In conversations with faculty around the country, the level of burnout is palpable. We are tired. Not tired of the work or the students, but of the work creep, shifting goal posts, and the rising scrutiny on higher education—to name a few. Fortunately, our colleagues are wise and generous, and have resources to share.
Each year, the APA Division 2 (Society for the Teaching of Psychology) president chooses a theme, and our 2025 theme was Stronger Together: Building a Community to Combat Teacher Burnout. We launched four task forces focused on assessing needs, developing resources, and fostering community across teaching, research, and service, with more than 80 active STP members who volunteered their time and expertise. All presidential task force resourcesopens in new window are on our website. Here, I want to highlight two sets of resources specific to burnout and managing workload.
Our first task force, Addressing Academic Burnout, chaired by Brittany Avila, Melissa Maffeo, and Karen Naufel, developed an interactive infographicopens in new window offering research-informed strategies to prevent and mitigate burnout, foster resilience, and build supportive communities for faculty, staff, and administrators. The Healthy Minds Network reports up to 64% of faculty feel some level of burnout, and that percentage is even higher among women. Similarly, 59% of students report burnout, which can manifest in exhaustion, cynicism, and detachment (Tapio, 2025). While we may focus more on teacher burnout, it is important to remember that burnout exists in all circles of academic life.
While symptoms overlap, solutions must be tailored to each group. This guide explores practical steps for balancing demands with resources, promoting mental health, and creating inclusive environments. Connecting with others through a “pedagogy pod,” peer mentoring, or your “no-committee” can reaffirm social support. Other practical strategies to reduce cognitive load include the 20% rule—where faculty protect 20% of work time for activities they find most meaningful—while students benefit from structured study sessions and breaking large assignments into smaller chunks.
The second task force, chaired by Guy Boysen, compiled resources on conducting research on a small (or sometimes non-existent) budget. Another source of our burnout is doing more with less. While mentoring student research is a high-impact practice, many lack funding, release time, or institutional support. This guideopens in new window offers creative and collaborative ways to recruit participants, leverage technology, apply for funding, and publish our work. Sometimes burnout stems from the sheer bandwidth required to find useful websites or professional groups—this task force has done that work for you. There’s no need to reinvent the research wheel; rely on the wealth of resources already available.
In her book Unraveling Faculty Burnout, Pope-Ruark (2022) identifies connection as one of four pillars of burnout resilience. These collaborations show how community and networking can reinvigorate teaching through service. We hope you’ll read and share these strategies and resources widely—they apply across disciplines—and get involvedopens in new window with STP!
About the author
Stephanie Afful, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Lindenwood University specializing in social psychology, with expertise in racial identity, interracial relationships, and inclusive pedagogy. She has published in journals such as the Journal of Social Issues, Teaching of Psychology, and the Journal of Black Psychology, and contributed to book chapters on pedagogical innovation and professional development. Dr. Afful is committed to advancing equity and effective teaching across the discipline. Her TEDx talk, “I Spy Something White,” examines racial perception and the dynamics of whiteness in everyday life. Dr. Afful has received numerous honors, including the STP Early Career Jane Halonen Award, two Emerson Excellence in Teaching Awards, and the MLK Jr. Leadership Award. She earned her PhD in social psychology from Saint Louis University and her BA in psychology and sociology from Drury University. Dr. Afful served as the 2025 President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2).
