Stress & Burnout
For high-functioning exhaustion — when you're still delivering but running on empty.
Burnout rarely announces itself. It arrives as cynicism, a shorter fuse, sleep that doesn't restore, and the sense that your work is both endless and meaningless. People rarely seek help at the point they first notice something is wrong.
Therapy addresses both sides: the internal drivers — perfectionism, difficulty saying no, tying worth to output — and the practical realities of workload, boundaries and recovery.
We work with professionals, clinicians, founders and parents carrying more than one full-time role.
What to expect
The first session separates what is structural in your situation from what your own standards are generating, because the responses differ. From there we rebuild protected recovery time, repair sleep, and set boundaries you can actually hold.
How many sessions will I need?
We agree the likely number of sessions with you at the first appointment, once we understand what's happening. A Mental Health Care Plan funds up to ten individual sessions per calendar year, and an initial referral commonly covers six before your GP reviews it. We set a review point rather than committing you to an open-ended course. Burnout driven by workload alone tends to resolve faster than burnout driven by perfectionism, because the second requires work on the beliefs that produced it.
Evidence base
Source: who.int
The World Health Organization classifies burnout in ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, rather than as a medical condition.
How we work with this
The shape of treatment, step by step — adjusted to what you bring and the pace you set.
Diagnose the load
We separate what's structural in your situation from what's driven by your own standards — the responses are different.
Rebuild recovery
Deliberate, protected recovery time, sleep repair, and realistic boundaries you can actually hold.
Address the drivers
Schema and ACT work on the beliefs about worth and productivity that lead back to burnout otherwise.
Questions about Stress & Burnout
Is burnout the same as depression?
No. Burnout is tied to a specific context and lifts when that context changes, while depression is present across contexts. The two overlap and can co-occur, so assessment distinguishes them before treatment starts.
Can I claim a Medicare rebate for burnout?
Only where your GP diagnoses a qualifying condition such as an anxiety or depressive disorder. Burnout on its own is not a Medicare-eligible diagnosis, so we tell you the position before you book.
Do I have to leave my job to recover?
No. Most people recover while still working, by changing recovery patterns, boundaries and the internal drivers first. Where the role itself is untenable, we work through that decision properly rather than reactively.
How many sessions will this take?
That is agreed with you at the first appointment. Expect longer where perfectionism or difficulty delegating is driving the exhaustion rather than workload alone.
Related services
Book with Amelia
Sessions run 50 minutes, in our Melbourne CBD rooms or by secure video. No referral needed to begin.