Burnout to Balance: A Psychiatrist’s Toolkit for Well-Being is a full-day virtual event designed to address one of the most pressing challenges in the mental health field: physician burnout. Featuring seven expert speakers, this program provides a comprehensive and nuanced look at the root causes of burnout, its personal and professional toll, and the pathways to recovery and resilience. Participants will gain insight into complex clinical presentations that go beyond traditional definitions of burnout, as well as guidance on supporting psychiatrically ill physicians with empathy and clinical acumen.

The event includes targeted sessions on key areas such as graduate medical education, early-career stressors, and system-level interventions that promote sustainable well-being in psychiatric practice. Thought leaders will also explore how innovations in technology can enhance self-care and peer support. Whether you're a seasoned psychiatrist, a trainee, or an institutional leader, this program equips you with the tools to navigate burnout, build resilience, and foster a culture of wellness across the profession.

Format

Live Virtual Event

Note: this event is ONLY available to view live on July 15, 2025 from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this learning event, learners will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast burnout with other diagnoses in DSM-5 TR
2. Know how to interview and examine the physician-patient for both a differential diagnosis and a preferred diagnosis or preferred diagnoses
3. List 3 interventions individuals can use to address burnout
4. List 3 institutional-level interventions to promote personal fulfillment
5. Understand that burnout is different from psychiatric illness but may be used to disguise the latter
6. Be aware of the need for some physicians to receive specialist mental health treatment
7. Understand the need for systemic prevention/interventions in suicidal and/or distressed physicians
8. Be aware of difficulties (especially boundaries) in treating physician colleagues, and ways of mitigating these
9. Be aware of personal educational, supportive and clinical needs required to treat colleagues

References

• Guille, Constance, and Srijan Sen. "Burnout, depression, and diminished well-being among physicians." New England Journal of Medicine 391.16 (2024): 1519-1527.
• Zisook, Sidney, et al. "Relationship between burnout and Major Depressive Disorder in health professionals: A HEAR report." Journal of Affective Disorders 312 (2022): 259-267. 3. Harvey, Samuel B., et al. "Mental illness and suicide among physicians." The Lancet 398.10303 (2021): 920-930.
• Rosenbaum, Lisa. (2024). Being Well while Doing Well - Distinguishing Necessary from Unnecessary Discomfort in Training. New England Journal of Medicine, 390, 568-572. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMms2308228
• Rosenbaum, Lisa. (2024). Beyond Moral Injury - Can We Reclaim Agency, Belief, and Joy in Medicine?. New England Journal of Medicine, 390, 951-955. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMms2311042Yellowlees P. Physician Suicide: Cases and Commentaries. Published June 2019 by American Psychiatric Publishing Inc
• Yellowlees P. Physician Wellbeing: Cases and Solutions. Published December 2020 by American Psychiatric Publishing Inc
• Yellowlees P, Coate L, Misquitta R, Wetzel AE, Parish MB. The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Burnout in a Regional Sample of Physicians. Acad Psychiatry. 2021 Apr;45(2):159-163. doi: 10.1007/s40596-020-01381-z. Epub 2021 Jan 6.

Target Audience

Medical Students, Resident/Fellows, Psychiatrists, Non-psychiatrist Physicians, other mental health professionals.

Instructional Level

Introductory, Intermediate

Estimate Time to Complete 

Estimated Duration: 7.0 hours (excluding breaks)
Program Start Date: July 15, 2025
Program End Date: July 15, 2025 

Credit must be claimed by October 15, 2025.

Schedule:

All times listed are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

How to Earn Credit 

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ or a certificate of participation may do so by viewing the live presentation and completing the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (other disciplines) showing the event date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit 

In support of improving patient care, the American Psychiatric Association is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.  

Physicians 

The APA designates this live event for a maximum of 7.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.  

Faculty and Planner Disclosures 

The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity. 

Instructors 

• Benoit Dube, MD. 
• Laurel Mayer, MD. Reports financial relationships with Eli Lilly & Company. 
• Lorenzo Norris, MD. 
• Michael Myers, MD. 
• Mickey Trockel, MD, PhD. 
• Peter Yellowlees, MD. Reports financial relationships with Asynchealth Inc and Feel Technologies. 
• Steven Chan, MD.

Planners  

• Vishal Madaan, MD, APA Deputy Medical Director, Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Lorenzo Norris, MD.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities 

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. Please contact the American Psychiatric Association at 202-559-3900, if you require assistance seven (7) business days prior to the start of a live webinar. 

Technical Requirements 

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following: 

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari 
• Internet Explorer 11+ 

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player. 

Optimal System Configuration: 

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version) 
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version) 
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content 
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content