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For many years, I worked in a toxic workplace.
Every morning, I arrived at work anxious, unsure how the day would unfold. I loved the job itself, but the environment was unpredictable. Some days were great; other days, my boss was in a terrible mood and took it out on everyone around her.
The anxiety became physical. My chest would tighten and my hands would shake as I pulled into the parking lot each morning. I desperately wanted to leave and find something better, but I felt stuck. I didn’t know what opportunities were out there, so I applied for jobs far below my skill level and rarely got a call back.
I felt sad, frustrated and convinced I was trapped in that role. Forever.
This is also the story of many other people I have coached. Toxic work environments, feeling stuck, not sure what to do next – those are all common themes I see with my clients.
But what if the way we approached career development could prevent this distress?
We talk about therapy. We talk about fitness. But we, as a society, rarely talk about career development as a mental health strategy – and that needs to change.
The hidden mental health crisis
When we think about mental health at work, we often focus on stress management, benefits and wellness programs. But we’re missing something fundamental: the mental health impact of feeling stuck in your career.
“When employees feel trapped, undervalued or uncertain about their next steps, we rarely recognize it as a mental health issue.”
We spend more than 30% of our lives at work. According to a 2022 Gallup study, just 21% of employees feel engaged at work – while 60% feel emotionally detached and 19% are downright miserable. These aren’t just engagement numbers. They’re mental health indicators.
Yet when employees feel trapped, undervalued or uncertain about their next steps, we rarely recognize it as a mental health issue. We call it a “career problem.” But the anxiety, the loss of self-worth, the feelings of being stuck without options – these are mental health symptoms with a career-based cause.
The hidden part? Organizations invest in wellness programs while overlooking the fact that meaningful, aligned work and clear career pathways are themselves mental health interventions.
From crisis to prevention
My client Jessica had been thriving at her organization for years. She loved her team, excelled in her work and her manager often gave her more responsibility, recognizing her value.
When a promotion opened up, she applied, since she was already doing much of the work. But she was turned down because she lacked a specific degree. She felt frustrated, underappreciated and stuck. The extra effort she put in didn’t move her closer to her next step. Instead, she was trapped without a roadmap for what to do next.
That’s where career practitioners come in.
I began writing resumes out of necessity after being laid off. At first, it felt like just a practical task, but everything changed when I saw the confidence a strong, updated resume gave people and the doors it opened for their careers. That’s when I truly understood the transformative power of career development and the real, tangible impact it can have on people’s lives.
Traditional career development focuses on external outcomes – better resumes, interview skills, networking strategies. A mental health-informed approach addresses the internal experience first. This can look like:
- Building psychological safety through trauma-informed approaches to help people to feel seen and experience safe places to explore the next steps in their career.
- Restoring control to build clients’ confidence, returning the power to the individual by providing clear frameworks for decision making and strong steps forward.
- Ensuring values alignment goes deeper than “what’s your next job” and that the next steps we take move us toward the life we want to create.
Three ways to champion this approach:
1. Reframe the conversation
We need to stop talking about career development as a nice-to-have professional service and start positioning it as essential. When organizations invest in career development, they’re investing in employee well-being, retention, and engagement.
2. Integrate mental health principles
Traditional career coaching focuses on external skills. Mental health-informed career development addresses the whole person. This means training in basic psychological concepts, becoming trauma-informed and knowing when to refer to mental health professionals.
3. Intervene early
The most powerful career development happens before crisis hits. This means proactive career conversations, regular skills assessments and creating cultures where career growth is an ongoing dialogue, not an annual checkbox.
The bigger picture
Career development isn’t just another service; it’s prevention, wellness and a mental health strategy. Our work has the power to prevent burnout, reduce anxiety, and restore hope before crisis takes hold. When we help someone clarify their values, build confidence and create a roadmap forward, we’re not just supporting their career; we’re supporting their mental health, their relationships and their overall quality of life.
The work we do matters. Let’s champion career development as the mental health strategy it truly is.
