When religion hurts: Supervising cases of religious abuse

ABSTRACT

Clients who present in therapy having experienced abuse at the hands of a religious leader or religious community present a unique set of challenges for a therapist. Therapists treating such cases benefit from trauma-informed supervision that recognizes the power of the sacred to support client care and their own professional development. In this article, we define religious abuse, explore nuanced challenges of working with clients who present as survivors of religious abuse, and discuss ways in which supervisors, operating within a trauma-informed framework, can best support supervisees working with cases of religious abuse.

KEYWORDS:

• Religious abuse
• spiritual abuse
• supervision
• betrayal trauma

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Craig S. Cashwell

Craig S. Cashwell, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS, CSAT-S, is Professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has served as President of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Counseling and Values, the ASERVIC journal. In addition, he is a recipient of the ASERVIC Lifetime Achievement Award.

Paula J. Swindle

Dr. Paula J. Swindle is an Assistant Professor of Counseling at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. She received her BA in English from Wake Forest University, her Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Appalachian State University, and her PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has more than 20 years of experience in the counseling profession. Her research interests include counseling and spirituality and counseling in medical settings.