Abstract

Title: Moral Injury: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Support Recovery
Archdeacon Andrew Nixon, Director Veterans’ Chaplaincy, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Annabelle Wilson, Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Leonie Nowland, First Assistant Secretary Open Arms, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

The existence of Moral Injury has growing acceptance with definitions incorporating physical, psychological, sociological and spiritual determinants. The definition/s utilised can inform a particular focus in terms of how moral injury is recognised and how processes to support recovery are conceptualised and operationalised. There is a risk that focusing on any one particular aspect ignores multiple factors contributing to Moral Injury and thus avoids addressing the various potential impacts of Moral Injury upon the individual and the wider community, including family systems.
This paper/presentation will discuss an approach (being) developed in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to incorporate a systemic understanding of the incidence of Moral Injury to inform an interdisciplinary approach to support recovery, comprising physical, psychological, psychosocial and spiritual interventions.