Working with Moral Injury in Psychotherapy: A Clinical Skills Workshop
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 |
| 5:06 PM - 5:07 PM |
Speaker
Dr Rachelle Dawson
Clinical Psychologist
Zed3 Medical Group
Working with Moral Injury in Psychotherapy: A Clinical Skills Workshop
Abstract Document
Within psychotherapy, moral injury often emerges as a core theme for many clients. Moral injury can have profound effects on one’s relationships and sense of self. Additionally, it can pose challenges for the therapeutic relationship, as clients may approach therapy with ambivalence, shame or mistrust, particularly if they have experienced betrayal from trusted others or systems. To work with this in therapy, a strong therapeutic alliance is required between client and clinician to investigate the intense emotions commonly associated with moral injury such as shame, anger, fear, and threat.
This experiential workshop will focus on developing practical and relational skills for clinicians working with moral injury across different diagnoses and therapeutic modalities. Participants will gain insight into how moral injury may present in complex clinical presentations, learn strategies to support clients experiencing moral injury, and explore relational approaches that foster deep attunement that helps clients rebuild a cohesive sense of self and restore trust in others.
This workshop aims to deepen clinicians’ understanding of working with moral injury in psychotherapy. The learning outcomes are:
1. Develop an understanding of moral injury using a transdiagnostic and transmodal framework.
2. Learn practical skills-based interventions for working with moral injury.
3. Promote greater awareness of relational processes as they arise in psychotherapy specific to moral injury.
This experiential workshop will focus on developing practical and relational skills for clinicians working with moral injury across different diagnoses and therapeutic modalities. Participants will gain insight into how moral injury may present in complex clinical presentations, learn strategies to support clients experiencing moral injury, and explore relational approaches that foster deep attunement that helps clients rebuild a cohesive sense of self and restore trust in others.
This workshop aims to deepen clinicians’ understanding of working with moral injury in psychotherapy. The learning outcomes are:
1. Develop an understanding of moral injury using a transdiagnostic and transmodal framework.
2. Learn practical skills-based interventions for working with moral injury.
3. Promote greater awareness of relational processes as they arise in psychotherapy specific to moral injury.
Biography
Dr Rachelle Dawson is a clinical psychologist and research associate at Zed3 Medical group. As a psychologist, she works with adults from a range a backgrounds, many of whom are veterans and elite athletes. Rachelle has expertise working with trauma, including developmental trauma, PTSD and moral injury. Her primary approach to psychotherapy is in informed by relationally-focused modalities, with extensive training in psychodynamic self psychology and somatic psychotherapy. As a research associate, she is involved in research that aims to understand how ketamine infusions with adjunctive psychotherapy work to reduce symptoms of PTSD and depression in Australian veterans.
Ross Calear is a registered psychologist and the senior psychologist at Zed3 Medical Group. He works with adults, particularly veterans, first responders, and elite athletes. Ross has expertise working with PTSD, complex trauma, moral injury, psychosis and bipolar disorder. He is also experienced in cognitive behavioural models of psychotherapy, including CBT and ACT, as well as using transmodal psychotherapy approaches to meet the needs of clients with complex presentations.
