Sometimes it can be hard to describe the population I work with, so, I thought I’d create a list of common concerns clients see me for:

 

Questioning or Deconstructing Your Faith

For people beginning to question their beliefs or who are struggling with internal conflict tied to religion or spirituality:

• You’re having a faith crisis and don’t know where to turn — and want to ensure your new therapist doesn’t share (or didn’t previously share) your religion so that you feel free to explore what you disagree with.

• You are concerned that you are in a high-control religion, group, or cult but aren’t sure how to figure that out.

• You want to determine whether your current religious group exerts extremely high control, high control, medium control, low control, or no control.

• You are experiencing cognitive dissonance when examining current or former beliefs, and it feels deeply uncomfortable or destabilizing.

• You want to examine your shift in beliefs through a human rights lens.

 

Healing After Leaving a High-Control Religion, Group, or Cult

For those who have already left, but are still working through the emotional and psychological effects of religious trauma:

• You left a high-control religion years ago, but it still affects your thoughts, choices, or relationships.

• You left a high-control religion, group, or cult and don’t even know what you want for yourself, because you were never taught to examine your own desires.

• Self-doubt keeps showing up in your life, and you want to explore how it may be linked to your former religious environment.

• You are newly secular and want to examine how much religious residue still affects you.

• You no longer belong to a group that restricted you educationally or professionally, and you want to explore your options.

• You want to process the messages you received as a young person and how they continue to influence your sense of self.

• You feel paralyzed by Hell Anxiety, Rapture Anxiety, or Armageddon Anxiety.

• You have trouble setting boundaries because this was discouraged or forbidden in your former religious group.

 

Relationships, Family, and Parenting After Religious Trauma

For individuals or couples navigating relational challenges shaped by belief systems or group influence:

• Your religious beliefs have changed but your partner’s haven’t, and you struggle to find common ground or agreement.

• You and your partner are no longer religious, but you’re unsure how to raise your children or talk to them about this shift.

• You and your partner both left a high-control religion or group, but you’re confused by how differently you’ve each been affected.

• You want support creating a parenting plan that reflects your values now — not those you were raised with.

• You were kicked out of your religious group or left voluntarily and now struggle to build a new community without religion.

• You’re newly secular and want to navigate friendships with people you were once pressured to avoid or fear.

• Your group is threatening you with shunning, disfellowshipping, or excommunication, and you’re unsure what to do.

• You’ve been shunned by your family for no longer believing what they do.

 

Identity, Body, and Sexuality After Religious Control

For clients needing support around self-expression, sexuality, gender identity, and bodily autonomy:

• You want to work on issues tied to purity culture, modesty teachings, sexuality, or gender expression.

• You want to create a new relationship with your body but feel blocked by fear, guilt, or shame.

• You want to process experiences of control, coercion, or power imbalances within your past relationships or religious teachings.

• You left a high-control religion and now struggle to navigate gender-equal dynamics that were once off-limits.

• You’re LGBTQ and want support preparing to come out to your religious family or community.

• Your former religion is impacting your sex life and you want to explore how to shift this dynamic.

 

Therapy Experience and Needs for Religious Trauma Survivors

For clients who are seeking a safe, secular space to explore their concerns, with or without a focus on religion:

• You’ve never been to therapy before and feel nervous because you’re not sure how it works.

• You’ve had therapy in the past, but the therapist introduced personal religious views or encouraged you to return to your former group.

• You have concerns unrelated to religion, but still want a therapist who will commit to keeping the therapy room secular and free of religious influence.