Webinar: The assessment and measurement of moral injury and moral distress

There is growing interest in integrating moral injury and moral distress into clinical practice, research and community settings. Yet, this surge in interest is met with challenges regarding the measurement accuracy of self-report scales aimed at capturing these constructs. Considering the urgent need to identify and address moral injury and moral distress, it is imperative to determine which tools are most effective and contextually appropriate for distinct population groups, such as Veterans.

Join a panel of experts and people with lived experience for an enriching conversation about the importance of recognizing moral distress and moral injury, and learn more about existing research on the quality of measurement tools for moral injury and moral distress and leading recommendations related to the application of these tools in research, clinical and community settings.

Our panel of experts and people with lived experience will discuss:

• The impact of moral injury and moral distress on the well-being of Veterans
• How assessing moral injury and moral distress provides important insights to help guide service providers’ approach to working with Veterans and their Families
• The landscape of tools, scales and instruments that exist to assess moral injury and moral distress and which are the most appropriate for use in research, clinical and community contexts

Our presenters

Brian McKenna, CD

Brian McKenna served for 19 years in the Canadian Army, retiring as a Warrant Officer. In that time, he served in Bosnia twice, both as a signaller and then a section commander. He then deployed to Afghanistan twice, once with the Canadian Army and once again as a NATO counter-improvised explosive device instructor. He experienced moral injury after being deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, where he encountered child endangerment and was powerless against it. While seeking medical treatment post-release, he joined with other Veterans in petitioning the government for the creation of a centre focused on Veteran and Family mental health issues, resulting in the establishment of the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. He currently serves as National Strategic Advisor, Veterans, for the Atlas Institute.

Stephanie Houle, PhD

Dr. Stephanie Houle is a clinical psychologist and researcher with Veterans Affairs Canada and the MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre. Her research focuses on the psychological impact of traumatic and morally injurious experiences, with a keen interest in understanding how moral injury research can be applied to advance clinical practice for military personnel, Veterans and their Families. Dr. Houle’s clinical specializations include the assessment and treatment of operational stress injuries (OSIs), as well as the treatment of mental health problems for individuals suffering from concurrent physical health conditions.

Our moderators

Anthony Nazarov, PhD, PMP

Dr. Anthony Nazarov is a clinical neuroscientist with a research focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), moral injury and social cognition. Prior to joining the Lawson Health Research Institute, Dr. Nazarov was a defence scientist at Defence Research and Development Canada, Department of National Defence, investigating psychological resilience and mental health in Canadian Armed Forces personnel. Dr. Nazarov is interested in using experimental and survey methodologies to explore the interplay between psychological trauma, moral transgressions and well-being. Specifically, he is interested in understanding how we can better identify, treat and prevent moral injury and related OSIs.

Suzette Brémault-Phillips, PhD, MA, BMR, BSc

Dr. Suzette Brémault-Phillips is an occupational therapist and professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta, and Director of the Heroes in Mind Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), a provincial hub for research, teaching and service in support of military members, Veterans, public safety personnel and their Families. Her research interests include resilience, well-being, moral injury and mental health. Together with Dr. Anthony Nazarov, she co-leads the Moral Injury Community of Practice.

Our panelists

J Don Richardson, MD, FRCPC

Dr. J Don Richardson is the Medical Advisor for the Atlas Institute and a psychiatrist and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Western University. He serves as the Medical Director of St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Operational Stress Injury Clinic in London, Ont. and the Scientific Director at the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre at the Parkwood Institute. He holds a fellowship with the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). For more than 25 years, he has been a clinician-researcher and educator, with more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and chapters focusing on military and Veteran health.

Lorraine Smith-MacDonald, PhD

Dr. Lorraine Smith-MacDonald is an assistant professor and co-chair for the Department of Psychotherapy and Spirituality at St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta. She has also worked as a postdoctoral fellow for the HiMARC lab in Alberta and at King’s University College at Western University in Ontario. Her research has focused on the construct of moral injury in military, Veteran and public safety personnel. She has also explored the intersection between spirituality and mental health.

Maya Roth, PhD

Dr. Maya Roth is a clinical psychologist at the St. Joseph’s Operational Stress Injury Clinic – Greater Toronto site, an affiliated scientist with the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre and associated with the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Department of Psychiatry at Western University, and Lawson Health Research Institute. Dr. Roth has practised for 15 years in the area of military and Veteran mental health. She has received local and national recognition for her expertise in evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapy and is actively engaged in training, research and knowledge translation. Dr. Roth is a member of the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) ministerial advisory group on mental health and a Canadian Institute of Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) research fellow.