Summer Burn(out): Complaints, Commiseration, and Therapist Solidarity
By August, the heat is high, summer schedules are chaotic, back-to-school stress is creeping into the therapy room, and many therapists are over it.
Insurance companies
EHR systems
No-show policies that require an emotional processing session
Parents who want us to “fix” their child while nothing else changes
The colleague who is convinced one modality is the answer to every human problem
The administrative task that should take five minutes and somehow consumes half an afternoon
Sometimes, therapists need a space to reflect deeply on the work.
And sometimes, we need a space to say: Respectfully, what the hell?
This community social offers a lighthearted, supportive space for therapists to vent about the frustrating, absurd, and exhausting parts of clinical work with people who understand.
Through shared conversation and a little humor, we will make room for the complaints we often keep to ourselves while trying to remain composed and professional.
This is not a workshop on preventing burnout or turning every frustration into a learning opportunity. It is a chance to vent, laugh, commiserate, and feel less alone in the everyday realities of therapist life.
Come ready to vent, listen, and offer the kind of solidarity that only comes from realizing other therapists are also quietly losing it over the same things.
A note on the spirit of the gathering: this is a space to vent about systems, professional pressures, administrative nonsense, unrealistic expectations, and the situations that make the work harder. It is not a space to complain about clients, share identifying details, or position clients’ symptoms, struggles, or needs as the problem. We can make room for therapist frustration while staying grounded in respect for the people we serve.
This free community gathering will be facilitated by Ann Dypiangco, LCSW, Clinical Community Lead at Mental Health Match.
Ann Dypiangco, LCSW, is a therapist and Clinical Community Lead at Mental Health Match, and she will be the first to admit that she has reached her lifetime limit for professional advice on burnout that amounts to “just practice more self-care.” She believes therapists deserve spaces to be honest about what wears them down without being judged, immediately problem-solved, or asked to turn every frustration into a growth opportunity. In addition to creating community spaces for therapists through Mental Health Match, Ann co-writes Therapist Brief, a weekly newsletter for clinicians navigating modern practice, cultural shifts, and tech trends affecting our clients and practices.