Domestic violence is not only a violation of physical safety but often a profound assault on a person’s core beliefs about trust, love, self-worth, and justice. This workshop explores the concept of moral injury, or the deep psychological, emotional, and spiritual wounds that occur when one’s moral expectations are shattered by intimate partner violence. Participants will examine the unique ways moral injury manifests in survivors, how it differs from traditional trauma responses, and why standard trauma treatments may not fully address its impact. The session will also introduce therapeutic pathways that foster moral repair, meaning-making, and holistic healing. Clinicians will leave with concrete strategies to better support survivors in rebuilding a sense of trust in themselves, others, and the world.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to
- Define and differentiate moral injury from post-traumatic stress and complex trauma in survivors of domestic violence.
- Identify and describe key emotional, psychological, and relational symptoms associated with moral injury.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of traditional trauma treatments in addressing moral injury and identify alternative therapeutic approaches.
- Demonstrate strategies to promote moral repair, restore survivor agency, and support value-based healing.
Syllabus:
Introduction
- Welcome and overview of workshop objectives
- Presenter background and clinical experience
- Outline of session structure: Foundations → Clinical Implications → Healing Pathways
Objective #1: Foundations of Moral Injury in Domestic Violence
- Domestic violence as more than physical harm: erosion of trust, self-worth, and justice
- Defining moral injury: violation of core moral beliefs, shame, guilt, betrayal, alienation, loss of meaning
- Distinctions between PTSD, complex trauma, and moral injury
- Survivor voices and scenarios: self-blame (“I feel complicit because I stayed so long”), identity contamination, sacred violation, community betrayal
- Research foundations: origins in military psychology (Litz et al., 2009) → expanding to healthcare and interpersonal violence (Cataldo, 2022)
Objective #2: Clinical Implications & Assessment
- Parental shame as a moral injury: “I failed my children by staying too long”
- Layers of betrayal: partner → family/community → institutions
- Institutional betrayal: when courts, police, faith communities, or workplaces deepen wounds
- Research findings: institutional betrayal linked to shame, suicidality, alienation (Freyd, 2014)
- Assessing for moral injury:
- MISS-C (Moral Injury Symptom Scale – Civilian)
- Narrative assessment (listening for language of moral rupture)
- DV-adapted screeners
- Reflection and practice: drafting assessment questions
Objective #3: Healing Pathways & Evidence-Based Approaches
- Pathways to healing:
- Moral repair – naming betrayal, restoring integrity
- Meaning-making – integrating trauma into a coherent worldview
- Restoring agency – reclaiming voice and choice
- Reconnection – with self, others, community, spirituality
- Evidence-based approaches:
- Narrative Therapy → re-authoring stories
- Existential Therapy → reconstructing meaning and values
- Self-Compassion Practices (Neff, Gilbert) → reducing shame, fostering resilience
- Spiritual Integration (when survivor desires) → healing sacred wounds
- Practical meaning-making practices: journaling, values clarification, expressive work
Objective #4: Case Studies & Clinical Application
- Case 1: Survivor guilt for ending a marriage to protect children
- Case 2: Survivor condemned by faith community
- Case 3: Survivor betrayed by the legal system (“The court let him off. No one believes me.”)
- Application exercises: reframing survivor statements, identifying moral injury language, practicing interventions
Objective #5: Resilience, Systems, and Clinical Toolkit
- Post-traumatic growth: moral clarity, advocacy, deep compassion
- Clinical toolkit:
- Sample assessment prompts
- Reframe language examples
- Healing practices (writing, values clarification, meaning-making)
- Survivor-centered community resources
- Transforming systems: clinician advocacy in legal, healthcare, and community settings
Summary & Q&A
- Key takeaways:
- Moral injury is distinct from trauma, though often co-occurring
- Effective treatment must target shame, meaning, moral repair, and agency
- Institutional betrayal compounds harm and requires systemic advocacy
- Open Q&A and discussion
- Resources for continued learning
Social workers completing this course receive 3 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 3 Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Aseem Garg, LPCC-S, LMFT
Recording Date: September 12, 2025
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com