Research brief: How clinicians expect to be judged when they access mental health care versus how they judge others

In healthcare environments where resilience is often demanded of care team members, acknowledging personal vulnerabilities or requesting support for emotional and psychological welbeing can feel risky. Some clinicians fear that seeking mental health care could invite questions about their professionalism or fitness to practice, leading to subtle or overt judgment from colleagues or leaders. This fear can create a powerful barrier to access mental health care, leaving clinicians to struggle quietly rather than pursue the support they need and deserve.

In our 2025 report, “Clinician perceptions of barriers to access mental health care,” Executive Strategiest Liz Boehm and and Stefanie Simmons, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, explored this and other individual, cultural and structural barriers. They found that more than half of clinicians surveyed reported that negative attitudes or beliefs from peers or direct supervisors and leaders create moderate, significant or prohibitive barriers to accessing mental health care.

They also found a potential gap in perceptions. To understand if the fear of judgment from colleagues and supervisors is warranted Liz and Dr. Simmons dove into the findings a bit deeper. What they discovered is that clinicians have more allies than they realize.

Read this research brief to explore these data, which shows most clinicians do not disparage colleagues for seeking mental health care. In fact, most view it as a responsible choice that will improve a care team member’s ability to practice in a competent, ethical and professional manner.