Therapy for Healthcare Workers and Nurses
You spend your shifts holding everyone else together: the code that didn’t end well, the patient who reminded you of your own family, the short-staffed nights. Then you drive home and try to switch it all off. For many nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers, that switch stopped working long ago. Our clinicians understand the culture of healthcare and treat burnout, moral injury, and work-related trauma with evidence-based therapy, online in 44 states.
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 about deeply
- Moral injury: distress from acting against your values because of 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 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (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 |
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). All three are first-line treatments in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) PTSD guideline.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for sleep disrupted by night shifts, offered by some clinicians. Learn more about CBT for insomnia.
- Skills for moral injury, including working through guilt, shame, and anger, and rebuilding 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 or on days off, and we’ll work with you to find a consistent slot. Learn how our teletherapy works.
Confidentiality and Your License
Many healthcare workers worry therapy could affect their job or license. Therapy is confidential, with limited legal exceptions, such as imminent danger, that your clinician will explain at the start, and we don’t contact your employer. Many state licensing boards now focus on current impairment rather than past treatment. If you have specific concerns, ask us and check 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, and how work affects your sleep, mood, and relationships. Together you’ll set goals, such as sleeping through the night or processing a specific case, and choose an approach. Many healthcare workers prefer a structured, practical style with clear tools, and we can work that way.
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 for a crisis; reaching out early often means shorter, more focused treatment.
Insurance Coverage
Many hospital and health system employer plans have strong mental health benefits. We’re in-network with:
- Aetna. See our Aetna page.
- Optum and UnitedHealthcare, in the states listed on our Optum and UnitedHealthcare page.
- Oscar, through the UnitedHealthcare network
- Anthem, accepted depending on the clinician and state
- Blue Cross Blue Shield, Ambetter (in Washington only), and others
We do not accept Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans.
Psychological Healing has 40 clinicians, offering in-person sessions in 20 states and video sessions in 44 states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Does insurance cover therapy for healthcare workers? Usually, yes, as outpatient mental health care. We’re in-network with Aetna, Optum/UnitedHealthcare, and others.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.
Clinically reviewed by Karan Singh, Ph.D.
Last reviewed October 16, 2026