Treating the Healer: Combating Psychologist Burnout After Years of Crisis Work

This article, “Treating the Healer: Combating Psychologist Burnout After Years of Crisis Work,” addresses the growing challenge of burnout and vicarious trauma among psychologists working in public mental health and private practice. It advocates reflective practice methods, smarter roster design, and peer-support systems to reduce emotional strain, highlighting the importance of maintaining boundaries between professional duties and personal wellbeing. Through illustrative vignettes, practical strategies, and empathetic advice, the article emphasises that psychologist self-care—rooted in self-compassion, structured reflection, and meaningful professional engagement—is essential not only to clinicians’ own mental health, but also to ensuring sustained and effective therapeutic care for their clients.