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Is your brain full—but you can’t name half of what you’re holding?

This week in the first edition of Structured Rest Jen explores the cognitive load of therapist burnout—what it feels like, why it happens, and how to begin recovering. From forgotten notes to invisible mental tasks, many therapists feel like they’re failing when in reality, their brains are simply overloaded.

Drawing from her background in brain injury rehab, Jen introduces a practical way to start making space: the brain dump. She walks you through how to do it, what to do with what comes out, and how it fits into a bigger weekly rhythm of recovery.

This episode is equal parts practical and personal—complete with a live brain dump demo, reflections on parenting overload, invisible labor, and why so many of us struggle to hold it all.

• What cognitive burnout looks like for therapists (and why it’s not your fault)
• Why memory, focus, and executive function suffer during chronic overload
• A gentle reframe from Jen’s work in brain injury: your brain needs support, not pressure
• The Delete–Delay–Delegate framework for reducing mental load
• A real-time example of Jen’s weekly brain dump
• How to make it a practice, not a one-time fix
• A preview of what’s next: calendar audits and energy drains

→ Set a 5-minute timer. Brain dump everything: clinical, personal, emotional, invisible.

→ Then review:

• What can be deleted?

• What can be delayed?

• What can be delegated?

→ Schedule the rest—or give it a home so your brain doesn’t have to hold it anymore.

• 📚 The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• → Link to the book and research
• 📄 Atlantic Article: Why Parents Are Bringing Back Landlines
• → Read it here
• 🎶 Trevor Hall – “You Can’t Rush Your Healing”
• → Listen on Spotify
• 🔁 Previous episodes referenced:
  • Ep. 63 – Therapist Burnout and the Brain
  • Ep. 64 – Tips for Overwhelm
  • Ep. 65 – Overbooked and Overwhelmed

Is It the Session or the Schedule?

A deep dive into your calendar and energy audit—how to identify emotional drain points and restructure your time to support recovery, not just survival.

Episode 74 | Creating Safety for Your Own System: Why Structured Rest Matters

Join the Therapist Pen-Pal List for weekly reflections and burnout recovery tips:https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

After a difficult meeting left me dysregulated and questioning everything (again), I knew it was time to return to this series: Structured Rest.

In this personal and practical episode, I talk about:

• Why traditional rest isn't enough in burnout recovery
• What it means to actually create safety in your body
• How I’m listening to the parts of me that say, “I can’t keep doing this”
• The real-life commitments I’m making—like yoga as a student, taking real lunch breaks, and ditching sad salads
• How nervous system regulation and honoring capacity became my new foundation

Mentioned episodes:

Ep 65 – Overbooked & Overwhelmed: UnF@#k Your Calendar:https://drjenblanchette.com/podcast/065-overbooked-overwhelmed-unfk-your-calandar/

Ep 70 – Is It Burnout or Depression?https://drjenblanchette.com/podcast/070-therapist-burnout-or-depression-lets-get-granular/

Ep 71 – Why We Wait Until We're Burned Out: https://drjenblanchette.com/podcast/071-why-we-wait-until-were-burnt-interoception-burnout-therapist-mental-health/

Coming up in the Structured Rest Series:

• How to clear mental clutter with a weekly brain dump
• The Delete, Delay, Delegate method for managing your calendar
• Anchoring your week with movement, connection, rest, and more
• Building nervous system capacity gently, without shame

Quote to carry with you:

Structured rest is what gives you the capacity to come back to yourself—to listen, to rest, and maybe, eventually, to build what’s next.

Subscribe & follow for the rest of the series.

Pen-Pal List: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

All things therapist burnout and how "good therapist" conditioning shows up. Dr. Jen Blanchette discusses the concept of 'good therapist conditioning' and how it affects therapists in their careers. The host identifies five reasons why this conditioning shows up (and how they are burnout traps): perfectionism, fear of disapproval, sense of responsibility, cultural expectations and societal norms, and identity attachment. The conversation explores how these factors can lead to self-doubt, reluctance to make changes, and a sense of loss when considering alternative career paths. The host encourages therapists to break free from these pitfalls and prioritize their own needs and happiness. 

• Takeaways
• Good therapist conditioning can lead to perfectionism and a fear of making mistakes as well as burnout.
• Therapists often feel a strong sense of responsibility for their clients' well-being.
• Cultural expectations and societal norms can reinforce traditional gender roles and influence therapists' perception of themselves and their careers.
• Attachment to the identity of being a therapist can make it difficult to consider alternative career paths.
• Therapists should prioritize their own needs and happiness and not be afraid to make changes.

Links to my stuff: https://linktr.ee/drjenblanchette

Jump on the Pen-Pal List: My list for burned out therapists who are looking for support and a change:https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

Nearly half of therapists will end up leaving community mental health. Some are leaving entirely. So what else can we do for work?! The conversation covers three main categories: using clinical skills in a different way, utilizing therapy skills in non-clinical roles, and completely departing from the field of therapy. The host provides examples and suggestions for each category, including assessment work, working in a school setting, teaching adjunct courses, working in human resources, and exploring sales or marketing roles. The conversation emphasizes the importance of considering transferable skills and finding a job that aligns with personal interests and strengths.

Keywords therapists, burnout, careers, quitting, therapy, transition, clinical skills, non-clinical roles, transferable skills

Takeaways

• Therapists often experience financial strain and burnout, leading to high turnover rates in the field.
• There are various career options for therapists looking to transition out of therapy, including using clinical skills in different ways, utilizing therapy skills in non-clinical roles, and completely departing from the field.
• Examples of using clinical skills in different ways include assessment work, working in a school setting, and providing supervision or consultation.
• Examples of utilizing therapy skills in non-clinical roles include teaching adjunct courses, working in human resources, and exploring sales or marketing roles.
• Completely departing from the field of therapy can involve leveraging transferable skills in other industries, such as project management, real estate, or sales.
• It is important for therapists to consider their interests, strengths, and desired work-life balance when exploring career options outside of therapy.

Titles

• Exploring Career Options for Therapists: Using Clinical Skills in Different Ways
• Utilizing Therapy Skills in Non-Clinical Roles: Teaching, Human Resources, and More

Sound Bites

• "Nearly half of therapists are leaving their jobs, it's the system's problem, not your own problem."
• "If you are in the throes of burnout, we need to find more ways for you to rest and replenish."
• "Career options for therapists: using clinical skills, therapy-adjacent roles, and complete departures."

Grab my free money guide: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/tshwticuti

Subscribe to the Therapist Pen-Pal List: 💌 Get honest, therapist-to-therapist emails from me—and yes, I write back. 👉 https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

Episode Summary:

 In this final episode of my Mental Health Awareness Month series, I’m wrapping things up with some honest reflections—from what the data (and lack of data) says about therapist mental health, to what I’ve been feeling in my own nervous system lately.

We’re talking about more than just burnout—this is about depression, anxiety, moral injury, compassion fatigue, and those moments where even your “easy” clients feel hard. If you’ve ever said, “I’m in therapy, but I still feel awful,” this episode is for you.

In this episode, I share:

• Why so little data exists on therapist mental health
• What we do know from global research on therapist depression, anxiety, and vicarious trauma
• Why burnout in therapists often includes moral injury, identity confusion, and nervous system shutdown
• The difference between having a 24 oz mug and a 4 oz espresso cup of capacity
• Why I always start with the permission to quit: overworking, overscheduling, self-doubt, poor boundaries
• My dream vision for therapist mental health support—and why we can’t rely on unpaid labor to get there
• A preview of my upcoming Structured Rest summer series

Resources Mentioned:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.): https://988lifeline.org
• NAMI Frontline Wellness for Healthcare Workers: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Frontline-Professionals
• My email list for therapists (Pen-Pal List): https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

What’s Next:

I’ll be taking a short podcast break (1–2 weeks) to prep for the Structured Rest series, launching in June. I’ll also be opening enrollment soon for my fall group for therapists in burnout who are ready to quit something—whether it’s your job, your role, or just the story you’re stuck in.

💌 Join my Pen Pal list: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of losing two beloved clients during the early months of the pandemic—and the quiet, complicated grief that followed.

One of them used to bring me lavender. I still think of her every Mother’s Day.

As therapists, we’re often left to grieve in silence. Whether through a client’s death, ghosting, or a sudden termination, the losses we experience rarely come with recognition, ritual, or closure.

This episode explores:

• What clinical grief and ambiguous loss look like for therapists
• How unprocessed grief can be mistaken for burnout
• Why therapists may disconnect from their work, not from lack of care—but from overload and pain
• The role of ritual, time off, and peer support in metabolizing loss
• Why honoring your grief is essential for therapist mental health

If you’ve ever lost a client—and held that loss quietly—this episode is for you.

• Center for Prolonged Grief – Columbia University
• (includes a self-assessment and therapist directory for grief treatment)
• https://www.cliniciansurvivor.org/about
• My free Pen Pal List and reflection guide:
• https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

💌 Want A Burnout Pen-Pal? Join my pen-pal list for therapist burnout recovery tips & personal updates: 👉 https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

Why do therapists wait until they’re completely burnt out before seeking help?

In this episode, I dive into the nervous system side of therapist burnout—starting with interoception, or how we notice (and ignore) internal signals like fatigue and tension. I share research-backed insights, cultural conditioning we don’t talk about enough, and real responses from therapists answering:

“Why do we wait until it’s really bad to get help?”

We cover:

• How therapist culture rewards disconnection from our bodies
• Why awareness doesn’t always lead to action
• What research says about burnout, interoception, and recovery
• Practical strategies to reconnect before you hit a wall

🔗 Links to Studies & Resources

• Halonen et al. (2024) – Therapist Interoception Study
• Ovalle (2023) – Interoceptive Awareness & Burnout
• Duquette (2017) – Emotional Suppression in Therapy Work
• Price & Hooven (2018) – MABT for Regulation

📬 Get my burnout support letters in your inbox: Join the Therapist Burnout Pen-Pal List for monthly notes, voice memos, private podcast drops, and real-talk support from someone who’s been there. 👉 https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

Earlier this year, I thought I was burned out—again. I even joined a burnout group. But nothing shifted. Eventually, I had to face the truth: I wasn’t just burned out. I was depressed.

In this episode, I’m unpacking why therapists often miss the signs of depression in themselves, how burnout gets misused as a catchall term, and why naming what’s really going on can change everything.

What we cover:

• Burnout vs. depression — how to tell the difference
• The research behind burnout’s loose definition (142 of them!)
• Why therapist burnout often includes clinical grief, moral injury, and vicarious trauma
• What helped me through a depressive episode this year
• The nervous system toll of not stopping—and how I finally did
• How language shapes the support we seek
• A reframe: what’s underneath “I’m just so burned out”?

🔎 Key idea:

🛠 Resources mentioned:

• Rotenstein et al. (2018) meta-analysis on burnout definitions
• Guille & Sen (2024) on burnout vs. depression
• World Health Organization burnout definition
• My experience with postpartum and professional depression
• Clinical grief after losing clients
• Therapist-specific supports: NAMI Warmline and others

💡 Want more?

• Join the Pen-Pal List
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Work with me – Coaching for Burned Out Therapists

You are not meant to live in a constant state of depletion. If you’re carrying something heavy, this episode is for you.

🌟 Feeling isolated in burnout? Join my free Therapist Burnout Pen-Pal List for honest letters and support: Subscribe here: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb

What if burnout isn’t a personal failure—or something you can hustle your way out of?

Today I’m joined by David Politi, host of Empowered Through Compassion, for a real talk about burnout, therapist parts, and how we survive (and even find hope) inside broken systems.

We dive into:

• Why burnout is often a lifelong spectrum, not a one-time event
• How Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR offer new ways to sustain this work
• The therapist parts that show up when we’re exhausted, discouraged, or ready to run
• Why doing more trainings or certifications isn't always the answer (and sometimes it is)

David also shares a sneak peek of his upcoming book IFS-Informed EMDR (out in 2025).

If you’ve ever thought, "I’m too close to burnout again," this conversation is for you.

Connect with David:

• Website: EmpoweredThroughCompassion.com
• Podcast: Empowered Through Compassion

We’re diving into a lot this week—tech drama, burnout brain fog, and a little puppy joy.

If you missed last week’s episode with Shulamit, I highly recommend it. We talked burnout and what it means to be a "canary in the coal mine" when your nervous system just says nope.

This week, I had planned to talk about money, but something came up in the therapy world that I couldn’t ignore…

Here’s what we get into:

• My very personal reaction to the Seven Cups directory drama (yes, the founder was my clinical supervisor—wild).
• Why this situation is more than just an oversight—it’s about consent, ethics, and muddying the waters between therapy and tech.
• The deeper issue of our distrust in tech platforms that profit from therapist labor—without transparency or therapist input.
• What it means when platforms offer peer support under the guise of “therapy” and the ethical concerns that follow.
• My call to action: Google yourself + "Seven Cups" and check if your info is listed without your consent.

Plus, a pivot to something I’ve been sitting with lately: Burnout, brain fog, and why so many therapists feel like their brains just don’t work the same anymore. I talk about:

• Cognitive symptoms of burnout (you're not imagining it, it is real)
• How trauma and vicarious trauma can literally change the brain
• Why some of us may be navigating undiagnosed neurodiversity, and how that intersects with the mental load of being a therapist
• My own reflections on being a "mover" and how traditional therapy work never quite fit how my brain and body want to operate

And finally... I got a puppy! She’s already teaching me a lot about noticing joy, slowing down, and why acorns are apparently fascinating.

Resources mentioned:

• Pen Pal list signup — join the email community where I send updates and reply to your notes
• NAMI Warmline (as an example of ethical, supportive peer support resources)

If you’ve had any experiences with Seven Cups—good, bad, or weird—send me a message. I’m planning a follow-up and would love to include therapist voices. [email protected]