From Burnout to Freedom: How I Moved Abroad and Reshaped My Clinical Career
I didn’t plan to move abroad. I planned to survive the day, check the boxes, keep showing up. Like so many clinicians, I had internalized the idea that helping others meant sacrificing myself. Eventually, that mindset — combined with the intensity of hospital-based social work — led me straight into burnout.
This is the story of how I left behind that cycle, moved to France, and rebuilt my clinical career on my own terms. If you’re a clinician feeling stuck, exhausted, or craving change, you’re not alone — and yes, there are real, practical steps you can take.
When Helping Hurts: The Reality of Clinical Burnout
Burnout doesn’t always look like collapse. For me, it looked like running on adrenaline and pushing past my limits daily. I was working long hours in a healthcare setting, taking care of patients and families in crisis, and neglecting my own needs completely.
Eventually, I realized I was going through the motions in both life and work. I was burnt out, grieving, and deeply unsure of who I was outside of my role. This wasn’t just compassion fatigue — it was a full-body, full-life depletion. And it wasn’t sustainable.
Cracking Open the Possibility of Something New
Burnout recovery doesn’t happen overnight. But for me, it began with a question:
What if I didn’t have to keep doing it this way?
That led to another question: Could I actually move abroad and still practice as a clinician?
Turns out — with creativity, persistence, and some logistical legwork — the answer was yes.
Moving Abroad as a Clinician: What You Need to Know
If you’re a therapist, social worker, or clinician dreaming of living overseas, here are a few key things I learned:
✅ Licensing Is Complicated — But Workarounds Exist
In most cases, your U.S. therapy license won’t automatically transfer abroad. But many clinicians (myself included) continue to see U.S.-based clients virtually while living in another country. This means maintaining your home state license (in my case, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, DC, and Vermont) and ensuring you're following all telehealth and jurisdictional rules.
✅ You Can Redefine What Clinical Work Looks Like
Once I left the traditional system, I gave myself permission to get creative. I now offer not only therapy, but also consulting services for clinicians who want to move abroad, explore private practice, or recover from burnout themselves.
✅ Freedom Doesn’t Mean Losing Your Career
Many helping professionals fear that stepping away from the system means abandoning their identity. But I’ve found the opposite: relocating helped me reclaim the parts of me that were lost to burnout — the parts that love this work, that value rest, and that now define success on different terms.
Burnout Recovery Isn’t Just Rest — It’s Rebuilding
Burnout isn’t just exhaustion — it’s a mismatch between what you value and how you’re living. Moving abroad gave me the space to reflect, reconnect with myself, and rebuild a clinical life that actually fits me.
Today, I live in Paris. I work virtually with clients in the U.S., support clinicians who are making bold moves of their own, and prioritize the slower pace I used to only dream about.
If You’re a Clinician Thinking of Moving Abroad…
You don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re in early burnout or ready to leap into a new country and career, I offer consulting for clinicians moving abroad, navigating therapy licenses, or recovering from burnout in the process.
💬 Ready to explore what’s next for you? Reach out for a consult — I’d love to support you.