Building Boundaries While Bolstering Bridges: Mental Health Professionals’ Expressions of Compassion for Those Who Use Opioids

Toupey Luft; L. Marie Damgaard; Bronwyn Davis

doi:10.56508/mhgcj.v9i1.354

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Building Boundaries While Bolstering Bridges: Mental Health Professionals’ Expressions of Compassion for Those Who Use Opioids

Mental Health: Global Challenges

Volume 9 (2026): Issue 1 (January 2026)

By: Toupey Luft , L. Marie Damgaard and Bronwyn Davis

Open Access

|Jul 2026

Abstract

Introduction

The ongoing opioid crisis places significant demands on mental health professionals who work with individuals who use opioids. Compassionate care is essential in this context; however, research has primarily conceptualized compassion either as a client-directed intervention or as a protective factor for providers, with less attention to how compassion is experienced and enacted in everyday clinical practice.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore how mental health professionals express compassion in their work with opioid-using clients and how mindfulness is implicated in this process.

Methodology

Using an interpretive approach to qualitative research, ten mental health professionals from counselling, nursing, and psychology participated in semi-structured interviews focused on their experiences of compassion and mindful awareness while providing care within the opioid crisis. We then utilized reflexive thematic analysis for analysis of the qualitative data.

Results

The results of the reflexive thematic analyses showed the central theme of balancing separation and connection, which reflected how participants described compassion for their clients in the emotionally demanding context of opioid use and abuse. Two sub-themes elaborated this balancing process. Building boundaries described how participants engaged in self-kindness and boundary-setting to protect emotional capacity while providing competent care. Bolstering bridges captured efforts to connect with clients through shared humanity and mindful presence without becoming overwhelmed. Mindfulness was a key resource supporting awareness of internal states and sustained professional responsiveness.

Conclusion

This study uniquely positioned compassion as a dynamic process shaped by both connection and separation with clients and offers novel insight into sustaining compassionate care in high-demand contexts.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56508/mhgcj.v9i1.354 | Journal eISSN: 2612-2138

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 113 - 134

Submitted on: Feb 9, 2026

Accepted on: Jun 5, 2026

Published on: Jul 7, 2026

Published by: International Platform on Mental Health

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: Volume open

Keywords:

Mental Health,

Compassion in Mental Health Care,

Mental Health Professionals,

Opioid Crisis,

Self-Compassion,

Boundaries in Addiction Treatment,

Reflexive Thematic Analysis

Related subjects:

Business and economics,

Psychiatry, psychotherapy,

Social sciences,

Psychology,

Psychology, other

© 2026 Toupey Luft, L. Marie Damgaard, Bronwyn Davis, published by International Platform on Mental Health
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 9 (2026): Issue 1 (January 2026)