East Tennessee State University Johnson City, Tennessee, United States
Session Description: Moral injury (MI) describes a phenomenon where an individual engages in behavior that conflicts with deeply held values and beliefs. For example, military veterans who take a life in combat. The sanctity of life is at the top of moral hierarchies, and soldiers are required to act in direct conflict to this deeply held value. People who have suffer from addiction experience MI too. Consider the client with severe opioid use disorder who engages in sex work to obtain dugs to prevent withdrawal and have enough money to feed their children. Or the individual with severe stimulant use disorder who steals from their grandparents to purchase methamphetamine. An under-acknowledged issue in addiction treatment is the moral injuries clients experience. Internalized shame that results from MI is a risk factor for recurrence of use and if left un-healed, lasting recovery may not be attainable. While moral injury has been primarily associated with veterans, researchers are now examining the construct in other contexts. In this session, MI is considered in the context of addiction recovery. Participants are introduced to several MI screening tools (e.g., Moral Injury Events Scale) and examine their utility in the treatment milieu. The session concludes with therapeutic recommendations.
This session has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit.
Learning Objectives:
After this activity participants should be able to
1. Define the construct of moral injury
2. Expain moral injury in the context of addiction and recovery
3. Implement clinical tools for assessing and treating moral injury in addiction treatment and recovery.