Moral Injury Workbook : Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Skills for Moving Beyond Shame, Anger & Trauma to Reclaim Your Values

A lifeline for healthcare workers in the midst of moral pain during the COVID-19 crisis

On the front line of the COVID-19 response are thousands of healthcare providers working in strained systems with limited resources. Difficult decisions will be part of the experience of working under these circumstances. The moral dilemmas that providers may face in this crisis will undoubtedly lead to moral distress and emotional pain.

Providers may have to make decisions about life and death, determining who gets life-saving equipment and attention and who does not. Working long and stressful hours may lead to accidental mistakes, oversights, or inaction. Providers working in overburdened or under-resourced systems may experience a sense of being thwarted in their effort to keep their oath and live their values. For providers who hold values such as service, caring, or protection, these potentially morally injurious events may have lasting consequences. Anger, guilt, and shame may plague those suffering from these seemingly impossible situations. If providers become mired in this moral pain, they may find their personal and professional lives become increasingly burdened by moral injury.

The Moral Injury Workbook was developed to facilitate healing for people who have experienced a variety of moral violations and addresses a wide range of moral emotions—from guilt and shame to contempt and anger. It offers a step-by-step program to help readers move beyond their moral pain, reconnect with a fuller sense of self, and re-engage with deeply held values.

This workbook is a lifeline for healthcare providers in the midst of moral pain. Oriented toward and guided by values of caring and compassion, the content of this workbook may be meaningfully applied to and engaged in the personal and professional practices of all who read it. The six core processes of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are broadly addressed in the workbook to apply to a range of moral injuries. They may be used in service of the healing needed by those suffering in the presence and aftermath of this pandemic.

Wyatt R. Evans, PhD, is a board-certified clinical psychologist with the VA North Texas Health Care System, and therapist in private practice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His primary areas of expertise are resilience and post-traumatic stress, including moral injury. He is committed to advancing interventions, especially acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), to promote recovery and enhance resilience for service members, veterans, and others highly affected by trauma.

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, is director of TL Consultation Services, codirector of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinic, staff at the National Center for PTSD, and an associate clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice. She is an expert in ACT, has coauthored six books on the subject, and is author of The Heart of ACT.

Kent D. Drescher, PhD, is a clinical psychologist (retired) who provided clinical services, education, and research as a staff member with the National Center for PTSD for more than twenty-seven years. His primary areas of expertise include the intersection of trauma and spirituality and moral injury. He has been an early advocate for the use of ACT for veterans struggling with moral challenges following military service.

Jacob K. Farnsworth, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, specializing in trauma and substance use disorders. He is codeveloper of the ACT for moral injury intervention, and his writing and research has focused on translating cutting-edge research into innovative and effective treatments for moral injury.