The Invisible Workload: How Admin Eats in to a Therapist’s Week and causes therapist burnout
In my discussions with therapists, most have said they went into the profession because they were a people person, they wanted to heal, or they wanted to help people overcome their worst demons. Not one told me they entered the profession expecting to be inundated by endless admin.
The reality though is very different. Endless admin is a fact of life for most therapists, be it in NHS practice or in private practice. Only the nature of admin changes.
Over 80 therapists have told me that 1:2 have suffered burnout and the endless admin is an important cause of therapist burnout. An average therapist spends nearly 7 hours every week chasing invoices, update calendars, or deciphering spreadsheets. This time could have been used to rest, reflect, or connect more deeply with clients.
The therapist, the admin assistant, the accountant, the marketer, the IT support person!
The modern therapist’s desk looks a lot like a corporate workstation: tabs of notes waiting to be written, invoices pending, scheduling tools demanding attention. For those in private practice, there’s no reception team or operations manager. You are the therapist, the accountant, the marketer, and the IT support. The mental weight of switching between these roles is more exhausting than it appears on paper.
Emotional availability is not an unlimited resource
And yet, this workload is often dismissed as “part of the job.” But what if it isn’t? What if the quiet hours lost to admin are silently eroding the very presence that therapy depends on? Emotional availability isn’t a limitless resource. Every form, reminder, or email reply drains a fraction of the energy meant for clients. It’s no surprise that administrative overload consistently ranks among the top causes of therapist burnout in surveys.
Want to remain updated about the latest activity here? Please leave your email.
Can technology be the solution?
Technology, once seen as an intrusion, might now be the route back to balance. Tools that automate scheduling, note-taking, or client follow-ups are not gimmicks; they are shields against depletion. The key is not more work but smarter work. A therapist who automates their invoices isn’t outsourcing care; they’re reclaiming mental space for it.
If therapy is the art of holding space, admin is the art of managing it. The more invisible the latter becomes, the more authentic the former can be. So perhaps the real question isn’t how much admin you do, but how much it costs you in presence, peace, and perspective. In a profession built on human connection, efficiency isn’t cold. It’s compassionate.
I’m Dr. Sriram Ravichandran, a clinician, academic, and founder who believes technology should make human care more human, not less. I’m building HearMeNow to change that story.
It’s an AI-powered companion that helps therapists manage their practice with ease — summarising sessions, tracking mood trends, organising schedules — so they can return to what matters: being present.