can decide what's right for you.
Your GP. Worth speaking to if stress or burnout is affecting your sleep, appetite or physical health, or if it's tipped into something that feels like it needs medical attention.
NHS Talking Therapies. Free, and you can usually refer yourself without going through your GP first, if you're registered with a GP and aged 18 or over (16 in some areas). Barnsley Talking Therapies takes self-referrals on 01226 644900.
Your employer. If work is the main driver, it's worth checking what support your employer already offers, such as an Employee Assistance Programme. I also offer workplace counselling that employers can arrange directly.
You don't have to pick just one. If you're not sure what's right, that's exactly what the free 10-minute call is for.
Where I work
I see people in person in private counselling rooms within the South Yorkshire Physiotherapy Centre, Day Street, Barnsley, S70 1NW, and by video anywhere in the UK.
Related support
Individual counselling
One-to-one sessions in Barnsley or online.
Learn more →Workplace counselling
Confidential support for employees under pressure.
Learn more →Anxiety & depression
When worry or low mood take hold too.
Learn more →Grief & loss
Support through bereavement and change.
Learn more →Mental health support
More areas of support, if this isn't quite the right fit.
Learn more →Questions people ask
What's the difference between stress and burnout?
There's no strict clinical line between them. Stress usually still feels manageable day to day; burnout is more like running on empty, where even things you used to enjoy stop feeling worth the effort. Either is a reasonable reason to talk to someone.
Can counselling help if the problem is my job?
Yes, even if the job itself doesn't change. We can look at what's realistic to change, what support is already available through your employer, and how to protect your own limits either way.
How many sessions will I need?
There's no fixed number. Some people find a handful of sessions is enough; others come for longer. You're not tied into a contract and can stop when it feels right.
Is it confidential?
Yes, within the standard limits of confidentiality, which I'll explain before we begin.
Talk it through, free
A short, relaxed call to see how I can help.