The Hidden Toll: How Workforce Adjustment Is Affecting the Mental Health of Ottawa's Public Servants

And why reaching out for support may be the most important thing you do right now.

If you're a federal public servant in Ottawa, the past several months have likely been anything but business as usual. The government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review aims to eliminate roughly 40,000 positions by 2029. Thousands of workforce adjustment notices have been issued and early retirement packages have gone out to nearly 68,000 employees. For those who haven't received a notice — yet — the waiting can feel just as agonizing as the news itself.

On top of this, public servants will be required to return to the office four days a week starting this July. For many, it feels like one more thing being taken away in a period already defined by loss.

If any of this resonates with you, what you're feeling is a completely natural response to an extraordinarily stressful situation.

When Work Becomes a Source of Threat

For most public servants, the federal government has been more than a paycheque — it's been a career, a community, and a core part of their identity. When that foundation is shaken, the effects go far deeper than workplace inconvenience.

What many of our therapy clients in Ottawa are describing right now sounds like a prolonged stress response: difficulty sleeping, racing thoughts, irritability, headaches, and a pervasive sense of dread. Some are watching colleagues pack up their desks while wondering if they're next. Others have taken on heavier workloads with fewer resources, all while being told to show up more often in an office that may not even have a desk for them.

Research consistently shows that the mental health toll of workplace downsizing extends well beyond those who lose their jobs. Psychologists refer to this as layoff survivor syndrome — a pattern of guilt, anxiety, burnout, and disengagement that affects employees who remain after rounds of cuts. Some research suggests the psychological strain on those who stay can rival that of those who were let go, particularly when the process drags out over months. That's exactly what's happening here — not one swift cut, but rolling waves of uncertainty.

The Many Faces of This Stress

Among public servants seeking counselling for stress and burnout, a few common themes keep coming up: chronic uncertainty about whether your position will be affected, keeping the nervous system on constant high alert; loss of identity and purpose, especially for those who chose their careers because they believe in public service; grief over watching a workplace community dissolve — colleagues let go, teams dismantled, institutional knowledge walking out the door; loss of autonomy as the return-to-office mandate removes flexibility that had become a lifeline for caregiving and well-being; and strain on relationships, as the stress shows up at home through shorter tempers, emotional withdrawal, and financial worry.

Why Therapy Can Help — Even When the Problem Feels External

It's tempting to think, "What I need is job security, not therapy." That's a fair thought — therapy can't change government policy. But here's what it can do:

Help you regulate your nervous system. Therapy provides tools — drawn from approaches like CBT and somatic techniques — to manage the anxiety, sleep disruption, and physical tension that chronic workplace stress produces.

Create space to process grief and loss. Whether you've lost a role, a sense of purpose, or a vision of what your career was supposed to look like, individual therapy offers a space to name and move through those losses.

Strengthen your relationships. Couples therapy in Ottawa — particularly approaches like EFT and PACT — can help you and your partner navigate this period together rather than being pulled apart by it.

Rebuild a sense of agency and identity. Therapy can help you reconnect with the parts of your life where you do have choice, clarify your values, and explore who you are beyond your job title. Internal Family Systems (IFS) and other depth-oriented approaches can be particularly helpful here.

You Don't Have to Wait for the Worst to Happen

You don't need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Seeking mental health support before burnout fully sets in or the strain on your relationships becomes entrenched is one of the most proactive things you can do.

At The Authentic Life, our team provides mental health counselling for individuals, couples and families in Ottawa and Orleans. We specialize in helping people navigate anxiety, stress, career transitions, and relationship challenges using evidence-based approaches including EFT, PACT, IFS, and CBT. We offer flexible scheduling — mornings, evenings, and weekends — along with virtual therapy sessions.

We invite you to book a complimentary discovery call with one of our therapists. It’s a no-pressure conversation to explore whether we’re the right fit for you —and to take a first step toward feeling clear, calm, and confident through this change. Book your free discovery call here.

Contact us to learn more.