From Recognition to Recovery: A lived-and-learnt panel on moral injury across frontline contexts
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 |
| 4:13 PM - 4:14 PM |
Speaker
Mrs Alana Singleton
Co-founder, Ceo
Emerge & See
From Recognition to Recovery: A lived-and-learnt panel on moral injury across frontline contexts
Abstract Document
Moral injury erodes identity, trust and hope—yet pathways from recognition to recovery look different for every person and system. This panel convenes three perspectives that rarely share one stage: lived experience from frontline policing and peer-led support (Singleton), clinical leadership in assessment and care across defence and emergency services (Bojanic), and practice-informed theory translating two decades of trauma work into accessible guidance (Hilbrink). Together, the panel will unpack how moral conflicts arise, how they differ from threat-based PTSD, and what helps people and organisations move toward repair. Short case studies will illustrate clinician–consumer–peer collaboration: identifying injury, naming values violations, rebuilding meaning, and embedding support at team and policy levels. An extended Q&A invites delegates to test ideas against their own contexts—healthcare, chaplaincy, psychology, academia, defence, law and emergency services—matching ANZMIC’s 2026 theme, “Moral Injury | From Recognition to Recovery.” Attendees will leave with practical language, decision points and take-home resources they can use the next day.
Why this panel is distinctive:
It intentionally blends lived and learnt knowledge—peer/lived experience, clinical expertise, and translational practice—reflecting national priorities to centre lived experience in mental health design and reform. This mix shifts the conversation from “about people” to “with people,” ensuring solutions are workable on the ground.
Why this panel is distinctive:
It intentionally blends lived and learnt knowledge—peer/lived experience, clinical expertise, and translational practice—reflecting national priorities to centre lived experience in mental health design and reform. This mix shifts the conversation from “about people” to “with people,” ensuring solutions are workable on the ground.
Biography
Alana Singleton Co-Founder and CEO of Emerge&See, a peer-led organisation supporting the mental health and recovery of emergency service workers and volunteers across NSW/ACT. A former NSW Police officer with lived experience of servicetrauma and moral injury, Alana now advocates for systems that integrate lived experience within MH reform. Her work bridges frontline experience, peer support and policy influence—bringing authenticity, and practical insight to moral repair and recovery.
Janja Bojanic is a registered psychologist, manager and Board-Approved Supervisor with over ten years of clinical and leadership experience across corporate, private and hospital sectors. She has extensive experience working with complex clinical presentations and a special interest in supporting military and first-responder communities affected by occupational trauma. Janja co-led occupational trauma programs at SJOG Richmond with Prof. Zachary Steel, developing and researching evidence-based interventions for PTSD and moral injury. She provides supervision, training, and academic tutoring, and presents nationally on PTSD, complex trauma and moral injury in first responders and military populations.
Dominic (Dom) Hilbrink is a clinical social worker with 25 years’ experience in mental health and occupational trauma. He has treated moral injury across frontline populations and develops programs addressing the complexity of occupational psychological injuries and resilience.
