Toolkit for "Healing From Moral Injury"

Introduction

In “Healing From Moral Injury,” Lauren Porosoff writes, “Psychologist Brett Litz and his colleagues define ‘moral injury’ as ‘perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.’” Have you suffered a moral injury? Did the experience hurt your professional practice and the way you feel about teaching?

Self-reflection is powerful tool in healing from moral injury and sustaining your service to students.  

Essential Questions

1. How can I reflect on a moral injury?
2. How can I recover from a moral injury?

Procedure

1. Read the personal essay, “Healing From Moral Injury.”
2. Read the guided-reflection questions in “Reflecting On and Recovering From Moral Injury.”
3. Complete the questions on your own or with colleagues—provided mutual trust and safety is felt in this group.
4. Take the time needed to fully and authentically reflect on the questions and your answers.
5. Identify reasonable and realistic commitments or strategies that can help you recover from a moral injury in the future. How can others in your school community support you?