9658L • Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Addressing in Clinical Situations

Table of Contents

9658L • Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Addressing in Clinical Situations

How to Receive Credit

Course Overview

Audience

Accreditations & Approvals

Designations of Credit

Individual State Behavioral Health Approvals

Course Objective

Learning Objectives

Faculty

Faculty Disclosure

Division Planners

Division Planners Disclosure

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Director Disclosure Statement

About the Sponsor

Disclosure Statement

Implicit Bias in Health Care

1. INTRODUCTION

2. WEBINAR

3. SLIDES

Works Cited

9658L • Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Addressing in Clinical Situations

Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, REAT, RYT-500, RMT

www.netce.com

Copyright © 2026 NetCE, All rights reserved.

This live event takes place Sunday, September 20, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm EDT (11:30-1:30 pm PDT).

Spiritual abuse is not just relevant for those who have been members of the cults that get documentaries made about them. Spiritual abuse is a very real condition that can impact individuals who struggle with mental health, substance use, or relationship issues. In this workshop, theories of spiritual abuse and approaches to understanding it are explored through pastoral, developmental, and clinical lenses. Generally defined as the use of God or religion as tools to gain power and control by the abuser, spiritual abuse is one of the most overlooked forms of abuse in clinical settings. However, the willingness to address it will give clinicians added insight into many of their clients and how to more effectively and holistically address treatment. Case studies, personal reflection, and other critical thinking activities will help participants understand how the construct of spiritual abuse is relevant to clinical practice and apply this knowledge to assessment and treatment planning.

9658L • Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Addressing in Clinical Situations

Education Category. Webinars

Release Date. 07/15/2026

Expiration Date. 09/30/2026

How to Receive Credit

To complete this course for continuing education credit please go to http://www.netce.com/course/3598 in your browser.

For assistance with receiving continuing education credit, please contact us at help@netce.com.

Course Overview

This live event takes place Sunday, September 20, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm EDT (11:30-1:30 pm PDT).

Spiritual abuse is not just relevant for those who have been members of the cults that get documentaries made about them. Spiritual abuse is a very real condition that can impact individuals who struggle with mental health, substance use, or relationship issues. In this workshop, theories of spiritual abuse and approaches to understanding it are explored through pastoral, developmental, and clinical lenses. Generally defined as the use of God or religion as tools to gain power and control by the abuser, spiritual abuse is one of the most overlooked forms of abuse in clinical settings. However, the willingness to address it will give clinicians added insight into many of their clients and how to more effectively and holistically address treatment. Case studies, personal reflection, and other critical thinking activities will help participants understand how the construct of spiritual abuse is relevant to clinical practice and apply this knowledge to assessment and treatment planning.

Audience

This live webinar is designed for professional clinicians of any kind who may encounter victims of spiritual abuse, including counselors, social workers, therapists, and psychologists.

Accreditations & Approvals

NetCE has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6361. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. NetCE is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. As a Jointly Accredited Organization, NetCE is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs. NetCE is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). NetCE complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, NetCE is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0021. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board of Mental Health Counseling. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0033. This course is considered live online, as defined by the New York State Board for Social Work. Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of licensed master social work and licensed clinical social work in New York. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice for an LMSW and LCSW. A licensee who practices beyond the authorized scope of practice could be charged with unprofessional conduct under the Education Law and Regents Rules. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0015. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0240. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board for Psychology.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this live event activity for 2 continuing education clock hours. NetCE designates this live event continuing education activity for 2 NBCC clock hour(s). Social workers participating in this intermediate to advanced course will receive 2 Clinical continuing education clock hours. NetCE is authorized by IACET to offer 0.2 CEU(s) for this program. NetCE designates this live continuing education activity for 2 credit(s).

Individual State Behavioral Health Approvals

In addition to states that accept ASWB, NetCE is approved as a provider of continuing education by the following state boards: Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners, Provider #0515; Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, CE Broker Provider #50-2405; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Social Workers, License #159.001094; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Licensed Professional and Clinical Counselors, License #197.000185; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Marriage and Family Therapists, License #168.000190;

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to provide clinicians with an appreciation for the impact of spiritual abuse on clients and the skills necessary to assess and address the experience of spiritual abuse.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Define spiritual abuse from a pastoral, developmental, and clinical perspective.

2. Identify the common themes amongst religious denominations and spiritual practices that have led to abuse experiences in individuals.

3. Assess for commonly encountered negative cognitions acquired by those who have been spiritually abused in the context of clinical symptomology.

4. Develop a trauma-informed treatment or service plan that is sensitive to the needs of clients who have experienced spiritual abuse.

5. Identify components of healthy spirituality that can assist in the recovery process within any clinical or human services approach.

Faculty

Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, REAT, RYT-500, RMT, (she/they) travels internationally speaking on topics related to EMDR therapy, trauma, addiction, expressive arts, and mindfulness while maintaining a private practice and online education operation, the Institute for Creative Mindfulness, in her home base of northeast Ohio. She is the developer of the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy and the developer of Yoga for Clinicians. Dr. Marich is the author of numerous books, including EMDR Made Simple, Trauma Made Simple, and EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care (written in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Dansiger). She is also the author of Process Not Perfection: Expressive Arts Solutions for Trauma Recovery. In 2020, a revised and expanded edition of Trauma and the 12 Steps was released. In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Marich published two additional books: The Healing Power of Jiu-Jitsu: A Guide to Transforming Trauma and Facilitating Recovery and Dissociation Made Simple. Dr. Marich is a woman living with a dissociative disorder, and this forms the basis of her award-winning passion for advocacy in the mental health field.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, REAT, RYT-500, RMT, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planners

Kimberly Byrd, EdD, PMSW

Scott Deatherage, PhD

Division Planners Disclosure

The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.

1. INTRODUCTION

Whether you call it spiritual abuse, religious trauma, high control religion, or cultic impact, the use of God or other spiritual constructs as a weapon is not going away any time soon: in homes, in faith communities, or at the level of the state. Clinicians must be prepared to work with the impact of spiritual and religious wounds, especially if they endeavor to be more trauma informed. This enhanced practice can start with simple validation and education of the client's lived experience as a basis for solid care. From there, treatment plans must be built to honor the individual and their struggle around spiritual and/or religious wounding.

2. WEBINAR

To see this media go to http://www.NetCE.com/activities/ using a browser that supports Adobe Flash.

3. SLIDES

The slides from this webinar are available here.

Works Cited

1. Bagwell-Gray ME, Thaller J, Messing JT, Durfee A. Women’s reproductive coercion and pregnancy avoidance: associations with homicide risk, sexual violence, and religious abuse. Violence Against Women. 2021;27(12-13):2294-2312.

2. Blue K. Healing Spiritual Abuse. InterVarsity Publishing; 1993.

3. Brown J. Grounded Spirituality. Enrealment Press; 2019.

4. Center for Unhindered Living. Qualities of healthy spirituality. Published 2012. Accessed 2012.

5. Cloitre M, Courtois CA, Ford JD, et al. The ISTSS Expert Consensus Treatment Guidelines for Complex PTSD in Adults. 2012.

6. Davis M, Johnson M. Exploring Black clergy perspectives on religious/spiritual related domestic violence: first steps in facing those who wield the sword abusively. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma. 2021;30(7):950-971.

7. Ellis HM, Hook J, Zuniga S, Hodge AS, Ford KM, Davis DE, van Tongeren DR. Religious/spiritual abuse and trauma: a systematic review of the empirical literature. Spiritual Clin Pract. 2022;9(4):213-231.

8. Fowler J. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development. Viking/HarperCollins; 1981.

9. Hobson WW, Enroth R, Langone M, Giambalvo C. Suffer the Little Children: Understanding and Overcoming Spiritual Abuse. 2012. Kindle edition.

10. Koch D, Edstrom L. Development of the spiritual harm and abuse scale. J Sci Study Relig. 2022;61(2):476-506.

11. Kramer JK, Alstad D. The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power. North Atlantic Books; 1993.

12. Landers AL, Danes SM, Campbell AR, Hawk SW. Abuse after abuse: the recurrent maltreatment of American Indian children in foster care and adoption. Child Abuse Negl. 2021;111:104805.

13. Langone MD, ed. Recovery From Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse. W.W. Norton and Co; 1993.

14. Levis RV, Siniego LB. An integrative framework for EMDR therapy as an anti-oppression endeavor. In: Nickerson MI, ed. Cultural Competence and Healing Culturally-Based Trauma With EMDR Therapy: Innovative Strategies and Protocols. Springer Publishing Company; 2016.

15. Marich J. EMDR in addiction continuing care: a phenomenological study of women in recovery. Psychol Addict Behav. 2010;24(3):498-507.

16. Marich J. EMDR Made Simple: Four Approaches to Using EMDR With Every Client. PESI Publishing; 2011.

17. Marich J. No longer trapped: insights on spiritual abuse recovery. Christian Feminism Today. Published 2018. Accessed February 5, 2026. https://eewc.com/spiritual-abuse/

18. National Domestic Violence Hotline. What is spiritual abuse? Accessed July 25, 2022. https://www.thehotline.org/resources/what-is-spiritual-abuse/

19. Oakley L, Kinmond K, Humphreys J, Dioum M. Safeguarding children who are exposed to abuse linked to faith or belief. Child Abuse Rev. 2019;28(1):27-38.

20. Orlowski K. Spiritual Abuse Recovery: Dynamic Research on Finding a Place of Wholeness. Wipf and Stock Publishing; 2010.

21. Plante T. Clericalism contributes to religious, spiritual, and behavioral struggles amongst Catholic priests. Religions. 2020;11(5):217.

22. Purcell BC. Spiritual Terrorism: Spiritual Abuse From the Womb to the Tomb. AuthorHouse; 2008.

23. Riley R. Post Traumatic Church Syndrome: One Woman’s Desperate, Funny, and Healing Journey to Explore 30 Religions Before Her 30th Birthday. Howard Books; 2015.

24. Ryan D, Ryan J. Rooted in God’s Love. InterVarsity Publishing; 1992.

25. Shaw D. Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation. Routledge; 2014.

26. Simmons BW. Coming Out Mormon: An Examination of Religious Orientation, Spiritual Trauma, and PTSD Among Mormon and Ex-Mormon LGBTQA Adults. Doctoral dissertation. University of Georgia; 2017. Accessed February 5, 2026. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/simmons_brian_w_201712_phd.pdf

27. Stein A. Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachments in Cults and Totalitarian Systems. Routledge; 2021.

28. Van Vonderen J, Johnson D. The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing and Escaping Spiritual Manipulation and False Authority Within the Church. Bethany House Publishers; 1991.