Beyond Posttraumatic Stress - Understanding Moral Injury and Operator Syndrome

Join HHRF and this panel on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 7:00pm (ET) as we discuss Beyond Posttraumatic Stress- Understanding Moral Injury and Operator Syndrome : Facilitating Moral Repair/Recovery/Reconciliation/Renewal through Equine Assisted Services.

Moral Injury is a psychospiritual wound separate from PTS. Clinicians and chaplains seek to define, measure, and treat moral injury to promote warfighter resilience and whole health healing. Tara Mahoney is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who has worked with thousands of Veterans, Active-Duty and Special Operators. Justin Grant, US Army (ret) 75th Ranger Regiment/3rd Battalion has 8 deployments as a Special Operator Combat Medic during GWOT (Global War on Terrorism). They are eager to share the efficacy and acceptability of EAS within the warrior community.

Presenters:

Tara Mahoney, LCMHC

Tara Mahoney is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and the CEO of the Equine Immersion Project and Co-Founder of the Equine Immersion Foundation. She earned her undergraduate degree from Boston College and holds a Master’s in Counseling with certifications in Forensic Psychology and Veteran Behavioral Health. Tara has over two decades of clinical experience in settings ranging from correctional institutions to private practice. A board member of the Horses and Humans Research Foundation, her professional focus centers on trauma-informed equine-assisted services, Veteran mental health, and ethical research dissemination.

Tiffany Gonzalez-Sanchez
Undergraduate Student, Santa Fe College

Tiffany Sanchez is an undergraduate neuroscience student at Santa Fe College, with plans to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology. Her ultimate goal is to become an adolescent trauma psychologist, combining academic insight with lived experience to help others heal. Her passion for psychology is both intellectual and deeply personal. After years of struggling with PTSD and feeling emotionally distant in traditional therapy settings, Tiffany found connection and breakthrough through equine therapy.

“As the daughter of a Navy SEAL, I can firmly say the military community has shaped me, inspired me, and continues to motivate my work. Equine therapy helped me create a life of connection, growth, and resilience—and now my mission is to help others do the same.”

She lives by the words of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell: “I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. … If knocked down, I will get back up, every time.”

Justin Grant is a retired U.S. Army Special Operations Combat Medic who served eight deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his military service, he transitioned to civilian work as a paramedic overseeing emergency services in Maine. Justin is currently pursuing graduate studies in Clinical Psychology at the University of Husson with a concentration in Animal-Assisted Therapies. He serves as an Equine and Peer Support Specialist with the Equine Immersion Project and sits on the Board of Directors for the Equine Immersion Foundation. His research and practice interests include trauma recovery, moral repair, and the therapeutic potential of horse-human interaction.