Religious Trauma 101 Webinar - $49
If you’re a therapist, counsellor, psychologist, social worker, or mental health professional, you’ve probably had clients who have struggled with faith, spirituality, or church experiences and you might have noticed how complex those experiences can be.
Maybe you’ve had moments where you didn’t quite know how to respond, or you worried about saying the wrong thing. Maybe you’ve even wondered whether religious or spiritual experiences could actually cause trauma at all.
This is exactly why I created Religious Trauma 101, a 60-minute webinar designed to give you a clear, practical introduction to recognising and supporting clients affected by religious trauma.
Why this matters
Religious trauma often flies under the radar in mainstream mental health training. Many practitioners haven’t been taught to recognise it, and clients rarely present with the label “religious trauma.” Instead, they come with anxiety, panic, depression, shame, grief, attachment struggles, or identity confusion, all deeply shaped by their faith experiences. Without a framework, it’s easy to miss the patterns, unintentionally minimise their experience, or give guidance that feels invalidating.
This webinar is designed to help you feel confident recognising the signs of religious trauma and understanding the context behind it so you can meet clients where they are, validate their experience, and respond in a trauma-informed, spiritually safe way.
What’s included in the webinar
1. Understanding Religious Trauma – You’ll learn what religious trauma really is beyond the headlines of abuse by clergy. We explore how it can arise from doctrines, teachings, and rituals. Community dynamics and social pressure. Or family or intimate relationships within faith contexts By the end, you’ll see that religious trauma isn’t just a “bad experience”, it’s complex, relational, and long-lasting.
2. Connection to family/domestic abuse – We also explore how the dynamics of religious trauma often mirror patterns familiar in family and domestic violence such as; coercive control, gaslighting, and emotional abuse. Using this language helps you recognise the harm more easily and translate it into a mental health context you already understand.
3. Who is most affected – Certain groups face heightened vulnerability, and we’ll unpack why. You’ll learn to recognise patterns and understand the unique ways trauma shows up in different clients so that you can better understand your clients experiences.
4. Mental health impacts – Religious trauma often presents as anxiety, depression, grief, attachment wounds, body disconnect, scrupulosity, or identity confusion. We’ll look at how these experiences mirror complex trauma and what that means for therapy, giving you language and frameworks to discuss these impacts safely.
5. Barriers to accessing therapy – Clients often struggle to seek help, carrying shame, guilt, or fear of judgement and sometimes they worry therapy will conflict with faith. You’ll gain insight into these barriers so you can create a safe, non-judgmental environment that encourages clients to engage.
6. Supporting clients safely – We cover practical, trauma-informed strategies for working with religious trauma. So you can leave with concrete ideas for creating therapy spaces that are both validating and effective.
Who this webinar is for
- Practitioners who are curious or feel underprepared to support clients affected by religious-based harm
- Mental health professionals who want a clear framework for recognising religious trauma
- Anyone who wants to understand how fear, control, and high-demand faith systems can shape mental health, identity, and relationships
This is an introductory webinar, so you don’t need prior experience or deep knowledge. By the end, you’ll feel equipped to notice patterns, ask the right questions, and respond safely while creating space for healing.
Why this is valuable
By taking this webinar, you’ll:
- Gain confidence in recognising religious trauma in your clients
- Understand the ways trauma manifests psychologically, relationally, and physically
- Have practical, trauma-informed strategies to respond in session
- Reduce the risk of inadvertently re-traumatising clients
- Be better prepared to support clients in exploring identity, grief, and autonomy after high-control religious experiences
This isn’t just about theory, it’s about giving you tools you can use immediately, in a way that honours the lived experiences of the people you’re supporting.
Professional Development & OPD Points
Complete the webinar and quiz to receive a certificate of completion. This counts for 3 OPD points with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) as an ‘Online Training Program’. You may also be able to claim points with other professional bodies, it’s worth checking directly with your organisation.