Religious Trauma Foundations: An Introduction to Treatment

About this training

Despite the increasing demand for religious trauma treatment, few professionals receive adequate training to address these nuanced issues with cultural competency. This two-hour clinical training will equip mental health professionals with an ethical foundation for treating survivors of religious and spiritual harm. Participants will explore the cognitive, emotional, relational, and somatic symptoms that clients often experience in the aftermath of spiritual abuse and high-control group dynamics. This training will examine the ways the fear-based doctrine, purity culture, and coercive control affect a survivor's sense of self, autonomy, and connectedness in community. Participants will learn crucial considerations for the therapeutic relationship so they can identify biases that may inadvertently impact client recovery. Facilitator, Anna Clark Miller, takes a religiously neutral approach that prioritizes client autonomy so they can seek healing on their own terms.