Coaching vs Therapy for Burnout in the UK - What Actually Helps?

Esther Dietrichsen-Farley
Jun 30
5 min read

Updated: Jul 19

You’ve done the self-development. The courses. The coaching. You’ve read the books, signed up to the wellness apps, even tracked your nervous system with a wearable.

And still… something isn’t shifting.

If you’re wondering whether therapy for burnout UK is what you really need now - not another performance tool, but something that meets you at your emotional limits - you’re not alone.

Burnout can be hard to define like that. You might still be functioning, but feel flat, foggy, emotionally unreachable. Detached from your own inner compass.

This is where the difference between coaching and therapy really starts to matter.

Coaching helped you function. Therapy helps you feel again.

Many people I work with have already tried coaching. And in the right season of life, it can be incredibly useful - especially when you're aiming to achieve something, build momentum, or stay accountable.

But coaching tends to meet the parts of you that are still holding it together.

Therapy, by contrast, can meet the parts of you that feel like they’re falling away - even if you’ve not told anyone yet.

It doesn’t just ask, “What do you want to change?” It asks, “What has it been like, living this way?”

This isn’t a critique of coaching. It’s a reflection on what you might need now - especially if you're navigating a kind of burnout that tools alone can’t touch.

What’s the real difference between coaching and therapy for burnout?

Coaching:

• Goal-focused

• Works with action and strategy

• Best for future planning

• Offers tools and accountability

• Assumes you’re resourced

Therapy:

• Emotion-focused

• Works with emotion and identity

• Best when the present feels unmanageable

• Offers space and relational safety

• Helps when you’re not [resourced]

Coaching often assumes there’s a self you can act from. Therapy understands when you can’t even feel that self anymore.

And that distinction matters. Especially when what’s really wrong isn’t that you’re underperforming, but that you feel hollow doing what used to matter to you.

Burnout isn’t always about doing too much. Sometimes it’s about losing touch with yourself.

The World Health Organisation defines burnout not as a medical condition, but as an “occupational phenomenon” marked by:

Emotional exhaustion
Cynicism or mental distance from work
Reduced professional efficacy
(WHO, ICD-11, 2019)

But this clinical frame only tells part of the story.

In reality, burnout often shows up as a quiet loss of identity. You’re still present, but there’s a growing distance between who you are and how you feel inside.

As Dr. Gabor Maté writes:

“Burnout isn’t a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a sign that you’ve been giving too much of yourself to things that violate your sense of truth.”

(When the Body Says No, 2003)

A 2023 randomised controlled trial published in BMC Primary Care found that a person-centred eHealth intervention significantly reduced burnout symptoms within 12 weeks. These improvements held at three-month follow-up, suggesting that tailored therapeutic space - even online - supports deeper nervous system recovery and self-regulation (Petersson et al., 2023).

Therapy creates space to hear the truth under the surface. It doesn’t ask you to optimise. It helps you reconnect.

Why coaching tools can sometimes miss the mark when you’re burnt out

One of the harder things to admit is that coaching, while helpful in many contexts, can sometimes unintentionally amplify burnout especially if you’re already emotionally depleted.

Here’s why:

Coaching encourages action. Burnout often needs stillness.
Coaching measures progress. Burnout recovery is non-linear.
Coaching assumes you can do more. Burnout needs permission to do less.

As authors Emily and Amelia Nagoski explain in Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle (2020):

“You are not bad at stress. You’re just living in a culture that expects you to function without ever completing the stress response cycle.”

Meanwhile, psychological studies increasingly show that therapy - particularly approaches like ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) - improves emotional flexibility and reduces long-term burnout symptoms across multiple professions (Contextual Consulting, 2021).

Coaching can help shift your goals. Therapy helps shift your relationship to yourself.

💬 You might also like:

→ Therapy for Burnout: Understanding What Burnout Really Is

How therapy for burnout works in the UK

If you're considering therapy, you can access it in several ways:

Private therapy (like The Farley)
NHS therapy (typically limited by time and access)
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
Charities or low-cost community counselling

At The Farley, therapy for burnout is offered in person from my dedicated practice in Southampton or online across the UK. Sessions are private, consistent, and built around your emotional reality. Not a protocol.

BACP’s 2025 data shows that 1 in 6 adults in the UK now report symptoms of burnout. Many feel isolated or unsure whether their exhaustion qualifies as “bad enough” to seek therapy (BACP, 2025). But you don’t need to collapse before you ask for support. If your inner world feels unreachable or flattened, that’s enough.

Why this might be your turning point

If you’ve been trying to think or plan your way out of burnout

If you’ve done all the right things and still feel emotionally disconnected

If the words “I just don’t feel like myself anymore” keep rising to the surface

Then it might be time to try something deeper.

Therapy is where you stop performing wellness. And start remembering who you are.

You can book a free consultation here.

FAQ

What kind of therapy works best for burnout?

Person-centred therapy can be especially helpful because it doesn’t rush you or hand you a formula. Instead, it offers a safe, grounded space to explore how things have really felt. Other effective modalities for burnout include psychodynamic therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and trauma-informed integrative work.

How is therapy different from coaching when I feel burnt out?

Coaching is often about action. Therapy is about awareness. When you’re burned out, you don’t need a strategy. You need space to understand what’s led to this point and how to reconnect to yourself.

Do I need a diagnosis to start burnout therapy?

No. Burnout is not a formal diagnosis in the UK, and you don’t need a referral or label to seek support. If you’re struggling, that’s enough.

Is private therapy for burnout expensive?

Fees vary. At The Farley, sessions cost £60 (before 5pm) and £65 (after 5pm). A free 30-minute consultation is available to help you decide if it feels like the right fit.

The Farley