When the Helpers Need Help: How Disasters Are Taking a Toll on Australia's Psychologists

Australia's psychologists are struggling. A new study reveals that the very professionals we rely on to help us through mental health crises are experiencing alarming rates of burnout, anxiety, and depression themselves.

Between late 2019 and 2022, Australia faced an unprecedented series of challenges: devastating bushfires, widespread flooding, severe storms, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While much attention has focused on how these events affected the general public, researchers wanted to understand their impact on the mental health workforce tasked with supporting everyone else.

The findings paint a concerning picture. Among the 469 psychologists surveyed, more than one in four was experiencing work burnout. Nearly half reported low personal wellbeing, while significant numbers showed symptoms of depression and anxiety. These rates are particularly troubling given that the survey participants were experienced professionals with an average of 17 years in practice.

The Compound Effect of Multiple Disasters

What makes these findings especially significant is how multiple disasters created a compounding effect. Psychologists who experienced both weather-related disasters and COVID-19 fared much worse than those who only dealt with the pandemic. Those affected by bushfires, floods, or storms reported higher levels of burnout and anxiety, along with significantly lower wellbeing.

This suggests that resilience has limits. While people might recover from one major stressor, facing multiple disasters in quick succession can overwhelm even trained mental health professionals.

The Self-Care Struggle

The research uncovered a troubling paradox: the very people trained to help others manage stress were struggling to care for themselves. Nearly all participants reported barriers to self-care, with time being the biggest obstacle. More than 80% said time was a moderate or major barrier to looking after their own mental health.

Other significant barriers included cost, mental energy, motivation, organizational support, and accessibility. These aren't trivial inconveniences but serious obstacles that prevented psychologists from accessing the support they needed during particularly challenging times.

The study found that these barriers to self-care helped explain why disaster-affected psychologists experienced poorer mental health outcomes. When professionals couldn't find time for exercise, couldn't afford their own therapy, or lacked energy for stress-reducing activities, their wellbeing suffered accordingly.

The Power of Self-Efficacy

Despite these challenges, the research identified one factor that helped protect psychologists' mental health: occupational self-efficacy. This refers to confidence in one's ability to handle job-specific tasks and cope with work-related challenges.

Psychologists with higher self-efficacy were better able to maintain their mental health even when facing barriers to self-care. This suggests that building professional confidence and competence could serve as a crucial buffer against the negative effects of disasters.

The researchers argue that supporting psychologists' wellbeing isn't just about helping individuals, it's about protecting an essential public resource. When psychologists burn out or develop mental health problems, it affects their ability to help clients and can lead to workforce shortages in areas where mental health support is desperately needed.

The study calls for comprehensive changes across multiple levels. Policymakers need to develop disaster-specific protocols for supporting mental health workers. Professional organizations should focus on building self-efficacy through training and preparedness programs. Employers need to reduce administrative burdens and provide better access to supervision and peer support.

Importantly, the researchers emphasize that simply telling psychologists to practice better self-care isn't enough. Structural changes are needed to remove barriers and create environments where self-care is actually possible.

With climate change expected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, these findings take on added urgency. Australia's mental health workforce needs to be prepared not just for individual disasters, but for the cumulative impact of multiple, overlapping crises.

The study suggests that investment in psychologist wellbeing isn't just compassionate policy, it's practical necessity. A burnt-out, overwhelmed mental health workforce cannot effectively support a community in crisis.

As Australia continues to face environmental and health challenges, ensuring that our mental health professionals are supported, prepared, and resilient becomes not just important for them personally, but essential for the wellbeing of everyone who might need their help in the future.

The research serves as a wake-up call: if we want our psychologists to be there for us during tough times, we need to be there for them too.

Macleod, E., Curll, S., Walker, I., Cruwys, T., Greenwood, L. M., Reynolds, J., ... & Calear, A. L. (2025). Mental health, wellbeing, and burnout among practicing psychologists following Australian weather disasters and COVID-19. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 117, 105195.