Finding a therapist can be hard. Finding a therapist who understands the complexities of religious trauma can feel impossible.
I was recently having a conversation with a group of folks* about our own experiences of spiritual abuse and how we navigated the search for a therapist who understood. I was lucky that the therapist I was working with when my spiritual abuse happened and during the time after was both knowledgeable about trauma and was able to help me understand why my brain, body, and nervous system was reacting the ways they were.
As a survivor of spiritual abuse and religious trauma, I know how draining it can be to try to find a therapist when you feel overwhelmed just trying to survive. I am now a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in supporting other survivors and in training other mental health professionals to recognize and support those who are impacted by spiritual abuse and religious trauma. This post brings together those experiences to share some tips on how to find a religious trauma therapist.
A few helpful definitions…
Spiritual Abuse – the conscious or unconscious use of power to direct, control, or manipulate another person, or to influence their capacity for choice, within a spiritual or religious context
Religious Trauma – the physical, emotional, and psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope and to return to a sense of safety
Beginning the Search
You may be able to find a therapist who understands religious trauma on some of the bigger directories, but it can be difficult to sort through the thousands of entries and determine who actually understands religious trauma. I recommend checking out a few specific places to look for a religious trauma therapist.
Where can you search for a religious trauma therapist?
- Reclamation Collective Resource Directory (Worldwide) – This directory contains listings from therapists around the world, though most are located in the US or Canada, who specialize in working with religious trauma. The directory expanded in fall 2025 to include other types of resources to support healing from religious harm. Reclamation Collective also hosts online support groups for survivors and consultation groups for therapists and other professionals who are working with religious trauma survivors.
- Secular Therapy Project (Worldwide) – This directory includes listings for secular therapists around the world, with the most listings in the US, Canada, and Australia. This option may be best for those who want to work with someone who has no religious affiliation at all. One caveat is that a therapist cannot list with this directory if they have ever received a degree from a religiously-affiliated institution. I know many quality religious trauma therapists whose past includes a degree from a religiously-affiliated school and whose experiences at those schools help them understand spiritual abuse firsthand, yet they would not be able to list in this directory.
- Empathy Paradigm Directory (US & Canada) – This directory can be sorted by location, religious background, and specific concerns to help you find someone who may be a good fit for you. Therapists also indicate whether they are LGBTQ+ affirming, which can be helpful in choosing who to contact about therapy.
- The Religious Trauma Collective (Australia and New Zealand) – This Collective was begun by religious trauma therapists located in Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the therapist directory, they also offer resources and a virtual event for anyone impacted by spiritual abuse or religious trauma.
- Internet Search – You may also want to do an internet search for “religious trauma therapist in xx” (with the xx being your location). So, for example, I might search “religious trauma therapist in North Carolina.” This search may bring up the websites of any therapists who include these terms on their site. Unfortunately, these searches are not as helpful as they once were due to the rise of AI infiltrating search results.
Using one (or a few) of these options can help you find some therapists who work with religious trauma and can give you a clear idea of what supports are available in your area.
Questions to Ask
You’ve found a therapist (or a few) who you think might be a good fit. What next?
Many therapists offer a free consultation before scheduling. This can be a great time to ask any questions you might have and get a feel for what it might be like to work with a particular therapist.
Remember that you are free to ask any questions that feel important to you. Therapists may choose not to answer some questions, or not to provide specific details, but you are always welcome to ask. For example, I openly share that I have lived experience of spiritual abuse while working in an evangelical Christian context. I generally choose not to share the name of the specific ministry I was working with. This boundary around information feels appropriate for me and allows prospective clients to have clear information about my background.
Here are some questions you may want to ask a potential religious trauma therapist:
- What is your understanding of spiritual abuse? Of religious trauma?
- What kind of education or training have you gotten in working with trauma?
- What kind of education or training have you gotten in working with religious trauma?
- What would religious trauma therapy with you look like? What are some of the types of therapy that you use?
- What is your religious background? Are you currently religious?
- I come from xx background. Are you familiar with that? Are you willing to learn about it?
- I want to discuss xx in therapy. Is that something you are comfortable working with? (xx = specific topic; examples might include abusive child discipline, sexuality, deconstruction, reclaiming beliefs, ancestral spiritual practices, etc.)
Feel free to adjust these questions or add any others that feel important for you in finding the right therapist.
