Reflection - A Key Assist between Recognition of, and Recovery from, Moral Injury
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 |
| 9:19 PM - 9:20 PM |
Speaker
Ms Rhiân Williams
Director
The Adaptive Lens
Reflection - A Key Assist between Recognition of, and Recovery from, Moral Injury
Abstract Document
Shoba, Coralie and Mandy work with women and children fleeing domestic violence. Resource constraints mean they have been told to prioritise only the most vulnerable women. As a lawyer, Shoba is struggling with the fact that her decisions might result in women who she cannot assist being killed. As a First Nations woman, Coralie is already keeping secret from her boss the true number of hours she works, unpaid, to support her community. Mandy is concerned there are no other local services that can support children exposed to violence.
We all have a deeply held sense of what is right and wrong, if this isn’t matched by something we do, or by our work requiring us to do something that goes against our personal sense of right and wrong, we can experience moral injury. We no longer feel we are the good person we believe we should be.
Organisations - like those that employ, Shoba, Coralie and Mandy - compound moral injury when they lack well-thought-out, systematic and practical ways of supporting their staff to manage the ethical dimensions and dilemmas arising from their work. The impact on staff and clients can be staggering.
But support involves more than just having an employee assistance program or ad hoc ‘wellness days’ or team building activities. It is about ensuring there are regular and ongoing practical supports built into the very way work is managed, designed and supported.
The presenters will outline their work in identifying the moral injury risks faced by lawyers, social workers and others at a legal service supporting victims of domestic and family violence and will explore how they collaborated to developed frameworks to manage those same risks. They will detail how building a deeply embedded culture of individual and group reflective practice led to the creation of safe and supportive spaces for all staff to proactively recognise and explore moral injury hazards and identify tailored and meaningful ways to prevent and recover from those moral injury harms.
The presentation will also highlight how this collaborative, transparent and trauma-informed approach, that placed prevention of moral injury at its core, led to increased staff retention, lower workers compensation premiums and more effective and innovative service delivery, along with increased client satisfaction.
We all have a deeply held sense of what is right and wrong, if this isn’t matched by something we do, or by our work requiring us to do something that goes against our personal sense of right and wrong, we can experience moral injury. We no longer feel we are the good person we believe we should be.
Organisations - like those that employ, Shoba, Coralie and Mandy - compound moral injury when they lack well-thought-out, systematic and practical ways of supporting their staff to manage the ethical dimensions and dilemmas arising from their work. The impact on staff and clients can be staggering.
But support involves more than just having an employee assistance program or ad hoc ‘wellness days’ or team building activities. It is about ensuring there are regular and ongoing practical supports built into the very way work is managed, designed and supported.
The presenters will outline their work in identifying the moral injury risks faced by lawyers, social workers and others at a legal service supporting victims of domestic and family violence and will explore how they collaborated to developed frameworks to manage those same risks. They will detail how building a deeply embedded culture of individual and group reflective practice led to the creation of safe and supportive spaces for all staff to proactively recognise and explore moral injury hazards and identify tailored and meaningful ways to prevent and recover from those moral injury harms.
The presentation will also highlight how this collaborative, transparent and trauma-informed approach, that placed prevention of moral injury at its core, led to increased staff retention, lower workers compensation premiums and more effective and innovative service delivery, along with increased client satisfaction.
Biography
Claudia Maclean and Rhiân Williams are the co-founders of The Adaptive Lens, a bespoke consultancy practice that specialises in systems transformation for organisations delivering human services. Grounded in human-centred design, informed by the latest developments in trauma-informed practice and culturally safe approaches, The Adaptive Lens works with organisational clients seeking to manage psycho-social safety hazards and strengthen organisational culture.
Claudia is also the Director of Yellow Legal, a legal firm that practices family law in a way which better meets families’ needs. Claudia has been practising for over 16 years, is the former Director of Legal Services and Principal Solicitor for the Women’s Legal Centre ACT and has a Masters in Family Law and an MBA in Social Impact.
Rhiân is a dispute systems design practitioner who has delivered nationally significant research projects in areas such as disability advocacy, First Nations peacemaking initiatives and coronial reform. Her works has ranged from remote Indigenous communities, to senior executives in the Australian Public service and with Defence personnel. She has developed innovative programs supporting staff engaged in complex, challenging and changing environments. Her work centres on supporting individuals, communities and organisations to create genuinely collaborative partnerships that prioritise care for all involved.
