How do you know if a particular religious trauma therapist may be a good fit for you? What are some ways to determine if they will understand your experience or if their approach fits your needs?
I’m Michelle F. Moseley, LCMHC, a licensed mental health counselor in NC and a Religious Trauma Specialist. I have lived experience of spiritual abuse and religious trauma, and have spent more than a decade as a licensed mental health therapist supporting others in their own healing and recovery from religious harm. In this post, I am sharing my own responses to the Questions to Ask When Seeking a Religious Trauma Therapist.
General Questions
These are the questions that any licensed mental health professional should be able to readily answer to help you make an informed decision about working with them.
Where did you receive your education / training to provide mental health support?
I was awarded a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2016. My time there included coursework, hands-on practicum experiences, and a year-long internship providing mental health counseling to young adults in a college counseling center.
What credentials and/or professional licensure do you have related to mental health?
I have the following credentials related to providing mental health services (listed in the order received):
- NCC – National Certified Counselor (#755784) – awarded by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) to acknowledge that a professional counselor has met rigorous educational, examination, and ethical standards.
- LCMHC – Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NC #12491) – awarded by the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors to acknowledge meeting specific requirements to practice professional counseling in the state. Requirements include: master’s degree in counseling, passing score on a national exam, completion of 3,000 hours of supervised counseling practice, and completion of at least 40 hours of continuing education every 2 years.
- BC-TMH – Board-Certified Telemental Health Provider (#3334) – awarded by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) to indicate completion of additional training related to providing telehealth services in an effective and ethical manner.
- NBCC ACEP – Approved Continuing Education Provider (#7712) – granted by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) to professionals who have demonstrated the ability to develop and present high-quality continuing education programs for mental health providers.
How do you define or understand religious trauma?
I understand religious trauma as one type of complex trauma. Complex trauma generally occurs over time (as opposed to a one-time experience) and within relationships – both of these are often true of religious trauma. Religious trauma includes the impacts of harmful religious experiences on a person’s life. Religious trauma can include impacts on ways of thinking, ability to trust self and others, experience of calm or safety in your body, and a variety of other things that influence one’s life.
What training do you have specific to working with religious trauma?
I have completed over 100 hours of continuing education related to working with religious trauma, in addition to supplemental reading and research. Selected training topics include:
- Assessing for Spirituality in Counseling
- Understanding Cult and High-Control Dynamics
- Purity Culture and Impacts on Gender, Sexuality, and Relationships
- Developmental Impacts of Religious Harm
- Complex Grief
- Moral Injury
- Embodied Fundamentalism / Physical Impacts of Religious Harm
- Specific Trauma Modalities, including EMDR and Brainspotting
I am committed to ongoing training and research, as well as connecting with others who are in roles of supporting survivors of religious harm.
What specific faith backgrounds do you have experience with?
My lived experience has included Southern Baptist churches, as well as other conservative, Evangelical Christian churches and ministry organizations. I have pursued education about and worked with individuals from the following faith backgrounds: Christian (multiple denominations), Muslim, Jewish, Seventh Day Adventist, Christian Science, IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist), Mormon / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jehovah’s Witness, Mennonite, and various other less well-known religious sects or backgrounds.
What are common concerns you work with related to religious trauma?
Five common concerns that come up in my work with religious trauma survivors are:
- Feelings of fear and/or shame
- Relational difficulties – trouble connecting with others, difficulty trusting people
- Intrusive memories or dreams related to their experience
- Bodily reactions to reminders / not feeling safe in their body
- Personal identity – discovering who they are and what they want out of life
Religious trauma can show up in a multitude of other ways, and I am happy to discuss the specifics of your concerns and work together to determine the best way to approach them.
How do you approach working with survivors of religious trauma?
My approach to working with survivors of religious trauma is rooted in being trauma-informed, while also being personalized to the individual. I believe it is important to build trust in the therapeutic relationship, to provide clear information about each step of therapy or any recommendations about our work, and to ensure the person I’m working with knows they have a voice. For me, religious trauma therapy is collaborative and is built on honoring the wisdom and autonomy of the survivor.
I use various interventions and therapy modalities to support survivors, depending on their particular needs and goals for therapy. These include, but are not limited to:
- ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Attachment Theory
- Brainspotting
- DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) – often using the skills-building components
- Group Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Parts Work / Internal Family Systems
What if I’m not sure my experience is religious trauma?
That’s okay. Some of the folks I work with strongly resonate with the term “religious trauma” to describe their experience. Others describe their experience as “something being off” or as “religious harm” or with some other phrasing. Some of the individuals I work with haven’t necessarily experienced specific harm, but find themselves questioning beliefs or in a process of faith deconstruction. Your experience is welcome in my therapy space regardless of the specifics.
Do you only work with people who are no longer religious?
No. I approach this work from a viewpoint of spiritual inclusivity or religious neutrality, and am open to working with folks regardless of their current beliefs and practices. I believe that religion / spirituality can be a source of meaning for many, and some of the individuals I work with value incorporating forms of spirituality into their lives. I also believe that many people have experienced harm that was rooted in religious or spiritual systems, and find that some of the individuals I work with have no desire to interact with spirituality at all. Your autonomy and right to choose if / how to incorporate spirituality into therapy is a foundational part of our work together.
Do you have lived experience of religious trauma?
I do have lived experience of both spiritual abuse and religious trauma. I have shared more about my story on an episode of the Bodies Behind the Bus podcast and in a few blog posts – here and here.
Do you offer any other services related to religious trauma?
In addition to individual therapy for survivors of religious trauma, I also facilitate a religious trauma therapy group a few times per year. Other services I provide related to religious trauma include continuing education trainings for mental health professionals and authoring chapters on religious trauma for multiple counseling texts.
Next Steps
Finding the right therapist is difficult. Building trust with a therapist after experiencing religious harm can feel almost impossible. These questions can help you identify a therapist who is both competent in working with religious trauma, as well as compassionate and knowledgeable about the complexities of these experiences.
If you are located in North Carolina and interested in working with someone who understands religious trauma, I invite you to learn more about me and my approach to religious trauma counseling. In addition to individual therapy, I also facilitate a religious trauma group a couple of times each year. I welcome you to complete a contact form to schedule a free, virtual consultation to see if we might be a good fit for working together. This consultation provides an opportunity for you to ask any other questions you might have specific to your situation or needs.
Not in North Carolina? You may want to check out the Reclamation Collective Resource Directory, the Empathy Paradigm Therapist Directory, Religious Trauma Network (US), or Religious Trauma Collective (NZ, AUS) for more support options.
You may also want to check out this PDF of Questions to Ask a Religious Trauma Therapist to help you in your search.
Michelle F. Moseley (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC (#12491). 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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