Print During treatment of a burnout, you will work on reducing chronic mental stress, improving your physical condition, researching personal goals and getting started with relapse prevention.
The treatment of your burnout is goal-orientated and specifically tailored to your complaints and situation. With the help of your therapist, you will think about goals and start working on your recovery step by step. By carrying out exercises, you will work towards your goals in your daily life.
The treatment consists of different elements, which may vary depending on your personal situation. With the help of your professional, you will assess whether these components are relevant to your situation.
1. Inventory of symptoms
2. Reducing symptoms
3. Cognitive therapy
4. Returning to work
5. Work-oriented interventions
6. Relapse prevention plan
Inventory of symptoms
During this stage, you will create an overview of your symptoms and complaints. What is bothering you? When do these symptoms occur and when did they arise? Do your complaints prevent you from engaging in your hobbies or social activities?
Reducing symptoms
You will work on reducing mental stress and tension (with the help of relaxation exercises, for example). The goal is to improve your lifestyle regarding exercise, sleep and nutrition, too. You will also check whether you have a clear and realistic daily structure.
Cognitive therapy
With the help of cognitive therapy, you will gain insight into your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. These three factors can play a role in the development of a burnout. For example: ruminating about incidents, things that have been said, blaming yourself or working overtime is common among people with a burnout. The goal is to process unpleasant feelings, such as sadness, injustice or anger.
Returning to work
With the help of your therapist, you will create a plan to identify pitfalls and old habits, increasing your chances of a successful reintegration. You may return to work before your symptoms have completely disappeared, which can give you even more insight into your complaints. By doing this, you can practice your new behaviour.
Work-orientated interventions
During this part of the treatment, you will become aware of the alignment between you as a person and your work and learn how to improve this alignment in both the short and the long term.
Relapse prevention plan
You will create a relapse prevention plan with your therapist, in which you will write down, amongst other things, how you can recognize a possible relapse in time and what you can do to prevent an actual relapse.
Source:
Keijsers, G. P. J., Van Minnen, A., Verbraak, M., Hoogduin, C. A. L. & Emmelkamp, P., (2017). Protocollaire behandelingen voor volwassenen met psychische klachten
