Helping without harm: providing emotional support to health care workers in 2023

Reflecting on the efforts to provide acute emotional support to health care workers (HCWs) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, 3 guiding principles are proposed for health care organizations, with the aim to support their workers by an efficient combination of disciplines and resources: 1) normalize the use of support resources for HCWs; 2) assess actual needs rather than act on assumptions; 3) reduce barriers for HCWs to get the support they need. Each of these principles is described in terms of their usefulness and potential for further developments that might provide better emotional support for HCW in the future.