Religious Trauma Specialist refers to a licensed mental health provider who specializes in working with those who have been impacted by religious trauma and other related concerns.
I’m Michelle F. Moseley, LCMHC, a licensed mental health counselor in North Carolina and a Religious Trauma Specialist. In this post, I explain the reasons why I use this descriptor in particular, as well as some of the training and experience that go into being a Religious Trauma Specialist.
Why “Specialist” and Not “Expert”
You will notice that some folks refer to themselves as a “Religious Trauma Expert.” I intentionally do not use this language, and prefer to use the term “Religious Trauma Specialist” instead.
Many individuals who have experienced religious trauma (or other related harm) are coming from contexts where there is a clear hierarchy of who has power and where that power was misused to cause harm. From my perspective, using the term “expert” recreates this same harmful hierarchy.
Therapy naturally has a power differential present because of the nature of the relationship between provider and client. As the therapist, I am in the role to set many of the parameters and expectations around our interactions and I am the one trained to provide support. However, I am not the expert on the person in front of me – only an individual can be the expert on themselves. I have no desire to be my client’s guru or to move forward in therapy without the full consent of those I’m working with.
I am a trained and licensed professional who has invested thousands of hours into ongoing education related to religious harm, in addition to working with 1000s of folks impacted by religious harm. I also have my own lived experience of spiritual abuse and religious trauma. This is an area where I truly specialize, so I choose to use the language of “Religious Trauma Specialist.”
What Makes Someone a Religious Trauma Specialist?
There is not currently an agreed upon curriculum or certification training for working with religious trauma.
A cursory internet search for something like “religious trauma certification” will lead you to a few options. Some of those seem to be abandoned sites with limited information and/or where no one replies to requests for information or to engage in the training. One of the top results will lead you to GCRR (Global Center for Religious Research). The founder of this organization has served prison time for convictions related to domestic abuse and stalking. He also unethically used presentations from other professionals in the area of religious trauma without their knowledge or appropriate payment in order to create this “certification” course. While the information in some of the presentations is good – folks invested years into being able to present on these topics – the “certification” literally means nothing.
So, if there is no agreed upon training or certification to work with religious trauma, what makes someone a Religious Trauma Specialist?
Lived Experience Alone is Not Enough
Having personal experience of religious harm, spiritual abuse, or faith deconstruction can be important aspects of supporting others in their journey. But lived experience is not required and it is not enough to make someone competent in supporting other survivors.
My own lived experience with spiritual abuse and religious trauma means that I can empathize on a personal level with the pain, uncertainty, and shame that can come with these experiences. However, when I am in the role of therapist, the focus is on the individual(s) I’m working with – it’s not about my experience. In fact, the time I have spent in my own therapy and processing my own experience of religious trauma has been integral in laying the foundation for me to do this work well.
Lived experience can be helpful in understanding the complexities of religious trauma and faith deconstruction. And it’s important to have a solid foundation of clinical understanding and ongoing support related to working with survivors of religious harm.
Continued Learning & Consultation
Ongoing learning is one important way of increasing specialization in working with a specific concern or group of people. In the area of working with religious harm, this can be done in several ways. Here are some of the ways I have invested in and continue to build my specialization:
- LEARNING FROM OTHERS’ LIVED EXPERIENCES. Every experience of religious harm has its own unique aspects, and there are also characteristics of religious harm that are present in almost every instance. I’ve intentionally spent time learning about the lived experiences of survivors from various backgrounds through books, podcasts, documentaries, and personal conversations. This helps me recognize the common themes of religious harm, while also honoring the unique differences and impacts of each person’s situation.
- ENGAGING IN ONGOING CONTINUING EDUCATION. Licensed mental health professionals are required to complete a certain number of continuing education hours regularly in order to maintain our license to practice (currently that is 40 hours every 2 years for my license in NC). I have 200+ hours of continuing education on topics of religious harm and other related concerns. This includes training on topics ranging from high-control dynamics, cultic abuse, faith deconstruction, recognizing spiritual abuse, scrupulosity, coercion and control, spiritually integrative counseling, developmental impacts of high-control groups, and sexual difficulties following purity culture. I’ve also been intentional about seeking out training from a variety of sources to help ensure a well-rounded understanding and ability to support clients.
- PROVIDING TRAININGS RELATED TO RELIGIOUS HARM. I began offering trainings related to religious harm in 2023. This includes educational workshops for survivors as well as continuing education for other mental health professionals. Preparation for these trainings requires hours of research and focus on information in order to present things clearly. With every training or presentation I provide, I am increasing my knowledge related to religious harm and gaining experience in engaging with others around these topics.
Another important aspect of calling myself a Religious Trauma Specialist involves ongoing interaction and learning from other professionals who are doing work in this realm. Many new-to-the-field providers are required to receive ongoing supervision from someone who has been licensed longer. However, some therapists continue to seek out connection and support with other licensed providers once those supervision requirements have been met. This is known as Professional Consultation.
I regularly take part in multiple consultation groups with various focuses – located in NC, work with neurodivergent folks, work from a weight-inclusive lens, etc. I also engage with 2 consultation groups each month with a focus on working with religious trauma – in one of these I am both facilitator and participant, and in the other I attend as a participant. These consultation groups ensure that I am having ongoing contact with and receiving input from 20-40 other therapists who are doing this work. This includes folks coming from different backgrounds, holding various identities, and who are approaching their work with training in a variety of therapeutic modalities.
Ongoing education – both formal and informal – as well as regular consultation with other licensed therapists are integral parts of my role as a Religious Trauma Specialist.
Continued Commitment
I am committed to continuing to learn and grow in my role as a therapist and in my work as a Religious Trauma Specialist. This will include pursuit of knowledge and training, as well as connection with others who are doing similar work. Religious harm is a complex experience and being a provider who truly specializes in working with religious trauma requires ongoing engagement with those complexities.
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
Sign-up for Michelle’s Monthly Email Newsletter to make sure you never miss a blog post