Therapist Burnout Podcast: Mental Health, Business, and Career Tips for Therapists, Counselors, & Psychologists

👉 First things first: Join my Therapist Pen-Pal List Get my weekly notes, practical prompts, and updates on ways to work with me. Subscribe: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb Episode snapshot After nearly two years of talking with hundreds of therapists about burnout (and living my own), I’m revisiting the core question: What is therapist burnout—really? I share a body-based story...

What happens when therapists get honest about their burnout stories? Connection. Relief. And sometimes, the reminder that you’re not alone. This week, I’m joined by Dr. Jason Branch , host of The Three Parallels Podcast . Our conversation went deep into what it really looks like to live through burnout as a therapist—and how sharing these stories helps break down the isolation so many of us carry....

In this episode, I dive into the newest burnout buzzword making its way across the workplace: quiet cracking . Unlike quiet quitting, which is a conscious decision to pull back, quiet cracking describes the inner unraveling behind a professional mask. You may look fine, you may even be excelling, but inside you’re falling apart. I share what this term reveals—and what it misses—about the lived rea...

As therapists, we know rest is essential—yet it often feels out of reach. In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Jen Blanchette reflects on the meaning of Labor Day, the hidden labor therapists carry, and what it means to reclaim rest in a world that never stops buzzing. Inspired by a prompt from Liz Gilbert’s Letters from Love , Jen shares a moving letter she wrote to herself—a love note to the par...

Links & Resources Mentioned Join the Therapist Pen Pal List – ask me questions for future AMA episodes Podcasting Business School with Adam Schaeuble The Podcast Launch Journal by John Lee Dumas Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to start a podcast as a therapist? In this Ask Me Anything episode, I answer a listener’s question: “How has the process of podcasting gone for you, and wha...

Are you stuck in a job, practice, or even a hobby that no longer brings you joy? In this episode, I share my own story of letting go of teaching a fitness class — something that began as joy but slowly turned into striving and burnout. We’ll talk about Liz Gilbert’s four categories of work (hobby, job, career, vocation), Cal Newport’s Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You , and how easy it is to confus...

In this Ask Me Anything episode, I answer a listener’s heartfelt question: “How could a newer therapist — about one year into practice — navigate a trauma-heavy caseload while dealing with the grief of a parent being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer?” We talk about what it means to hold space for others while you’re also going through a personal crisis — especially in the early ye...

Episode Summary: In this episode of The Therapist Burnout Podcast , Jen reflects on the strange in-between season of late summer—a time that often feels like it should be restful, but rarely delivers. She opens up about the grief of an "unlived summer," the scarcity-driven urge to fill downtime with productivity, and the pressure to make the season mean something. Inspired by a Celtic prayer share...

Therapist burnout recovery isn’t a one-time fix. It’s not about prevention. And it’s definitely not about productivity. It’s about returning to yourself —again and again—with care, rhythm, and nervous system awareness. In this final episode of the Structured Rest series, I’m bringing it all together and walking you through the full framework that’s emerged from my own lived experience with burnout...

Why burned out therapists need rest rhythms—not just time off 📬 Join the Therapist Pen pal list for reflections on therapist burnout recovery, rest, and career shifts: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb 🌐 Explore more burnout recovery tools and podcast episodes: https://drjenblanchette.com/podcast Introduction We didn’t just lose sabbaticals—we replaced them with productivity apps...

🔗 Links & Resources 📨 Join the Pen Pal list https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb 📰 The Shift – Jen’s new LinkedIn newsletter → First issue: AI Won’t Solve Therapist Burnout 🎙️ Episode 60 : Hey Therapist, You Need a Friend 🧠 Episode Summary In this episode of The Therapist Burnout Podcast , we move beyond subtracting stressors and start focusing on what to add back in. If you’v...

In this episode, I’m inviting you into a raw, honest conversation about your caseload—not just from a productivity lens, but from the reality of what your nervous system is holding. If you’ve been: Bracing yourself before certain sessions Stuck in client relationships that feel more obligatory than impactful Wondering if you’re doing something wrong because you’re so exhausted after the work… This...

💌 Want honest, grounded support in your inbox? Join my PenPal list where I share behind-the-scenes stories, podcast updates, and real talk on making therapist life sustainable.👉 https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb About this episode: Your calendar might look fine—but it’s lying to you. In the second episode of the Structured Rest series, I walk through what I call calendar rehab —a...

💌 Join the Therapist Burnout Pen-Pal List Get personal reflections, nervous system healing practices, and soul-soothing songs that don’t make it to the podcast. 👉 Sign up here: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb 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 —...

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 tal...

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,...

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...

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 ...

💌 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 clie...

💌 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 fati...

📬 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...

🌟 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...

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...

📬 Burned out and need a soft place to land? Join my pen-pal list for therapists who are over it, in it, or finding their way out. I send real letters—and I write back. 👉 https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenb What happens when a thriving group practice becomes too much to hold? In this episode, I’m joined by Shulamit Baer Levtov—a therapist, entrepreneur, and burnout recovery coach—wh...

✉️ Join the Therapist Pen-Pal List: A low-pressure way to stay connected, get podcast updates, and receive reflections that support your career and wellbeing. Sign up here (Insert your actual link above) Show Notes for Episode 66: The Problem with Therapy Chatbots Hey therapists—today we’re diving into a hot topic that’s been making waves: AI in the therapy world. Specifically, I’m breaking down t...