Treating Religious and Spiritual Trauma Masterclass

Details

Date/Time: September 29 & 30 at 4-6pm PT  \ 6-8pm CT

Length: 4-Hours

Description

Religious and spiritual trauma undermine a survivor's sense of self, autonomy, and connectedness in community, leaving a lasting impact on their psychological, physical, and social wellbeing. Research suggests that a third of U.S. adults have had adverse religious/spiritual experiences, however many mental health professionals feel ill-equipped to address the complex trauma that can occur in religious and spiritual communities—from cults to mainstream groups. Clinicians without adequate training run the risk of minimizing the impact of these experiences or inadvertently recreating harmful dynamics in the therapeutic relationship.

This comprehensive two-day training equips clinicians with the ethical frameworks, conceptual knowledge, and practical interventions needed to provide autonomy-first, culturally competent care to survivors of religious and spiritual trauma. Beginning with a theoretical foundation of the key terminology, common signs and symptoms, coercive group dynamics, and considerations for the therapeutic relationships, clinicians will learn the core competencies needed to address this complex form of trauma. Building on this groundwork, the focus will shift to direct clinical application, examining unique considerations for vulnerable populations and intersecting traumas. Attendees will gain a suite of evidence-based assessment tools, psychoeducational resources, and useful modalities—such as CBT, EMDR, IFS, and somatic practices—enabling them to help clients navigate traumatic memories, dismantle shame, process complex grief, and reclaim personal autonomy. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this Masterclass you will be able to:

1. Identify core concepts, signs, and symptoms of religious and spiritual trauma to effectively conceptualize client cases. 

2. Recognize the multifaceted impacts of spiritual abuse, coercive control, and dysfunctional group dynamics on survivor wellbeing. 

3. Develop an ethical framework for navigating sensitive religious and spiritual topics while managing personal biases and power dynamics in the therapeutic relationship. 

4. Recognize distinct populations with unique vulnerability to spiritual harm and evaluate treatment considerations for co-occurring traumas.

5. Utilize formal and informal tools to assess client experiences and establish holistic treatment goals focused on autonomy, body connection, and shame reduction.

6. Apply practical, autonomy-first therapeutic tools and evidence-based modalities in direct clinical work with survivors of religious and spiritual trauma.

Training Agenda

Day 1: Core Concepts, Control Dynamics, and Clinical Competencies

Day 2: Unique Populations, Treatment Planning, and Clinical Applications

Continuing Education Hours

This training offers 4.0 continuing education hours. Mental Health Academy has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6535. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. MHA Courses have also been pre-approved by the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) at a rate of one credit per clock hour of professional learning.

Presenter Qualifications

Anna Clark Miller, LPC-S, LMHC-S, NCC, is a licensed counselor and clinical supervisor practicing in Texas, Washington, and Oregon. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology and has worked in the counseling field since 2015. As a counseling graduate student, she learned about religious trauma and its impacts on people from high-control religious communities, igniting her interest in this specialty. Today she specializes in treating survivors of religious and spiritual trauma and training the mental health professionals who work with them. She is the author of For God's Sake: Recovering From Religious Trauma, which offers a path to healing from high-control religious experiences. Through her company, Empathy Paradigm, Anna manages the Religious Trauma Therapist Directory and a library of other practical resources for religious trauma survivors and mental health professionals. Licensing: LPC Texas #75728, LPC Oregon #C8578, LMHC Washington #LH61328702, NCC #718936.

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