Burnout Counselling for When Rest Isn't Enough
You took the long weekend. You booked the holiday. And you're still exhausted, short-tempered, and dreading Monday. That's often how burnout shows up: not as one bad week, but as a slow drain that sleep and time off don't fix.
Burnout counselling gives you a place to stop pushing and work out what's actually happening. At Foothills Integrative in Okotoks, our psychologists and social workers support adults who are depleted by work, caregiving, parenting, or years of holding it all together. You don't need to hit a wall first. Many people reach out earlier, when the spark has gone and they want to change course.
What Is Burnout?
Signs, Symptoms and How It Differs From Stress
Burnout is prolonged physical and emotional exhaustion that builds when demands outpace your ability to recover. The World Health Organization describes it as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition, but its effects reach well beyond the workplace. Common signs of burnout include:
- Exhaustion that doesn't lift with rest
- Cynicism, detachment, or feeling numb about things you used to care about
- Foggy thinking and trouble concentrating
- Headaches, muscle tension, disrupted sleep, or getting sick more often
- Feeling ineffective no matter how hard you work
Stress usually feels like too much: too many demands, too little time. Burnout tends to feel like too little: too little energy, motivation, and hope. Both can overlap with anxiety and depression, so it helps to talk it through with a clinician. Our free 20-minute consultation is a low-pressure place to start.
Our Approach to Burnout Therapy in Okotoks
Burnout isn't a motivation problem, and it isn't fixed by trying harder at self-care. Our burnout therapy looks at three layers together: the thought patterns keeping you stuck, the stress response your body is still running, and the circumstances feeding the drain.
Depending on what fits, your therapist may use CBT to untangle perfectionism and overcommitting, acceptance and commitment therapy to reconnect with your values, or somatic and mindfulness-based work to settle a nervous system on high alert. If older experiences drive the pressure to perform, EMDR and Deep Brain Reorienting may help.
Few Southern Alberta clinics can also pair talk therapy with neurotherapy. A QEEG brain map shows how your brain is functioning, and neurostimulation can support nervous-system regulation alongside your sessions. Neurotherapy is in person only and entirely optional. Plenty of people begin with psychotherapy alone.
What to Expect From Burnout Counselling
Free 20-minute consultation
A full picture in your first sessions
Recovery at your pace
Therapy for Work, Caregiver and Neurodivergent Burnout
Burnout looks different depending on where the pressure comes from.
Work burnout. Long hours, shifting expectations, or a role that no longer fits can leave you dreading the day before it starts. Therapy for work burnout helps you separate what needs to change from what you can influence, and set boundaries you can keep.
Caregiver and parent burnout. Looking after kids, aging parents, or a partner with health needs often puts your own needs last. Counselling gives you space that is just yours. If the strain is spilling into your relationship, couples counselling is also available.
ADHD and autistic burnout. Masking, sensory overload, and years of working twice as hard to keep up can lead to a particular kind of exhaustion. We support ADHD and autistic and neurodivergent adults with approaches that don't treat your wiring as the problem.
Meet the Team Supporting Burnout Recovery in Okotoks
Melissa Legge, MSW, RSW, is a Registered Social Worker who supports adults with stress and burnout, anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, and life transitions. Lierin Churla (Registered Psychologist #6597, MA Counselling Psychology, University of Lethbridge) is trained in EMDR, Deep Brain Reorienting, CBT, and mindfulness-based therapies. Cassidy Davidson (Registered Psychologist #7573) brings a strengths-based, non-pathologizing approach and is also trained as a neurotherapy technician. Olivia Baldwin, a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology student, offers ACT, CBT, and solution-focused therapy.
Dr. Kelly Fredell, PsyD (Registered Psychologist #2727), the clinic owner, oversees QEEG and neurotherapy across the practice. Meet the full team.
In Adult Individual Therapy, you’ll work one-on-one with the therapist of your choice. Each of our therapists draws on specialized training and evidence-based approaches, offering care that is tailored to your unique needs and goals. Our goal is to support you in creating a meaningful, balanced, and fulfilling life. An Intake appointment is required for first-time clients prior to booking Adult Individual Therapy appointments.
Burnout Counselling FAQs
There's no fixed timeline. It depends on how long you've been depleted, what's driving it, and how much of your load can change. Some people feel steadier within weeks, and deeper recovery often takes months.
Yes. Sessions focus on changes you can make while still working, like boundaries and recovery habits. If you need time off, a doctor can assess that, and we can help you think it through.
No. In Alberta you can book directly with a registered psychologist or social worker. Start with a free 20-minute consultation.
Many extended health plans cover psychological services or social work, and we direct bill select providers. Coverage varies, so check your plan. Limited sliding-scale sessions are available for eligible clients. See our low-cost counselling page.
Yes. Psychotherapy is available by video across Alberta. Neurotherapy and QEEG brain mapping are in person in Okotoks.
Our office is at 73 Elma Street West in Okotoks, and we welcome clients from surrounding communities, including Calgary. If the drive isn't practical, online sessions are an option.
Start Burnout Counselling With a Free 20-Minute Consultation
Tell us what's been draining you and meet a clinician. No referral needed. Prefer to talk first? Call 403-245-8577.
Foothills Integrative Psychology & Neurotherapy
73 Elma Street West,Okotoks, AB
T1S 1J8
admin@foothillsintegrative.com
View Staff & Treatments
