Therapy for Healthcare Workers and Nurses

Who We Work With

We see healthcare professionals at every level, among others:

• Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse practitioners
• Physicians, residents, and medical students
• Physician assistants and other advanced practice clinicians
• Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics
• Respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and technicians
• Mental health clinicians and social workers
• Hospital, clinic, and long-term care staff

If you work in a first-responder role, you may also find our first responder therapy page helpful.

What Healthcare Workers Bring to Therapy

• Burnout: exhaustion that rest doesn’t fix, cynicism, and feeling ineffective
• Compassion fatigue: feeling numb or detached from patients you used to care deeply about
• Moral injury: distress from being forced to act against your values, for example by staffing shortages, system decisions, or outcomes you couldn’t prevent
• Work-related trauma: intrusive memories of codes, deaths, violence, or medical errors
• Anxiety and dread before shifts, and trouble sleeping after them
• Depression, irritability, or pulling away from family and friends
• Guilt and self-criticism after difficult cases
• Substance use to unwind or sleep

Burnout, Moral Injury, and PTSD: What’s the Difference?

	Burnout	Moral injury	PTSD
Core experience	Depletion from chronic work stress	Distress from violating or witnessing violations of your values	Lasting fear response after trauma
Common feelings	Exhaustion, cynicism	Guilt, shame, betrayal, anger	Fear, hypervigilance, intrusive memories
What helps	Recovery, boundaries, and skills	Processing meaning and self-forgiveness	Trauma-focused therapy

These often overlap, and you don’t need to sort it out before reaching out. A good assessment will help.

How We Help

Our clinicians tailor treatment to what you’re carrying, using approaches such as:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression, burnout, and perfectionism
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to reconnect with your values and make room for difficult emotions
• Trauma-focused treatments for intrusive memories and work trauma: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) PTSD guideline recommends all three as first-line treatments.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for sleep disrupted by night shifts and stress, offered by some of our clinicians (ask when you book). Learn more about CBT for insomnia.
• Skills for moral injury, including working through guilt, shame, and anger, and rebuilding a sense of meaning in your work

Therapy That Fits Shift Work

Healthcare schedules are unpredictable. Online therapy removes the commute and makes it easier to fit sessions between shifts, on days off, or from a private space at home. Our clinicians offer a range of appointment times, and we’ll work with you to find a consistent slot. Learn how our teletherapy works.

Confidentiality and Your License

Many healthcare workers worry that seeking therapy could affect their job or license. Therapy is confidential, with limited legal exceptions, such as imminent danger to yourself or others, that your clinician will explain at the start. We don’t contact your employer. Licensing boards in many states have also revised application questions to focus on current impairment rather than past treatment, and seeking care is widely recognized as a sign of professional responsibility. If you have specific concerns about your license or your employer, ask us, and consider checking your state board’s current rules.

What to Expect in Your First Sessions

Your first appointment is a conversation, not a debrief you have to perform. Your clinician will ask about your role, your schedule, what’s been hardest lately, and how work is affecting your sleep, mood, and relationships. Together you’ll set goals, such as sleeping through the night, feeling less dread before shifts, processing a specific case, or deciding about your career, and choose an approach that fits. Many healthcare workers prefer a structured, practical style with clear tools, and we can work that way. You’ll leave the first session knowing the plan and what comes next.

Signs It’s Time to Reach Out

• You dread going to work most days
• You’ve stopped enjoying things outside work
• Cases replay in your mind, or you have nightmares
• You’re drinking more, sleeping less, or snapping at people you love
• You’ve thought about leaving healthcare entirely
• You feel numb at work or at home

You don’t have to wait until you’re in crisis. Reaching out early often means shorter, more focused treatment.

Insurance Coverage

Therapy is billed as standard outpatient psychotherapy, and many hospital and health system employer plans have strong mental health benefits. We’re in-network with:

• Aetna, directly and through Headway. See our Aetna page.
• Optum and UnitedHealthcare, nationwide. See our Optum and UnitedHealthcare page.
• Oscar, through the UnitedHealthcare network
• Anthem and Carelon, through Headway
• Blue Cross Blue Shield, Ambetter, and others

We do not accept Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans.

Our clinicians are licensed across 20 states, and we have in-person offices throughout the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there therapy specifically for nurses? Yes. Many therapists specialize in healthcare workers. Our clinicians understand shift work, workplace trauma, and moral injury, so you won’t have to explain the basics of your job.

Will going to therapy affect my nursing or medical license? Seeking therapy by itself is generally not something you’re required to report, and many state boards now focus on current impairment rather than past treatment. Rules vary by state, so check with your board if you’re unsure.

What is moral injury in healthcare? Moral injury is the distress that comes from doing, witnessing, or failing to prevent something that violates your moral values, such as being unable to give patients the care they need. It often involves guilt, shame, and a sense of betrayal.

Can therapy help with healthcare burnout? Yes. Therapy can help you recover energy, set boundaries, address perfectionism and guilt, and decide what changes would make your work sustainable.

Can I do therapy around night shifts? Online therapy makes it easier. We’ll work with you to find a consistent appointment time that fits your schedule.

Does insurance cover therapy for healthcare workers? Usually, yes. Therapy is covered as outpatient mental health care under most plans. We’re in-network with Aetna, Optum/UnitedHealthcare, and others. We do not accept Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans.

If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.