We’re Not Okay Either: Clinician Grief, Moral Injury, and Micro-Moves for Survival

Dr. Heather Taylor introduces part three of a series for clinicians, coaches, and helpers, addresses collective grief and the current political moment’s impact on helpers’ capacity, safety, and motivation. She names grief over broken systems, client and clinician safety, compassion fatigue, and working within structures that demand productivity and “move on,” framing much of this as moral injury and systemic grief that can feel like fog, apathy, and loss of meaning. Taylor emphasizes helpers are not machines, AI, or martyrs, and normalizes boundaries such as saying no to new clients, taking grief or political action days, and stepping back when needed. She recommends practical “micro moves” for nervous system regulation (brief grounding, cold air, water breaks, audiobooks, vagal holds) and intentional scheduling gaps. She closes with reflection questions and a call to seek community and support.

00:00 Collective Grief Reality

01:09 Series Intro And Focus

01:43 Clinician Grief Today

04:09 Burnout And Moral Injury

04:55 Permission For Boundaries

06:34 Micro Moves For Regulation

09:43 Green Yellow Zone Map

12:42 Wrap Up And Community

13:52 Reflection Questions Next Part

14:58 Outro And Resources

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Grief is not a problem to solve. It is a human experience to move through, and most of us were never taught how.

Grief is the New Normal is hosted by Dr. Heather Taylor, licensed psychologist and grief specialist with over a decade of experience in grief, trauma, and reproductive psychology. This show exists to change the conversation around loss by expanding what grief looks like, who it belongs to, and what it actually means to integrate it into your life.

Whether you're grieving a death, a diagnosis, a relationship, an identity shift, or the world as you knew it, your grief is real, it deserves space, and you are not behind. And if you're a clinician, coach, or helper carrying your own grief while holding space for others, this show was built for you too.

Dr. Taylor brings research-informed frameworks, honest clinical perspective, and the STAY framework, a grief-informed approach to living with loss that goes far beyond the five stages. Expect nuance, depth, and conversations that take grief seriously.

No toxic positivity. No fixing. Just honest conversation, real validation, and a community built around grief literacy, disenfranchised grief, anticipatory grief, collective grief, and the full spectrum of human loss.

grief support podcast · disenfranchised grief · anticipatory grief · grief after loss · grief for clinicians · grief-informed care · grief literacy · coping with grief · grief and identity · mental health and grief · reproductive grief · pet loss grief · collective trauma and grief · moral injury · grief integration · STAY framework

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------------------------------------- Opening and closing music by The Dadicorns Copyright 2026 Grief is the New Normal: A Podcast with Dr. Heather Taylor. All Rights Reserved. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy.