Who is Justify?
Justify was created by people who have worked in animal research to help others share their experiences safely, connect with a community who understands, and find language for what they’re going through.
Justify provides a confidential, supportive space for current and former animal research workers who are struggling with the emotional and psychological impact of their work.
Who is our community for?
Justify is for people with firsthand experience in animal research.
There is no "right" amount of experience or involvement required. Perhaps you spent years working in a laboratory. Maybe you completed a class that involved animal use or dissection, served on an IACUC, attended veterinary or pharmacy school, conducted research as a student, or worked with lab animals in any professional, educational, or oversight capacity.
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Whether your experience lasted days, months, years, or an entire career, your story matters.
By bringing together diverse perspectives from across the animal research industry, we can better understand its impact on both animals and people and create space for honest conversation.
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Through community-building, support services, storytelling, education, advocacy, and partnerships, Justify helps current and former lab workers move from isolation to connection, and from private concern to collective action.
Your feelings have a name.
Animal laboratory workers are often told their distress is “just compassion fatigue.” But for many, the experience runs deeper.
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When your work repeatedly asks you to act in ways that conflict with your values, especially in systems where harm is normalized and questioning is discouraged, this can lead to moral distress or moral injury.
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You may recognize this if you’ve felt:
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Persistent guilt or shame
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Questioning your character or identity: “What kind of person am I?”
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Feeling you have lost part of yourself
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Difficulty trusting yourself or others
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Believing you do not deserve good things
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Anger at yourself, others, or the system
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A crisis of meaning or spiritual distress
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Difficulty forgiving yourself or others
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Our goal is to help people better understand what they may be experiencing and to connect them with appropriate professional resources when needed, not to replace mental health care.
Many lab workers tell Justify they’re afraid to speak up because:
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They fear retaliation or being labeled “anti-science” or “animal rights extremists”​
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They worry about losing their job, their references, or their ability to build a career…even after leaving the industry​
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Some depend on the position for visa status
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Others are required to work with animals to complete a degree they’ve invested years into even if they don’t want to do animal research
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Most entered these environments wholly unprepared and uninformed about the psychological impacts this work can have and are unsure where to turn for support
I still struggle daily with the animal experiments I conducted and witnessed for over a decade. Speaking with Justify is the first time I’ve been able to express that pain, and it gives me hope that there’s a space to discuss the psychological damage that animal research causes.
Matthew Bryson, PhD
Ready to chat?
Email info@justifyglobal.org to schedule a one-on-one phone or video call with a Justify team member.
This call is an opportunity to share as much or as little about your experience as you'd like in a confidential, judgment-free space. We'll also share more about Justify, answer any questions about our own experiences in animal research, and explore how our community and resources may be helpful to you.
Spotlight
Program Development Partner
Justify is grateful to be working with Dr. Jamie McNally, a Licensed Professional Counselor, trauma specialist, moral injury researcher, and founder of Sycamore Counseling Services, a Michigan-based group practice and of Fortifyu, a wellness and coaching platform for animal care workers.
