Moral Injury Support for Healthcare Professionals

Moral injury isn’t “just burnout.” It often stems from feeling unable to act in line with your values—because of policy, resource constraints, or conflicting demands—leading to guilt, shame, or betrayal. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.

Values-aligned care Ethics & advocacy Leaders & staff Confidential support

Moral Injury vs. Burnout (at a glance)

  • Moral injury often follows situations where you feel forced to act against your ethical standards or cannot provide the care you know is right.

  • Burnout typically reflects depletion (exhaustion, cynicism, reduced efficacy) from chronic job stressors. Your burnout page covers prevention & system fixes.

Self-Check Prompts

  • When did I first notice a conflict between what I value and what I’m able to do?
  • Which constraint (policy, staffing, billing, time) made it hard to provide the care I knew was needed?
  • What part of this weighs on me most—guilt, anger, betrayal, grief?
  • What action (documentation, advocacy, debrief, ethics consult) would feel restorative or protective?

Important

These links are for education, reflection, and advocacy. They do not replace individualized clinical care or legal counsel. If you’re unsure about reporting or documentation, consider a confidential consultation first.

Talk confidentially about moral injury

Private-pay care • HIPAA-compliant video • End-to-end encrypted (PsyBooks)