Burn-out Therapist
Therapy for expats and internationals
Burn-out isn’t just being tired from a long week. It is a state of total emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that makes even the simplest tasks feel like a chore. You might feel cynical about your work, disconnected from the people you care about, or like you’re constantly running on an empty tank.
If you feel like you’ve lost your spark and are simply surviving the clock, you’re in the right place. Book a first session to get to know each other. It’s free of charge, I have no waiting list and you don’t need a referral.
Location
🏠 Leiden
💻 Online
Languages
🇬🇧 English
🇪🇪 Estonian
Useful Info
⏱️ No waiting list
🧍Adults 18+
Who is Burn-out Therapy for?
Burn-out doesn’t happen overnight; it exists on a spectrum. You don’t need to wait for a total collapse to see a burn-out therapist. In fact, catching the signs early is the best way to prevent long-term consequences. So don’t wait for things to get worse. It’s perfectly valid to seek help even if you’re still functioning in your daily life.
You might be facing burn-out if you notice:
- Feeling tired all the time, even after a full night’s sleep
- Sleeping poorly or waking up already exhausted
- Getting irritated or snapping more quickly than usual
- Feeling overwhelmed by crowds, noise, or busy environments
- Feeling depressed or tearing up more easily than before
- You’re constantly anxious and your mind doesn’t really switch off
- Constantly feeling rushed or under pressure
- Struggling to focus on simple tasks
- Forgetting things you normally wouldn’t
How a Burn-out Therapist can help you
Burn-out can be tricky to recognize because it often hides behind stress, anxiety, “brain fog” or other feelings we have been pushing aside. It is essentially your body’s emergency brake, forcing you to slow down when your mind keeps saying to “just keep going.”
Because you can’t see burn-out the same way you’d see a broken arm, it’s incredibly easy to feel frustrated with yourself. You might feel guilty or even panicked because you can’t do as much as you used to. But here’s the thing: trying to “power through” usually just makes the recovery take longer.
Burn-out therapy helps you stop the constant “tug-of-war” with yourself and finally accept that something needs to change. It’s about giving yourself permission to stop fighting your own exhaustion, which is the real starting point for recovery.
Some of my approaches as a Burn-out Therapist
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT helps you pinpoint the thought patterns that fuel burn-out, like the feeling that you “must” do it all or the fear of letting people down. Together, we’ll work on practical tools to set better boundaries, quiet the mental noise, and respond to your workload in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling drained.
Schema
Therapy
Schema Therapy looks at the deeper, long-standing patterns that lead to exhaustion, such as perfectionism or always putting others’ needs before your own. By understanding where these habits started, I can help you loosen their grip and build a more sustainable way of living and working.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT is about changing your relationship with the pressure and fatigue of burnout, rather than just trying to “tough it out.” Instead of fighting the exhaustion, I help you make space for your limits so you can stop running on empty and start taking small, meaningful steps toward the things that you care about most.
Hi, I’m Laura!
Laura Ruusalu (She/Her)
As a licensed therapist and an expat myself, I know how burn-out can creep in. I’m originally from Estonia and grew up moving between Finland and Norway before finally settling in the Netherlands.
I offer English-speaking burn-out therapy in Leiden and online. I mainly work with expats, international students, and LGBTQIA+ individuals who feel exhausted, detached, overwhelmed, or stretched too thin for too long. My approach is evidence-based and practical, focused on helping you understand what led to the burnout, reset unhealthy patterns, and gradually rebuild your energy and boundaries in a way that feels sustainable.
What you can expect when working with me
Free 30-minute session
Your journey begins with a free 30-minute online contact session, where we’ll explore how I can best support you.
Sliding scale pricing
I offer a sliding scale to keep therapy accessible, with rates based on your financial situation. €75 – €130 / hour
Personalised treatment
I use an integrative approach tailored to your individual needs and desires, always in collaboration.
Client testimonials
“Laura is amazing, as someone who intellectualises their feelings and experiences, finding a good psychologist is sometimes very difficult. However, Laura was heaven sent and has really helped me actually feel my feelings and process my traumas while also working on my triggers and coping mechanisms. Cannot recommend her enough. Thank you, Laura!”
– TK
“I had a very good experience with Laura. She is professional but also makes you feel very comfortable and made me realise things about myself that I still think about/use to this day (which is the first time this has happened for me in therapy). To me, this shows that Laura really listens to her clients.”
– ND
“Having tried various therapists in the past, I came in with feeling a little uneasy and curious to see how Laura from Bloomwave would address my issues and working together through therapy. I am a 22 year old female and I am extremely satisfied with my experience. In the past i often felt like I was not able to be fully understood. But with Laura I felt not only understood but also pulled out of my perceptions to think more critically and understand myself even better. Very professional and very good with helping one find comfort in the session environment. I hope to continue working with her for many sessions to come for my foreseeable future.”
– IW
Why choose Bloomwave practice?
- Personalised, integrative approach
- Accessible rates based on your financial situation
- No waiting list, no referral needed
- Safe space, LGBTQIA+ affirmative
Ready to take the next step?
The first step is often the hardest. To help you test the waters, I offer a free 30-minute online consultation to talk about your situation and see if we are a good fit together. No obligations or strings attached.