Summary:
Most people think of extreme cults when they hear the words “spiritual abuse.” However, far too often, toxic faith messages find their way into mainstream faith-based communities and go unnamed. With more than 20 years of groundbreaking research and experience working in faith-based contexts, the presenters have discovered a rise in churches choosing charisma over character, putting unhealthy leaders in positions of authority and causing systemic repercussions of harm. Lack of trust and increased disengagement with the faith-based community as a whole has become a current concern for this generation. In this workshop, licensed mental health professionals and ministry leaders will analyze current research on the connections with spiritual abuse, trauma, attachment theories, neurobiology, and spiritual formation. Furthermore, the impact of both covert and overt spiritual abuse with evidence-based trauma-informed modalities, utilizing relevant case studies to equip professionals with practical tools for assessing and treating clients, will be reviewed. Participants will explore the most common traits found between spiritually abused survivors and their dissociated and compartmentalized leaders, learning how to help those with church wounds finally heal.
ASWB, NBCC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling,