Whether you have experienced harm within your faith community or you find yourself asking questions about long-held beliefs, the process of finding a therapist who understands your experience can be difficult. How do you determine if someone is qualified to work with your concerns related to religious trauma? What questions can you ask to help find a therapist who is the best fit for supporting you?
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 supporting others in navigating their own experiences of religious harm and recovery. In this post, I share some helpful questions you might want to ask when seeking a religious trauma therapist.
General Questions
You’ve found a therapist who seems like they might be a good fit for your needs. Here are some general questions that you can ask, during an initial consultation or a first appointment, to help determine if this person might be a good fit for you.
Where did you receive your education / training to provide mental health support?
This question gives you more information about the therapist’s background and training related to mental health in general.
What credentials and/or professional licensure do you have related to mental health?
The term “credentials” is a broad term for any proof of qualifications, skills, or achievements. Someone may have credentials related to religious trauma or mental health without being a licensed mental health professional. Professional licensure refers to official, regulated credentials that are required by law to practice as a licensed mental health provider in the US. Professional licensure is awarded by a licensing board and helps ensure that specific educational and ethical standards are met. The letters behind a provider’s name – LCMHC, LPC, LCSW, LMFT, etc – are often related to their specific licensure. Note that all licensed mental health professionals in the US should clearly display their credentials on their website and in their office.
Questions to Ask a Potential Religious Trauma Therapist
What questions might be helpful when specifically when you’re looking for a religious trauma therapist? Here are some questions that you can ask to learn more about a therapist’s understanding and approach related to supporting survivors or religious harm. All of these questions may not apply to your situation, so choose what is most helpful for you. A PDF version of these questions is available here.
How do you define or understand religious trauma?
This question allows you to learn more about how the therapist views religious harm and to determine if that resonates with your own experience and understanding.
What training do you have specific to working with religious trauma?
This question can provide you with information about the ways the therapist has invested their own time and money into gaining additional training related specifically to working with religious trauma.
What specific faith backgrounds do you have experience with?
This helps provide information about whether the therapist focuses on specific faith backgrounds and/or if they have any experience with your particular faith background. You may also want to ask, “What is your experience with [your specific background]?” or “How do you learn more about faith backgrounds that are less familiar to you?”
What are common concerns you work with related to religious trauma?
This can help you determine if your concerns are things that the therapist frequently works with. If you have a specific concern that you want to address in therapy, you may want to narrow this question down even more and ask if the therapist has experience working with your particular concern.
How do you approach working with survivors of religious trauma?
This provides an opportunity to learn more about the therapist’s approach. Some therapists have a specific modality (type of therapy) that they focus on, while others incorporate multiple types of therapy into their work. While the type of therapy is important, multiple research studies have shown that the relationship between the client and the therapist is the most important part of a helpful therapy experience – keep this in mind as you’re talking with potential therapists.
What if I’m not sure my experience is religious trauma?
The response to this question can help you understand how a therapist views religious harm overall, as well as whether they focus solely on trauma.
Do you only work with people who are no longer religious?
This question provides insight into the therapist’s approach in relation to a client’s spiritual beliefs or practices. Some therapists focus their work on supporting those who are no longer religious, while others focus on working with those who maintain a faith practice. There are also therapists who are comfortable and competent working with folks regardless of their current spiritual beliefs or practices.
Do you have lived experience of religious trauma?
It may be important to you to know whether or not your therapist has personal lived experience of religious harm. Keep in mind that, depending on their approach, the therapist may or may not choose to answer this question or provide information about their background.
Do you offer any other services related to religious trauma?
This question can give you additional insight into other ways that your therapist may be connected to work related to religious trauma. Other services might include support groups, educational talks, podcasts, books, etc.
What if the Therapist is a Christian?
If the therapist you are considering working with indicates in their marketing that they are a Christian, it is important to determine if they are a “Christian Counselor” or if they are a licensed mental health professional who is a Christian. Knowing the difference helps you make an informed decision about how you want to proceed.
What’s the Difference?
A “Christian Counselor” generally does not have graduate-level education related to mental health and is not a licensed mental health professional. They may have attended a 2-to-6-hour training on how to apply Bible verses to common life concerns. This person is not qualified to recognize or treat mental health conditions and has not committed to uphold a code of ethical practice that comes with being a licensed professional. A Christian counselor should make it very clear in their marketing and initial meeting with you that they are not a licensed mental health professional.
In contrast, a licensed mental health professional who is a Christian will have completed graduate-level education related to mental health, as well as 2,000-3,000 hours of clinical work while under supervision. These providers will have credentials following their names – letters such as LCMHC, LPC, LCSW, PsyD, etc – to let you know their specific training and licensure. These letters mean that you can verify their credentials with a licensing board. This also means this provider has agreed to abide by a specific code of ethics and that you, as the client, have a way to make a complaint if the provider acts in unethical or harmful ways.
Some people may desire to work with a licensed mental health professional who is a Christian. Others may prefer to work with someone who is not a Christian. And still others may not have a preference, or not want to know their therapist’s personal beliefs at all.
Questions You May Want to Ask a Christian Provider
You may choose to ask these in addition to the questions listed above. If you are considering working with someone who doesn’t have clear credentials or licensure information available, it is important to inquire about their background and training in order to make an informed decision about working with them.
Do you incorporate the Bible, prayer, or other faith practices into therapy? If so, how do you determine when / how you do so?
This question can help you determine if the therapist’s approach is a good fit for your needs and preferences.
How do you navigate times in therapy when your personal religious beliefs may not align with what a client believes?
The response to this question can help you know what to expect if / when your beliefs differ from those of the therapist. A licensed mental health professional should never push their personal beliefs on you as a client – to do so is contrary to their professional code of ethics.
How do you respond when a client’s spiritual beliefs or practices may include something that you view as wrong or sinful?
This question can provide information about how the therapist would handle a situation where your beliefs or practices are in conflict with those of the therapist.
Next Steps
Finding the right therapist is difficult. Building trust with a therapist after experiencing religious harm can feel almost impossible. The questions above 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.
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.
Stay tuned for my answers to these questions….
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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