The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is proud to host the Moral Injury Certificate Program (formerly offered by the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America), starting Fall 2025! We welcome all members of our community, as well as other professionals and caregivers, to explore this vital area of care provision and consider enrolling in the next cohort.
Moral injury is the suffering people experience when in high-stakes situations, things go wrong, and harm results from something a person did, witnessed, failed to prevent, or received. First coined by Dr. Jonathan Shay in 1994 to refer to the “undoing of character” caused by the moral anguish of combat veterans, moral injury is a concept that has been growing in awareness and relevance among healthcare workers, first responders, social workers, journalists, activists, and others.
This course is designed to increase participants’ knowledge of trauma, moral distress, and moral injury, drawing from research and work in various disciplines. These disciplines include the fields of social work, psychology, spiritual care, mental health counseling, religion, and arts and healing. It will also increase competency for developing and implementing peer support strategies for processing distressful experiences as a means of facilitating moral repair and building moral resilience. Learning content will be delivered through lectures, reading, participation in peer learning cohorts and practicums, and development of a capstone project.
This is a 50-hour course comprising synchronous sessions (12 hours group discussions, 9 hours practicums) and asynchronous study time (9 hours lecture videos, 20 hours readings and capstone project preparation). This averages to about 5 hours of engagement per course week.
All course content will be on the Teachable platform, which students will have access to for a year (until September 8, 2026). Access to good internet connection and a Zoom account (for synchronous sessions) is required for successful engagement.
We will cap the enrollment to approximately 40 students. This course requires a minimum of 30 registrants. Those who have registered by the deadline will be notified if this minimum is not met and will be guaranteed a slot for a future course offering.
Note: our practicum trainings and educational ethos are premised on peer support and contextual care, and is distinct from a clinical and/or medicalized approach to moral injury care.
Please note that our Fall 2025 cohort registration is now on a waiting list.
Certificates and Continuing Education
A certificate of completion is offered to students who complete the course, including attendance of all live sessions (discussion groups and practicums) and submission of a capstone project.
30 CEs in chaplaincy or social work are provided upon request.
Course Content
Each week will comprise of either lecture recordings or synchronous practicum sessions, with accompanying reading assignments. There will be live group discussions during lecture weeks.
Course topics include:
Week 1: What is Moral Injury?
Week 2: Identifying Moral Injury & Risk Factors
Week 3: Processing Moral Injury (Practicum)
Week 4: Religious, Spiritual, Cultural Traditions
Week 5: Dimensions of Recovery
Week 6: Strategies & Processes for Recovery
Week 7: Training in Moral Injury Care (Practicum)
Week 8: Practicing Moral Injury Care (Practicum)
Week 9: Capstone Project Preparation
Week 10: Capstone Project Presentations
Course content will be available on the Teachable platform starting September 5, 2025. Students will be contacted prior to the course start date with instructions and prep materials.
Course Schedule
Please refer to the MICP 2025 Session 1 live sessions schedule to check if you are able to join live session components of the course. Certain times are listed as TBD and will be dependent on total enrollment size and number of small groups. There are no makeups for practicum sessions, so please enroll with the understanding that those dates are fixed.
MICP utilizes a peer learning approach, so the live session components are just as integral as course lectures, for learning.
Questions to consider whether MICP is a good fit for you:
● Do I have the capacity (time, energy, commitment) to attend the live sessions? (The course entails 5 hours/week total, with live session commitments generally 1.5 hours/week, and 3 hours/week during practicum weeks).
● Am I willing and open to engaging in a peer learning, interdisciplinary space?
● Do I have access to and familiarity with the technology needed to participate in the course? This includes: good internet connection, a video camera device for Google Meet meetings (similar to Zoom), a willingness to utilize the course platform (Teachable).
● Am I interested in not only conceptual knowledge, but applying and integrating learnings in my context?
Learning objectives of the program include the following:
● Understanding of moral injury, including definitions from various disciplines, risk factors, and relationship to trauma
● Best practices for recovery methods, including evidence-based programs, recovery skills, peer support models, and strategies from the arts, spiritual care, and creative technologies
● Capstone/final integrative project to demonstrate application of learning to work context, community, or research.
Course Rates
The Moral Injury Certificate Program offers participants the opportunity to select their specific level of investment. Monthly installment plans are available by request.
- $1,000: Supporter
- $900: Standard
- $800: Access
Terms and Conditions
Refunds
Refunds, less any processing fees, may be requested within 14 days of the date of transaction. Enrollment transfers or refunds in case of emergency (e.g. family death, serious illness) will be considered on an ad hoc basis.
Enrollment Size
This course requires a minimum of 30 registrants. Those who have registered by the deadline will be notified if this minimum is not met and will be guaranteed a slot for a future course offering.
Certificate of Completion
Upon fulfilling all requirements, students will receive a Certificate of Completion for specialized training on moral injury. This course is not a credential and should not be confused with certification, which is an extensive process in professional fields with specific requirements.
We are thankful to the following consultation group members who provided their expertise and insights for the curriculum: Rev. Alice Cabotaje, MDiv., BCC, ACPE; Danielle Hairston, MD; Frederic G. Reamer, PhD; Michael Van Wert, MPH, MSW, LICSW; Rev. Stephanie M. Crumpton, PhD; Rev. Trace Haythorn, PhD; Rev. Zachary Moon, PhD.