What is the difference between burnout and compassion fatigue?
While often used interchangeably, burnout and compassion fatigue are distinct clinical conditions. Burnout is a gradual depletion caused by systemic workplace issues like administrative burden and understaffing.
Compassion fatigue (also known as secondary trauma) is the emotional residue of working with patients in distress. It can strike suddenly, leading to a “numbness” that impacts both your patient care and your personal life.
The 2026 Colorado Healthcare Crisis: A Structural Problem
As we move through 2026, healthcare professionals at major systems like Denver Health and UCHealth are facing unprecedented pressure. With Colorado’s population aging rapidly and a statewide nursing shortfall of nearly 15%, the “grind” has become unsustainable.
If you work in the DTC medical corridor or a high-volume ER in Downtown Denver, you know that “pizza parties” and “mindfulness apps” aren’t enough to fix the structural exhaustion you feel.
4 Signs You Are Experiencing Compassion Fatigue
For Denver’s nurses, physicians, and first responders, compassion fatigue often manifests as:
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Emotional Numbness: Feeling “flat” or unable to empathize with patients’ pain, even when you want to.
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Hypervigilance: An inability to “turn off” your clinical brain, even when you’re at home in Cherry Creek or Greenwood Village.
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Secondary Trauma: Vividly remembering a patient’s trauma as if it were your own.
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Dread: A physical sensation of heaviness or nausea before starting your shift.
Why Therapy is the Clinical Solution
At My Denver Therapy, we provide evidence-based interventions specifically for healthcare workers and first responders. We move beyond generic advice to provide:
Somatic Processing for Trauma
Healthcare work is physical. We use somatic techniques to help your body release the “survival mode” tension that accumulates during a 12-hour shift.
Evidence-Based Boundary Setting
We help you navigate the “guilt” of saying no to extra shifts or drawing firm lines between your identity as a provider and your identity as a human being.
Safe Space for Moral Injury
Many of our Denver clients suffer from moral injury—the distress that occurs when you cannot provide the level of care you want due to systemic constraints. We provide a non-judgmental space to process these complex feelings.
Recovery for Denver’s Caregivers
You have spent your career taking care of Colorado. It’s time to let someone take care of you. Whether you are a nurse at Anschutz, a first responder in Arapahoe County, or a physician in Greenwood Village, we offer specialized support to help you stay in the field without losing yourself.
Ready to move from survival to sustainability? Learn more about our Burnout Therapy in Denver or schedule a consultation at our Arvada, Cherry Creek, Lone Tree, or Greenwood Village locations.