Types of Religious Trauma Therapy
I don’t believe there is only one best way to support a religious trauma survivor. The best options depend on so many things – the survivor’s experience and immediate needs, the individual preferences of the survivor/client, the specific training of the therapist, and so much more. A variety of types of therapy can be helpful in healing from religious trauma, and I’ve included some of them below.
Skills building. Many survivors of spiritual abuse or religious trauma find themselves feeling that they don’t know how to cope with life outside of their high-control group. This may include difficulty identifying or expressing emotions, struggles in handling life’s stress without the structure of religion, or troubles communicating with others. Therapy that focuses on building these skills can be particularly helpful and can create a foundation for other types of therapy.
Narrative Therapy. Survivors rarely have the opportunity to share their story without unhelpful feedback. Often, our stories are met with responses that dismiss our experiences and encourage us to return to abusive situations. Narrative Therapy can provide an opportunity for a survivor to share their story in a supportive space. This allows for connections to be made and for exploration of the stories or explanations one was given in their abusive experience. With Narrative Therapy, folks are able to externalize the problem and reconstruct their story in a way that helps make sense of the experience.
EMDR / Brainspotting. EMDR (Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization) and Brainspotting are therapy options that create space for a survivor’s brain and body to process their experience in a supported context and without the need to talk through all the details. A therapist who is using either of these modalities should have received specific training in the modality. The first steps of either EMDR or Brainspotting include working with a client to create safety in the therapy space and to ensure the client has access to skills and support to handle any distress that may arise during reprocessing. The therapist should provide you with full details of the process to allow for informed consent prior to beginning, and should make it clear that you are able to pause or stop the session at any time.
Somatic approaches. These include various types of therapy or specific interventions that are focused on the body. Many survivors of spiritual abuse or religious trauma feel disconnected from their bodies. High-control religious groups often thrive on keeping members in a state where they either pay no attention to their physical bodies, or they are told that their bodies are bad. Somatic approaches can help a survivor get back in touch with their body, learn their own cues for pleasure and pain, and live life as a fully embodied person. A religious trauma therapist should be aware that connecting with the body may be difficult for some religious trauma survivors and will move at a pace that fits the individual client.
IFS / Parts Work. Parts Work in therapy refers to acknowledging and understanding that we all have different aspects of ourselves. For many survivors, there may be a part that is angry about the abuse they experienced, as well as a part of themselves that is grieving the connections or sense of meaning they found within their religious group. Awareness of these different parts, allowing them to exist, and giving them room to express themselves can be helpful in therapy. Many religious trauma therapists incorporate Parts Work into their therapy sessions. Some religious trauma therapists may be trained in IFS (Internal Family Systems), which is a specific approach to Parts Work.
Group Therapy. Many religious trauma survivors experienced harm within the very group of people they trusted the most. It makes sense that the idea of engaging with another group of people would be scary. Yet, group therapy, when well-designed and facilitated by a licensed therapist who understands religious trauma, can provide a unique opportunity for healing the wounds of religious trauma. Many of the individuals who have participated in the religious trauma therapy groups I’ve facilitated have been able to move forward in their healing journey and even make connections with others that continue beyond the group.
These are a few options for types of therapy that may be helpful when working with a religious trauma therapist. Many therapists, including myself, take an eclectic approach. This means I have training in several therapy modalities and I draw from them in different ways depending on the needs and goals of the particular person I’m working with.
Next Steps
Hopefully this post has helped you feel more informed about finding a religious trauma therapist. For religious trauma survivors, it can be imperative to work with someone who understands the ways that spiritual abuse and religious trauma can impact every area of your life. Finding someone who truly specializes in this work can help you feel understood and supported on your healing journey.
I hope the information in this post is helpful in finding the right religious trauma therapist for you. If you are located in North Carolina and interested in working with me, you can complete this contact form to schedule a free, virtual consultation and see if we might be a good fit for working together.
*This conversation was part of the launch team activities for the upcoming book A Tiny Thousand Paper Cuts: The Subtle, Insidious Nature of Spiritual Abuse and Life on the Other Side by Katherine Spearing. Learn more about this book here.
Michelle F. Moseley is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC. She believes ALL people deserve respect, compassion, and access to mental and physical healthcare. Michelle specializes in working with survivors of religious trauma, and with those who have body image concerns, finding there is frequent overlap in these areas. She also frequently supports late-identified neurodivergent individuals as they navigate the grief and relief of a new understanding of self. You can learn more about Michelle by visiting her website at MichelleFMoseley.com or following her on Instagram – @therapy_with_michelle
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