Healthcare providers enter this profession to heal—to help people move forward, regain function, and reclaim their lives. Yet in complex clinical systems, perfect outcomes are rarely possible, and client expectations don’t always align with what the
body, the mind, or the system can deliver. In these moments, it’s easy for providers to quietly absorb setbacks as personal failures, even when the true causes are systemic, structural, or simply human.

Therefore, this session offers a different perspective. Drawing on Fail Forward's 14 years of experience supporting people and organizations to demonstrate both grace and growth in the face of failure, we’ll explore how adopting a gentler, more accepting relationship with failure can transform the emotional weight of this work.

Learning objectives are:

• Recognize and normalize failure as an inevitable part of complex clinical work, distinguishing between personal responsibility and systemic, structural, and human factors that shape outcomes.
• Apply the practices of Acceptance and Gentleness to respond more skillfully to setbacks, reducing self-blame and defensiveness while creating the psychological space needed for learning and resilience.
• Use practical tools to navigate challenging cases and conversations, enabling more grounded interactions with clients, space for reflection and grief, and a greater ability to recognize meaningful progress beyond return-to-work metrics.