You're not imagining it. And you're definitely not alone.
The stress you're feeling isn't just "part of the job." Whether you're a public defender juggling 150 felony cases with clients facing decades in prison, a nurse working understaffed shifts while patients suffer, or a social worker navigating impossible bureaucracy that prevents you from actually helping families - the weight you're carrying is real.
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Maybe you're a family lawyer watching children get caught in the crossfire of bitter custody battles, knowing the system's delays are causing more trauma. Or a therapist yourself, carrying the secondary trauma from your clients' stories while trying to maintain professional boundaries that feel impossible some days. Perhaps you're a doctor making life-altering decisions with insufficient resources, watching the healthcare system fail the patients you swore to help.
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The "stress of injustice" affects everyone trying to help within broken systems. You chose a career focused on serving others, but the reality is crushing: impossible demands, rules and systems that make no sense, bureaucratic red tape that prevents you from doing the work you trained for years to do.
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Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Moral Injury.
Recently, you might have noticed that you're more irritable at home, having trouble sleeping, or feeling cynical about work that once energized you. You might be questioning whether you can keep doing this job, wondering if you're making any real difference, or feeling guilty about the cases you couldn't handle properly because there simply wasn't enough time or resources.
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You're probably experiencing what researchers call "moral injury" - the psychological damage that occurs when you're prevented from doing what you know is right by systemic constraints beyond your control. It's not just burnout from being busy. It's the soul-deep exhaustion that comes from caring deeply while working within systems that consistently fail the people you're trying to help.
The compassion fatigue is real. The secondary trauma from the stories you hear and situations you witness doesn't just disappear when you leave the office. And the constant pressure of high-stakes decision-making - knowing someone's life, freedom, health, or safety depends on what you do next - creates a level of chronic stress that most people can't understand.
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You're having a normal response to abnormal working conditions. The burnout you're experiencing is a predictable outcome of systems that demand impossible things from dedicated professionals like you. But that doesn't mean you have to accept it (or change careers!)...
Let's keep it real about what you're facing.
No corporate therapy-speak. No suggestions to "practice self-care" as if a bubble bath will fix systemic problems. Just straightforward support for people doing the hardest jobs in the world, from someone who understands both the psychology of stress and the real-world pressures of justice and healthcare systems.
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Share the load
Work with someone who understands the unique pressures of helping professions and the systemic factors that make your job so difficult
Gain perspective
Get practical, outside insight that actually applies to your situation and acknowledges the real constraints you're working within
Get tools that work
Learn concrete skills andstrategies to tackle stress and overwhelm at the source, not just surface-level coping mechanisms
About Emerge Calm
Emerge Calm provides specialized mental health services for professionals in high-stress helping careers. Our approach combines deep understanding of systemic workplace pressures with practical, action-oriented interventions.
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Welcome! I'm Dr. Annabelle Frazier
I am the founder and owner of Emerge Calm, a scholar-practitioner, and a university professor. To learn more about my academic work, visit AnnabelleFrazier.com.
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After over a decade of practice across some of the most stressful roles in the human and public service sector, I know the some of the overwhelm you feel firsthand. I've been there, too. I've also developed a skill-set in helping people move through acutely stressful situations, and find calm in the storm. Together, we'll zero in on your most pressing priorities, clarify strategies to address your needs, and put in practice tools that transform your day-to-day.
Specialized Services
Individual Counseling
& Therapy
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Burnout Counseling - Specialized support for professionals experiencing chronic workplace exhaustion and moral injury
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Workplace Stress Therapy - Targeted treatment for job-related anxiety, secondary trauma, and occupational stress
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Virtual Counseling - Secure, convenient telehealth therapy designed for busy professionals across Massachusetts and Mississippi
Expert Evaluation
& Assessment
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Child Custody and Safety Evaluations - Comprehensive evaluations for complex family court proceedings involving trauma histories
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Trauma Evaluations - Specialized assessments for proceedings requiring trauma documentation
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Community Transition and Level of Care Evaluations - Assessments to support individuals transitioning from institutional to community settings.
Supervision, Consultation
& Training
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Clinical Supervision - Contract supervision for counseling trainees pursuing licensure requirements, and for established clinicians seeking to build competencies.
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Consultation and Training Services - support for agencies and professionals navigating organizational challenges around secondary traumatic stress, complex cases, and/or record keeping and clinical writing.
Getting help is easier than you think.
1.
Reach Out
Call, email, or use the online form to schedule a brief virtual consultation (no charge).
2.
Let's Meet
We can use this time to determine if we're a good fit and discuss logistics like scheduling and fees.
3.
Get to Work
We get started by developing clear goals and a practical plan, then we follow through.
4.
Emerge Calm
You build skills, gain perspective, and move toward sustainable work-life balance.
