Over the past two weeks, I’ve logged into session after session, greeted not by familiar updates about the challenges of humanitarian work, but by tears and stunned silence. The same refrain plays out across borders: ‘We’ve all been let go.’
As of early 2025, policy changes affecting U.S. foreign assistance have resulted in widespread disruptions across the humanitarian aid sector. Now, over 20,000 aid workers are out of work. Further layoffs are anticipated as funding uncertainties and program suspensions continue to unfold. Those with careers connected to federal regulatory agencies, the renewable energy and clean-tech sectors, and those working in healthcare programs dependent on the Affordable Care Act will likely be in a similar situation soon. And for many the grief is more than professional. It’s personal. It’s existential.
Burnout has been a common theme in our work together; a relentless tug-of-war between their desire to make a difference and the personal toll exacted by their work.
For the past five years, approximately 75% of my clinical work has been with humanitarian aid workers; both U.S. citizens and local staff serving in vulnerable regions across the globe. These individuals are often deeply empathic, driven by a mission to alleviate human suffering. They work long hours under immense pressure, frequently with limited resources, all while navigating complex cultural and political landscapes. Burnout has been a common theme in our work together; a relentless tug-of-war between their desire to make a difference and the personal toll exacted by their work.
Over the past two weeks, most of my therapy sessions have centered on processing job losses. Sudden U.S. foreign aid policy changes have led to abrupt funding cuts, resulting in mass layoffs throughout the humanitarian sector. My clients, seasoned professionals who dedicated their lives to this work, have found themselves not only unemployed but also grappling with a profound sense of betrayal. Some have received hostile messages or have been accused of ulterior motives for their humanitarian work, painting them as part of a broader political narrative that casts suspicion on all foreign aid efforts.
One client described the experience as feeling like they had been ‘discarded overnight,’ while another expressed despair and guilt over the long-term consequences: ‘People in those villages were relying on us for medicine and food. We made promises we can’t keep now.’
This is not just a professional crisis; it is also a psychological and existential rupture. These workers have not merely lost jobs; they have lost their sense of purpose and community. Therapists familiar with grief theory will recognize the hallmarks of ambiguous loss, a concept coined by Pauline Boss (1999). Humanitarian workers are mourning more than their employment; they are grieving the loss of identity, the rupture of their professional communities, and the fear that their life’s work has been dismantled.
For many aid workers, their work is more than just a career; it’s a calling. This sudden loss can erode not only their professional identity but their very sense of purpose. Compounding this is a crisis of faith for some. Workers I see, particularly those from faith-based backgrounds, have expressed deep sorrow upon witnessing their own spiritual communities align with policies that harm the vulnerable. The way that religious faith and politics are intertwined in the United States can feel like a betrayal. Faith, once a source of comfort and hope, now feels entangled with politics, suffering and injustice.
For many aid workers, their work is more than just a career; it’s a calling.
Limitations of traditional therapeutic models
Family therapists play a vital role in helping aid workers navigate this uncertain period. By acknowledging the depth of their loss and guiding them toward rediscovering meaning and connection, we can support them as they rebuild their lives. These individuals have spent their careers holding space for the suffering of others. Now, we must hold space for them.
As a family therapist trained in systemic and narrative approaches, we can conceptualize the complexities involved in job loss in a different way from more individualistic perspectives. Interventions can be as simplistic as just encouraging the changing of one’s thoughts. I’ve found that conventional models like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), while valuable at times, often fall short in addressing the depth of existential loss currently experienced by humanitarian aid workers. CBT focuses on changing thought patterns and behaviors, but it can feel reductive when clients are grappling with systemic injustice and moral injury; and sometimes feeling complicit in abandoning vulnerable communities due to forces beyond their control.
Many of the professionals I am working with are experiencing increasing self-doubt about their professional contributions and competencies. Many struggle to see the link between the macro system of society and the micro level of their individual and relational difficulties. I have found it useful to draw on the idea of conscientization, a core concept in educator Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy (2000), that helps people develop critical thinking skills and a more critical view of the world. This can lead to social change and empowerment. In my view, this is compatible with Bowen’s “differentiation of self,” in that it captures the spirit of Freire’s conscientization by helping individuals step back from ingrained emotional or relational patterns, develop critical insight, and ultimately take more intentional, self-directed actions within their familial and broader social systems. Therefore, I believe that family therapists are uniquely positioned to help because systems theory broadens the lens beyond the individual, recognizing that every career decision is part of a larger relational and cultural matrix.
Some are struggling with questions such as, “What does my faith mean if my community is celebrating the suffering of those I have dedicated my life to serving?”
Similarly, standard career counseling models may not fully address the spiritual and existential dimensions of job loss in this context. For many aid workers, their careers are not simply “jobs”; they are callings deeply interwoven with personal values, family-of-origin influences, and faith commitments. When that calling is disrupted, it can trigger a profound crisis of meaning. We can also draw on our field’s work on addressing spirituality within our practice. Dorothy Becvar’s work reminds us that spirituality can serve as a powerful resource in navigating crises, yet for these workers, that resource is now shaken. Froma Walsh similarly highlights the role of faith as a protective factor during adversity, making its disruption even more destabilizing. In these moments, William Doherty’s (1995) call for therapists to help clients reconnect with their values and moral clarity becomes crucial. Some are struggling with questions such as, “What does my faith mean if my community is celebrating the suffering of those I have dedicated my life to serving?” Our work as therapists is to create a supportive space in which they can explore that type of question, guiding them with compassion as they rebuild their sense of purpose and wrestle with their dilemmas of faith.
