Workplace Stress and Burnout: Finding Your Way Forward with Patrick O’Hanlon
When work begins to affect your confidence, wellbeing or sense of who you are, it can be difficult to know what to do next. Counselling can offer a space to pause, understand what you are experiencing and explore a way forward.
When Work Starts to Take Its Toll
Work can be an important source of purpose, connection and achievement. But when the pressure becomes persistent, it can begin to affect much more than your working day.
You might find yourself thinking about work long after you have finished for the day, struggling to switch off, feeling anxious before Monday morning or becoming increasingly exhausted by responsibilities that once felt manageable. Perhaps you feel caught between meeting other people's expectations and recognising that something needs to change.
Workplace difficulties do not always look like burnout. They can also show up as low mood, irritability, self-doubt, disrupted relationships, loss of motivation or a growing feeling that you are no longer sure what you want from your career.
🌿 Stress and overwhelm
Feeling under constant pressure, struggling to switch off or finding everyday demands increasingly difficult to manage.
🪴 Burnout and exhaustion
Feeling depleted, disconnected from your work or unable to recover properly after time away from your responsibilities.
💬 Workplace conflict
Trying to make sense of difficult professional relationships, tension at work or experiences that have affected your confidence.
🌱 Change and uncertainty
Navigating redundancy, retirement, career change or the uncertainty of deciding what the next chapter might look like.
You do not need to reach breaking point before seeking support. Sometimes, simply having somewhere to talk openly about what is happening can help you understand your situation more clearly.
Meet Patrick O’Hanlon, Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Patrick O’Hanlon is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist who works with adults aged 18 and over at D9 Therapy & Wellness in Santry, Dublin.
Before becoming a therapist, Patrick spent more than 30 years working in demanding professional environments. This experience informs his understanding of workplace pressure, burnout, career transitions and the personal impact of changes in professional identity.
Work can become closely connected to how we see ourselves. Our roles may shape our routines, relationships, confidence and sense of contribution. When that role becomes difficult, changes unexpectedly or comes to an end, the emotional impact can extend well beyond the workplace.
Patrick offers a warm, confidential and non-judgemental space where clients can explore their experiences without feeling they need to have everything figured out before they begin.
You do not have to arrive with a solution. Therapy can be a place to work through what has been happening, understand what matters to you and consider your options at a pace that feels manageable.
Read more about Patrick's background and approach on his therapist profile.
Why Workplace Difficulties Can Affect Us So Deeply
Work is rarely just about completing tasks or earning a living. It can also provide structure, social connection, independence, recognition and a sense of purpose. This is one reason why difficult experiences at work can feel so personal.
For example, a person experiencing conflict with a manager might begin to question their own abilities. Someone facing redundancy may struggle with uncertainty or feel that a part of their identity has been taken away. A person approaching retirement may feel ready for a change while also wondering what will give their days meaning.
These responses are not signs of weakness. They are understandable reactions to situations that can affect our security, relationships and sense of self.
Counselling can provide an opportunity to explore not only the situation itself, but also what it means to you, how it is affecting your life and what kind of support might help.
How Can Counselling Help with Workplace Stress?
There is no single approach that works for everyone. Counselling with Patrick is collaborative, meaning that sessions focus on your individual experiences, concerns and priorities rather than following a fixed formula.
Understanding your experience
Explore what has been happening at work and how it may be affecting your emotions, confidence, relationships and wellbeing.
Recognising patterns
Consider whether expectations, past experiences or familiar ways of responding to pressure are contributing to your current difficulties.
Exploring your choices
Make space to think through boundaries, priorities, career questions or possible changes without feeling rushed into a decision.
Reconnecting with yourself
Reflect on what matters to you beyond your job title, professional responsibilities or other people's expectations.
Where helpful, Patrick may also draw on practical, CBT-informed ideas. The focus is on finding an approach that fits your circumstances and what you hope to gain from therapy.
Burnout, Career Change and Loss of Professional Identity
Sometimes the hardest part of a work-related difficulty is not knowing who you are outside the role you have held for years.
If you have spent much of your life building a career, taking responsibility for others or working towards particular goals, stepping away from that role can bring unexpected emotions. You might feel relief and sadness at the same time, or know that something needs to change without yet knowing what you want instead.
Similar feelings can arise after redundancy, a major career change, a difficult workplace experience or retirement. Even when a transition is wanted or necessary, it can involve uncertainty, grief and a period of adjustment.
Therapy can help you make room for those feelings, reflect on what you want to carry forward and explore what a meaningful next chapter might look like. There is no requirement to have a clear plan before starting.
Patrick's Therapeutic Approach
Patrick's approach is humanistic and person-centred. This means that your experiences, perspective and individual needs remain central to the work. He aims to create a relationship in which you can speak honestly, feel heard and explore difficult topics without judgement.
He may also draw on existential and psychodynamic perspectives to explore questions of meaning, identity, relationships and the ways earlier experiences can influence how we respond to challenges today.
Where useful, CBT-informed ideas can offer additional ways to examine thoughts, feelings and responses to stressful situations. The work is collaborative, and sessions develop around what feels most relevant to you.
Patrick holds a BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy from PCI College and Middlesex University. He is fully insured, attends regular clinical supervision and is working towards IACP accreditation.
When Might It Be Time to Reach Out?
You might consider counselling if you recognise yourself in any of the following:
- You feel anxious, tense or overwhelmed by work.
- You struggle to switch off, even when you are away from your workplace.
- You feel exhausted, detached or increasingly low in motivation.
- You are dealing with conflict, redundancy, retirement or an uncertain career transition.
- Your confidence has been affected by a difficult professional experience.
- You feel stuck between staying in a situation and making a change.
- Your work-related stress is beginning to affect your personal life or relationships.
- You want space to reflect on what you value and what you want from the next stage of your life.
You do not need to identify with every point on this list. If something in your working life is weighing on you, that is enough of a reason to explore support.
Counselling is not a substitute for practical workplace protections, medical care or professional employment advice where those are needed. It can, however, offer emotional support while you work through what is happening and consider your next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I attend counselling specifically for work-related stress?
Yes. You can bring workplace stress, burnout, conflict, career uncertainty or other professional concerns to counselling. You do not need to have difficulties in other areas of your life to seek support.
Do I need to know whether I am experiencing burnout?
No. You can begin by talking about what you have noticed, such as exhaustion, anxiety, low mood or difficulty switching off. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis or a label for your experience.
Can counselling help if I am considering leaving my job?
Counselling can provide space to explore your feelings, priorities and concerns while you consider your options. Patrick will not make the decision for you, but the conversations may help you understand what matters to you and what you want to consider.
Will my employer be told that I am attending therapy?
Counselling is confidential, subject to the usual professional and legal limits of confidentiality. Attending private counselling does not automatically mean that your employer is informed. If you have specific concerns about confidentiality, you can discuss these before beginning.
Where does Patrick offer appointments?
Patrick offers in-person appointments at 10 Lilmar Avenue, Santry, Dublin, with flexible online appointments also available. Please check the Lilmar Avenue therapist directory or the live availability page for current details.
You Don't Have to Work Through Everything Alone
If workplace stress, burnout or a major career change is affecting your wellbeing, speaking with someone outside the situation may offer a different perspective and space to reflect.
Patrick O’Hanlon works with adults at D9 Therapy & Wellness in Santry, offering a warm, person-centred space to explore workplace pressures, life changes and the questions that can come with them.
Read Patrick's Profile View Therapist AvailabilityD9 Therapy & Wellness · Santry, Dublin 9