Shari B. Kaplan, LCSWIntegrative Mental Health

Guilt vs. Shame: How to Heal Shame and Reclaim Self-Worth

19 Mar 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:04

In this concise therapeutic monologue, Shari B. Kaplan, LCSW, explains the fundamental difference between guilt (a feeling that you have acted against your values) and shame (a feeling that you are a bad person). She outlines how to release these emotions by exploring their root causes: challenging negative self‑beliefs, constructing a compassionate personal narrative, and taking responsibility only for the parts of a mistake that truly belong to you while not over‑owning others' actions. Kaplan emphasizes meeting oneself with compassion and understanding, framing mistakes as natural aspects of human growth, and using these insights to heal shame and reclaim self‑worth.

Chapters

How can I let go of guilt and shame? So guilt is an emotion that says you're going against your values. So it's actually saying you're doing something bad according to your values. Shame is more about your identity and it's more about I am bad. So if guilt is I'm doing something bad, shame is saying I am something bad. So when we explore the root causes, like challenging the negative beliefs and building a more compassionate story around your experiences and come from a very human perspective of, you know, life on planet Earth is challenging and we're learning as we grow. And that's part of growing the universe is by making mistakes, taking responsibility for your part in the mistake, not owning the parts that aren't you, and being able to meet that story with compassion and understanding.