You feel:

• Completely drained after every shift—even “easy” ones
• Like you have nothing left to give your patients, family, or yourself
• Emotionally numb or detached from things that used to matter
• Unable to recharge even with time off

What it sounds like:

• “I used to care deeply about my patients. Now I just want them to leave.”
• “I can’t remember the last time I felt rested.”
• “I’m running on empty 24/7.”

You notice:

• Referring to patients as “the gallbladder in Room 3” instead of by name
• Feeling annoyed or irritated by patient concerns you once found meaningful
• Dark humor that’s become genuinely mean-spirited
• Emotional distance from colleagues, patients, and even family

What it sounds like:

• “I don’t care anymore. I just need to get through the day.”
• “My patients frustrate me more than they concern me.”
• “I’m going through the motions, but I’m not really present.”

You experience:

• Feeling like nothing you do matters or makes a difference
• Questioning your competence despite years of training
• Difficulty celebrating wins or acknowledging good outcomes
• Persistent sense that you’re failing even when you’re objectively performing well

What it sounds like:

• “What’s the point? I’m just a cog in a broken system.”
• “I don’t think I’m a good doctor anymore.”
• “Even when I help someone, I feel… nothing.”

😰 Anxiety & Hypervigilance

• Constant worry about missing something critical
• Difficulty sleeping
• Checking phone compulsively
• Panic attacks before shifts

😢 Depression

• Persistent sadness or emptiness
• Loss of interest in hobbies
• Feeling trapped with no way out
• Thoughts of worthlessness

🍷 Substance Use

• Drinking to decompress after work
• Using sleep aids or stimulants
• Recognizing problematic patterns
• Feeling unable to stop

💔 Relationship Strain

• Snapping at spouse or kids
• Feeling like a stranger at home
• Difficulty being present
• “I feel like I lost you to medicine”

🏥 Physical Symptoms

• Tension headaches, GI issues
• Constantly getting sick
• Weight changes
• Chronic pain or inflammation

🧠 Cognitive Fog

• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems that scare you
• Slower clinical processing
• Fear of critical errors

That weight never goes away. Even when you’re exhausted, you can’t afford to make mistakes. The hypervigilance required to practice medicine safely is itself exhausting.

You’re drowning, but the system keeps piling on more water.

Walking away feels impossible—like losing part of yourself.

So you suffer in silence, which makes burnout worse.

But the problem isn’t that you’re not resilient enough.

The problem is that the system is fundamentally broken.

You’re not burned out because you’re weak. You’re burned out because you’re trying to practice good medicine in a system designed to prevent it.

🏢 Administrative Burden

• 2+ hours of EMR documentation per hour of patient care
• Prior authorization battles with insurance
• “Quality metrics” that don’t measure quality
• Meaningless compliance requirements

⏰ Unsustainable Schedules

• 60-80 hour work weeks becoming normalized
• 24-hour shifts in training
• No time for meals, bathroom breaks, or rest
• On-call responsibilities that never end

⚖️ Loss of Autonomy

• Insurance dictating treatment decisions
• Corporate medicine prioritizing profit over care
• Inability to practice medicine the way you were trained
• Moral injury from system constraints

💰 Financial Pressure

• $200K-$500K+ in medical school debt
• Delayed earning compared to peers
• RVU-based compensation models
• Pressure to see more patients in less time

🧑‍⚕️ Culture of Stoicism

• “Suck it up” mentality from training
• Stigma around asking for help
• Fear of appearing weak or incompetent
• Lack of peer support systems

💔 Moral Injury

• Inability to provide care you know patients need
• Witnessing suffering you can’t alleviate
• Being forced to participate in unjust systems
• Conflict between values and reality

CEREVITY offers:

• Virtual sessions from anywhere (home, car, on-call room)
• Evening and weekend availability
• 60-90 minute sessions to fit your schedule
• No commute time to/from office

With CEREVITY’s private pay model:

• No insurance claims = no diagnosis codes
• No documentation in medical records systems
• Protected by therapist-client confidentiality
• Virtual sessions = no one sees you in a waiting room

Here’s the truth: You’re already breaking down. You’re just doing it alone, in silence, while maintaining a facade of competence.

You won’t “break” in therapy—you’ll finally have permission to acknowledge how broken you already feel.

With CEREVITY’s private pay model:

• Virtual sessions from your home (no waiting rooms)
• No insurance claims visible to employer
• Discreet billing (shows as “CEREVITY”)
• Therapist-client confidentiality protected by law

Dr. K., Hospitalist, Bay Area

“I was working night shifts, barely sleeping, missing every family event. I started having panic attacks before shifts and couldn’t remember the last time I felt joy. Therapy helped me realize I didn’t have to quit medicine—I had to quit that job. I transitioned to a hospitalist group with better work-life balance, and I’m actually enjoying medicine again. I still see my therapist monthly to maintain boundaries and process tough cases.”

Dr. M., Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles

“After 15 years in the ER, I’d seen too much death. I was numb, drinking heavily, and my marriage was on the brink. EMDR helped me process trauma I didn’t even realize I was carrying. I’m back in the ER, but now I have tools to decompress after difficult shifts. My relationship with my spouse has completely transformed.”

Dr. T., Primary Care, San Diego

“Moral injury was killing me. I was spending more time fighting insurance companies than helping patients. Therapy helped me grieve the loss of the medicine I wanted to practice—and ultimately make the difficult decision to leave clinical practice. I now work in healthcare consulting and use my clinical experience differently. It was the right choice for me.”

Dr. S., Surgeon, Orange County

“I was sued for malpractice after a complication that wasn’t my fault. Even though the case was eventually dropped, I developed severe anxiety and kept replaying the surgery in my mind. I couldn’t operate without intrusive thoughts. Therapy, specifically CBT and EMDR, helped me process the trauma and return to the OR with confidence.”

Step 1: Acknowledge You Need Help

This is the hardest step—and you’ve already done it by reading this far.

You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to take one action.

Step 2: Reach Out to CEREVITY

In a brief, confidential conversation, we’ll discuss: What’s going on for you right now, your concerns about confidentiality and licensing, which therapist might be the best fit, and scheduling options that work for your life.

Step 3: Schedule Your First Session

Appointments typically available within 3-7 days.

Step 4: Show Up (Even if You Don’t Feel Ready)

You don’t have to have it all together.

Just show up and tell your therapist where you are. They’ll guide you from there.

Step 5: Build Your Treatment Plan

After your first session, you’ll work together to determine:

• How often to meet (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
• What therapeutic approaches to use
• What your goals are
• What success looks like

You deserve a therapist who:

• Understands the unique pressures of medicine
• Respects your intelligence and doesn’t infantilize your experience
• Provides evidence-based treatment that actually works
• Protects your confidentiality and career
• Helps you reconnect with why you became a doctor (if that’s possible)

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Let’s start refilling yours.

Schedule Your Confidential Session:

Or visit our website: cerevity.com

✓ Private Pay (No Insurance) • ✓ Complete Confidentiality • ✓ No Medical Board Records

✓ Virtual Sessions • ✓ Evening & Weekend Hours • ✓ Therapists Who Understand Medicine