A call to action
Therapists must be prepared to hold space for these deeper wounds; to listen without rushing toward solutions, to honor the grief and anger, and to recognize that healing will require more than a polished resume or networking tips. Therapists play a vital role in helping aid workers navigate this uncertain period. By acknowledging the depth of their loss and guiding them toward rediscovering meaning and connection, we can support them as they rebuild their lives. These individuals have spent their careers holding space for the suffering of others. Now, we must hold space for them.
Recommendations for therapists
Below are some ways you can integrate systemic approaches with career counseling and meaning-making into your existing therapeutic framework. These strategies honor the personal, professional, and relational dimensions of the loss humanitarian workers face.
- Acknowledge the Loss
Validate the multidimensional grief aid workers experience. This isn’t just about income; it’s the loss of community, identity, and moral purpose. Simply naming and honoring this layered grief can provide much-needed relief. - Name Moral Injury
Introduce clients to the concept of moral injury; the distress experienced when individuals witness or participate in actions that violate their moral beliefs. This can be particularly salient for aid workers who feel they have “abandoned” vulnerable communities. - Explore Family and Systemic Influences on Work Identity
- Context Matters:From a systemic lens, career choices, burnout, or guilt often stem from family-of-origin messages about work, service, or “success.” Encourage clients to reflect on how these beliefs shape their current reactions.
- Genograms and Family Mapping:Use genograms or other mapping techniques to uncover patterns: maybe a tradition of serving in missionary work, or unspoken family rules about “never quitting.” Such exploration can help clients see they’re not failing as individuals; they’re wrestling with generational narratives.
- Integrate Narrative Therapy
Thicken the stories about their loss of employment. Encourage clients to rewrite their professional narratives. While their formal roles may have ended, their dedication to service can continue in new forms; advocacy, volunteering, or storytelling. From a systemic perspective, consider inviting family or close friends to participate in the process if it helps clarify supportive or conflicting narratives around career transitions. - Address the Spiritual Dimension
For those whose work was rooted in faith, acknowledge the spiritual crisis that may accompany this transition. Invite clients to explore how their beliefs can sustain them, while also creating space for the possibility that they may need to re-envision their spirituality. Dorothy Becvar (1997) describes “soul healing” as a journey that may challenge old assumptions but can lead to deeper integration of faith and experience. - Build Community
Encourage clients to stay connected with former colleagues or like-minded groups—creating peer support networks can reduce isolation and offer a collective space to process shared challenges. Family therapists might also explore how partners, siblings, or close friends can be active allies in coping with job loss and forging new paths. - Normalize Rest
The dramatic shift from intense days and long hours to being unemployed is jarring. Aid workers often operate in a state of hyper-vigilance for years. Help clients reframe rest not as “giving up,” but as a crucial step toward long-term resilience. Systemically, explore how familial or cultural expectations around “productivity” or “sacrifice” might make rest feel forbidden. - Advocacy as Healing
Encourage clients to channel their grief into constructive action; be it policy advocacy, public speaking, or community organizing. This can restore a sense of agency and reaffirm their values. From a systems perspective, advocacy also broadens the conversation to include sociopolitical factors that contribute to the client’s distress.
A personal reflection
Writing or journaling has always been my way of engaging in both self-of-the-therapist work and self-care. As a therapist, I have also been affected by the current political changes. Sitting across from clients whose lives have been upended, I’ve felt my own grief surface. I’ve mourned the spaces we created together; discussion groups that fostered community and resilience. These groups have now been dissolved. The absence is palpable.
This work has reminded me that therapists, too, are embedded in systems. We are not immune to the ripple effects of policy shifts and organizational decisions. Bearing witness to my clients’ pain has reinforced a core belief: Our role is not merely to help individuals adjust to unjust systems, but also to validate their suffering and, when appropriate, empower them to resist and reimagine. It is time for me to tap into my own creativity and find alternative ways to be of support to those passionate about humanitarian work.
This is not the end of the conversation in society, rather a pause. Humanitarian aid work will continue; because the need persists. As family therapists, we have a vital role to play in supporting those on the frontlines, helping them process their grief, reclaim their narratives, and rebuild their sense of purpose. In doing so, we reaffirm our own commitment; to healing, to justice, and to the belief that even in loss, new growth is possible.
Dr. Jason Platt is an AAMFT member and bilingual therapist with over 22 years of experience in individual and couples therapy. He has been based in Mexico City since 2005, providing culturally attuned therapy to a diverse range of clients, including expats, locals, and international couples.
Becvar, D. S. (1997). Soul healing: A spiritual orientation in counseling and therapy. Basic Books.
Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous loss: Learning to live with unresolved grief. Harvard University Press.
Doherty, W. J. (1995). Soul searching: Why psychotherapy must promote moral responsibility. Basic Books.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.; 30th anniversary ed.). Continuum. (Original work published 1970)
Other articles
Feature
Teaching in the Landscape of Political Uncertainty
Since the new year with the second wave of Donald Trump’s presidency, we knew that being with students in the classroom, as women in academia, would be more complex than ever—navigating the reality of political shifts can bring a world of difference to all of us who are part of higher education.
Danna Abraham, PhD & Afarin Rajaei, PhD
Feature
Family Therapy for Clients of Wealth: Extending culturally competent care through a systemic lens
That we are living in volatile times is not new news. The last decade has been defined by acute disruptions in multiple spheres of our individual, relational, and collective existence. Historically, the magnitude of these disruptions served to unite disparate identities around a common good.
Paul Hokemeyer, JD, PhD
Feature
Unclogging the System: Minimizing pressures that burst parental pipes
Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory titled “Parents Under Pressure,” highlighting the escalating stress and mental health challenges faced by parents and caregivers. The report emphasizes that parental well-being is crucial not only for the health of parents but also for the optimal development of children and the overall health of society.
Shatavia A. Thomas, DMFT