Psychologist

Dr. Kondrath is a licensed clinical psychologist and health science researcher. Dr. Kondrath offers holistic, neurobiologically-informed, empirically-supported interventions for the treatment of mood disorders, adjustment and life transition challenges, and trauma (such as PTSD and acute stress disorder), insomnia, nightmares, grief and loss, and values-based distress. Evidence-based interventions offered include: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), Imagery Rehearsal Therapy for nightmares, and Narrative Therapy. (See below for more on values-based distress.)

Dr. Kondrath earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in Southern California. Her research in burnout, professional distress, and global experiences of trauma at the Headington Program for International Trauma and interest in multicultural psychology led her to also pursue a Masters in Intercultural Studies from Fuller. She completed APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at VA Bedford Healthcare System and post-doctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School/VA Providence Healthcare System’s Post-Deployment and Readjustment Program, where she worked with military Service Members and Veterans recently returned from deployments. With over eight years as a VA clinician and researcher, Dr. Kondrath has worked extensively with combat Veterans and military Service Members. She has also worked with public safety, first responders, healthcare workers, federal civil servants, aid workers, educators, and other people who experience situational, occupational, and operational stress. In addition to VA mental health, post-deployment, and specialty care clinics, Dr. Kondrath has experience in university counseling centers, medical centers (hospitals), and private practice settings.

An Assistant Research Professor of Medicine at the University of Maine, Institute of Medicine, and former VA researcher, her funded research has focused on values-based distress, complex trauma, and interactive, evidence-based professional training (including deliberate practice). She continues to work on innovative, empirical research to develop and evaluate interventions to help people recover from values-based distress and build resilience.

Dr. Kondrath has served as a national and international trainer for Building Spiritual Strength (BSS), the most widely used empirically-based treatment for values-based distress, and related topics. In collaboration with the VA Office of Rural Health, VA National Chaplain Service, and VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Dr. Kondrath developed and provided professional training to thousands of VA, military, and community-based mental health clinicians, community leaders, clergy, and chaplains on topics such values-based distress and trauma-informed care. She now offers training and consulting services for community and industry professionals and learners.

What is Values-Based Distress?

Values-based distress is often called “moral injury,” “moral distress,” or “spiritual distress” in the scientific literature. However, it is important to remember that experiencing values-based distress symptoms does not mean that you have done something wrong. It means you experienced a collision of values in a terrible situation in which there were no good options.

Values-based distress can happen to people who have been confronted with a serious moral dilemma or no-win situation. A moral dilemma is an impossible situation when there is no clear, right choice to make — whatever we do will fit with some of our values and go against others. Being in no-win situation like this or witnessing others grapple with a moral dilemma can lead to changes in thinking, functioning, mood, and relationships.

Sometimes this kind of distress happens to people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) too. Values-based distress can also happen to people who do not have PTSD. Values-based distress impacts different parts of the brain than those affected by PTSD, and people experiencing it can benefit from treatment that specifically addresses values-based distress and helps build resilience.

Common Experiences (Symptoms):

• Inappropriate and intractable guilt/shame
• Social withdrawal
• Self-doubt
• Self-sabotage
• Feelings of not deserving to be happy or recover
• Helplessness/feeling powerless
• Loss of purpose
• Self-punishment
• Avoiding help-seeking
• Disgust
• Does not expect that others will understand
• Inappropriate anger
• Feeling betrayed
• Loss of faith/value system
• Difficulty forgiving self/others
• Spiritual/values-related distress
• Poor self-care
• Loss of faith in humanity
• Hopelessness
• Loss of trust in self or others

(Griffin et al., 2019; Hall et al., 2021; Jinkerson 2016; Litz et al., 2009)

Treatment for Values-Based Distress:

There are a number of research-backed safe and effective treatments for values-based distress. These interventions include:

• Building Spiritual Strength (BSS)
• Adaptive Disclosure (AD)
• Self-Forgiveness Workbook (SFW)
• Trauma Informed Guilt Reduction (TrIGR)

Most of the interventions for values-based distress should have you feeling better in 15 therapy sessions or less. Dr. Kondrath can discuss treatment options with you and help you decide what approach makes the most sense for you.