Course Description

Moral injury is the suffering people experience when in high-stakes situations, things go wrong, and harm results from something a person did, witnessed, failed to prevent, or received. First coined by Dr. Jonathan Shay in 1994 to refer to the "undoing of character" caused by the moral anguish of combat veterans, moral injury is a concept that has been growing in awareness and relevance among healthcare workers, first responders, social workers, journalists, activists, and others.

This course is designed to increase participants' knowledge of trauma, moral distress, and moral injury, drawing from research and work in various disciplines. These disciplines include the fields of social work, psychology, spiritual care, mental health counseling, religion, and arts and healing. It will also increase competency for developing and implementing peer support strategies for processing distressful experiences as a means of facilitating moral repair and building moral resilience. Learning content will be delivered through lectures, reading, participation in peer learning cohorts and practicums, and development of a capstone project.

The 50-hour course is comprised of synchronous sessions (12 hours group discussions, 9 hours practicums) and asynchronous study time (9 hours lecture videos, 20 hours readings and capstone project preparation). This averages to about 5 hours of engagement per course week.

All course content will be on the Teachable platform, which students will have access to for a year (until October 1, 2024). Access to good internet connection and a Zoom account (for synchronous sessions) is required for successful engagement.

Synchronous sessions schedule is forthcoming and will be dependent on total enrollment size and number of small groups.

Learning objectives of the program include the following:

Course Content

Each week will comprise of either lecture recordings or synchronous practicum sessions, with accompanying reading assignments. There will be live group discussions during lecture weeks.

Course topics include:

Week 1: What is Moral Injury?

Week 2: Processing Moral Injury (Practicum)

Week 3: Identifying Moral Injury & Risk Factors

Week 4: Religious, Spiritual, Cultural Traditions

Week 5: Dimensions of Recovery

Week 6: Strategies & Processes for Recovery

Week 7: Training in Moral Injury (Practicum)

Week 8: Practicing Moral Injury (Practicum)

Week 9: Capstone Project Preparation

Week 10 +1: Capstone Project Presentations (there is an extra week to offer flexibility in scheduling final project presentations)

A certificate of completion will be offered to students who complete the course, including the capstone project.

30 CEs in chaplaincy and social work available upon request.

* MIRAC alums will have the option to "skip" course portions that overlap with MIRAC content and be credited for those sections. More information provided upon request.

** Course content will be available on the Teachable platform starting October 2, 2023. Prep materials will be posted periodically in advance of the course start date.

We are thankful to the following consultation group members who provided their expertise and insights for the curriculum: Rev. Alice Cabotaje (M.Div., BCC, ACPE), Dr. Danielle Hairston (M.D.), Dr. Frederic G. Reamer (Ph.D.), Michael Van Wert (MPH, MSW, LICSW), Rev. Dr. Stephanie M. Crumpton (Ph.D.), Rev. Dr. Trace Haythorn (Ph.D.), Rev. Dr. Zachary Moon (Ph.D.)