“I feel like I ended up living my values while sacrificing myself”: Learning from Compassion-Fatigue and Moral Injury within the Clinical Psychology Profession during the COVID-19 Era

(Figure presented.) Objective: The current research aimed to explore the experiences of National Health Service (NHS) Clinical Psychologists who worked during the Covid-19 pandemic and their experience of moral injury and compassion-fatigue. Methods: This study took a qualitative approach, interviewing 12 Clinical Psychologists using semi-structured interviews, to explore participants’ experiences and identify lessons learnt from the pandemic. Results: Data were analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis, and five main themes were identified from the data. Qualitative data highlighted the complex and multifaceted experiences of compassion-fatigue and moral injury reported by participants. They faced significant challenges including the loss of privacy and containment from completing therapy online at home, supporting the emotional distress of colleagues, deciding who could access psychological therapy, and feeling pressurised into having the Covid-19 vaccine. Conclusions: This novel research produced important findings about how Clinical Psychologists made sense of their experiences during the pandemic, including the lasting impact on both their personal and professional lives. These experiences highlight the need to offer more support and create a less stigmatising environment for Clinical Psychologists within the NHS to allow them to feel comfortable discussing their own wellbeing needs. This needs to occur at an individual and contextual level.