Ok, let me be clear from the start: yes and no! It will depend on what phase you are in and what aspect you need guidance for.
So from whom can you expect professional help with burnout?
Your family doctor, a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, a nutritionist, a stress & burnout coach and a career coach offer professional help. You achieve optimal results through a collaboration of these experts, each in his field and each at a particular stage of the process. Oops, confusing!
I like to take a moment to list who can do what for you:
- The family doctor
The family doctor is often your first point of contact. He/she rules out medical causes for your complaints and keeps track of your physical progress. So if you have tension symptoms, you always visit your family doctor or company doctor first. He or she will make the diagnosis, possibly give advice on nutritional supplements, on sleeping better and advise on the most appropriate form of counseling: a referral to a psychiatrist, psychologist, stress & burnout coach or career coach, depending on your tension symptoms. At a later stage and if you are under an employment contract, your general practitioner is also the appropriate person to draw up a report for the advisory doctor of your health insurance fund, in order to start the path of reintegration at work. - A clinical psychologist or psychiatrist
For complicated tension symptoms, or burnout with depression, or other underlying psychological suffering, or if, for example, you see or perceive things that other people do not, then the clinical psychologist or psychiatrist is the only responsible choice. A psychologist is focused on helping you process trauma, less on a work context per se. If burnout becomes depression or is combined with addiction problems, for example, the psychologist is the most appropriate care provider. - A nutritionist
You are what you eat. And food is energy. So it is advisable to be more conscious about what you take in. A nutritionist can help you do this. - Stress & burnout coach
What does a stress & burn-out coach do? First an analysis of stress complaints and sources of stress is made: stress history, course of complaints. Then you look for what gives and takes away energy, both privately and at work. The focus is on restoring your energy and physical condition: rest and relaxation, relaxation techniques, reducing worry through RET (rational-emotive therapy) and giving place to emotions and accepting them through ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy). Then you learn to deal with stress and emotions: stress coping analysis, active and passive problem management, determining what you impact, dealing with fear, anger, etc. This will gradually prepare you to pick up a professional activity. Together with your coach, you will build your self-confidence, assertiveness, guarding your boundaries, learning to say no. - Career counseling
If there is sufficient energy and after you have checked with your doctor or psychologist, you can start career counseling. Your career coach focuses on the present and taking steps toward a new future. A coach ensures that a person gets to know and use his own talents. Thus, a coach is more of a guide and acts as a sounding board and signpost until the person can continue down the road independently. The career coach has a thorough knowledge of jobs, competencies, leadership and organizational culture.
What can you expect from our career counseling for burnout?
- You will clear up the key question: "stay, change or leave work?
- Your career coach will prepare you to enter into dialogue with your employer. You will prepare an action plan to reintegrate.
- If you decide to leave your current employer or change departments or positions, you will have a clear view of your next job thanks to our career passport.
So when is it best to contact a career coach?
- Preventive: you feel low energy, your work is not what it used to be, you feel tired. You want to know why and you want to prevent worse. You want to gain insight: who am I and what do I want? What is important to me? What is meaningful work?
- After recovery from burnout. You need to get back to work. How do you tackle this? Is this still what you want?
Any questions?
Our career coaches will always refer to your primary care physician or psychologist if he/she believes there is more going on or if the timing is not yet okay for your career counseling.