How One Team Transformed Burnout into Sustainability

A regional health service I have worked with had been seeing signs of strain across their workplace for months. Like many healthcare professionals, they were dedicated, stretched thin, and quietly absorbing the emotional toll of their work.

However, the red flags were emerging. High turnover. Fractured team dynamics. A growing list of sick leave requests. Supervision had become transactional—or in some cases, absent. The work hadn’t changed, but the team’s ability to carry it had.

What changed things wasn’t a major restructure or new funding. It was something far more human. They committed as a leadership team to building the support structures that sustain care.

Psychologically safe conversations became the norm. Supervisors and supervisees received training, both parties learning how to make supervision reflective, not just operational. Peer support sessions were reintroduced. Debriefs followed difficult events. And over time, everything shifted.

Staff stopped internalising the system’s failures as personal ones. People stayed. Teams became more generous with each other. Leaders felt more grounded. And importantly—clients noticed the difference.

What does good support actually look like?

Quality support is not about big investments or new platforms. It is about providing structures that are human-centred, consistent, and safe. When workplaces prioritise genuine support systems, the difference is transformative.

Teams become steadier. Staff stay longer. Professionals feel more grounded and connected to their purpose.

How your team can do the same

This kind of shift doesn’t require large budgets. It starts with small, intentional steps:

• Assess your current supervision culture. Is it reflective or task-based? Do supervisees feel safe to raise concerns?

• Invest in training. Equip both supervisors and supervisees with skills to make supervision meaningful and build shared language and expectations. Reflective supervision isn’t innate—it is learned.

• Make space for regular connection. Set up peer support or group supervision to normalise debriefing and reduce isolation.

• Work intentionally to foster psychological safety across the team. Encourage openness, listen without judgement, and respond with care not reactivity.

• Debrief well and often. After challenging situations or critical incidents, offer a structured space to process and recalibrate.

Support and supervision are not “extras”. They are what enable professionals to do their best work and make sustained care possible.

If your team is ready to strengthen supervision, please contact me, I would be happy to help.

I also regularly run public in-person and online training programs about Professional and Clinical Supervision and How to Get the Most out of Supervision. There are a few places remaining in my in-person training on 9 and 10 July and I would love to see you there. For details about all my workshops see Professional Supervision Training.

Upcoming public training programs

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