Laura Anderson

CEO and Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• My focus areas of research and supervisory approach are within the realm of Complex Trauma: Religious Trauma, sexualized violence, and domestic violence; Dynamics of Power and Control in relationships and systems, and Narcissistic family dynamics.

• I founded the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery as I saw a growing unmet need of religiously trauma-informed support for people coming out of high demand/high control systems. I quickly recognized that the medium of coaching would provide for the maximum amount of support to be given due to the ability coaches have to see clients in an online format without the concern of state or national restrictions. CTRR is the first of its kind: a fully online coaching company that provides support to people coming out of high demand/high control religious groups, cults, with adverse religious experiences and religious trauma, prioirtizing religiously trauma-informed care by practitioners of varying educational, cultural, and religious backgrounds to promote trauma resolution and recovery rather than only atheism or faith rejection as a means to healing.

• Laura is available for day-long intensive sessions and individual and group consultations. Clicking the button below will re-direct you to her website where you can learn more and schedule.

I was raised as a “camp kid” in a fundamentalist religion, followed by evangelical higher education and working at a church. As you can imagine, I saw and experienced first-hand the underbelly of religious systems, including dynamics of power and control and purity culture leading to adverse religious experiences and religious trauma. My own healing journey began more than 15 years ago as I slowly began to question and implement curiosity toward the systems I grew up in. Though my journey out of these systems began primarily as a cognitive deconstruction process, I truly began to heal in a different way when I was able to work through things on a body-based level—processing trauma through my body versus mere cognitive and behavioral shifts. 

My own journey of healing helps to inform the way I work with clients and motivates me to continue finding meaningful and effective ways to help others heal. Though I consider myself an eclectic therapist, which just means I don’t subscribe to only one way of doing therapy (hello, fundamentalism!) I gravitate toward body-based modalities such as Somatic Experiencing, Structural Dissociation Model, and Internal Family Systems. I am passionate about working with clients who have experienced complex trauma and specialize in domestic violence, sexual violence and religious trauma (including adverse religious experiences and purity culture). I am the co-founder of the Religious Trauma Institute and am passionate about training other professionals on how to effectively work with religious trauma.

Outside of seeing clients you can find me outside with my dog, spending time with friends, writing and my most current revived hobby: dancing. I use reality tv as a self-care tool when my brain feels mushy but my favorite show on-air is Grey’s Anatomy and my all-time favorite show is Friends. 

I identify as a Self-Preservation Enneagram 4 wing 5 and an INFJ on the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator and knowing these things about myself has been a huge part of my own growth and helping to embrace and accept myself. I am learning to embrace my creative side again (as all of my creative talents used to be used in religious systems) which has allowed me to engage with life and people in a more meaningful way. 

Some of my personal favorite resources that helped me in my own journey are: In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine- or really anything he has written and produced, Crazy Love by Leslie Morgan Steiner, Healing the Fragmented Selves of the Trauma Survivor by Janina Fisher, Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser, and No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz. 

• Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University with research in the experience of living in a healing body after sexualized violence

• Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University (Yes, I know... that Liberty University... While I do NOT agree with their theological, religious, and social views, their graduate school education did not subscribe to these strict standards and focused, instead, on the national requirements for credentialing therapists.)

• Somatic Experiencing - Advanced Level

• Certified Complex Trauma Professional - Level 1 & 2

Podcasts I’ve been on: 

• The Graceful Athiest

• Mindshift Podcast

• Parenting Forward

• #Exvangelical

• Friends with Businesses

• MindHub Podcast

• Reality Steve: He Said, She Said (Talk on Domestic Violence)

• Trust & Thrive

• Parenting Forward - Religious Trauma & the Holidays

• God is Grey

• Uncertain Podcast

• The Healing Podcast (Body Grief and Trauma)

• Straight White American Jesus

• Faith and Feminism - Healing From Religious Trauma - Pt. 1

• Faith and Feminism - Healing from Religious Trauma - Pt. 2

• Faith and Feminism - Healing from Sexual Trauma

• The Lovely Becoming

• Deconstruct Pod - Modest is NOT Hottest

• The Trauma Therapist Podcast

• The Phil Drysdale Podcast

• Holy Heretics Podcast

• The Life She Wrote Podcast

• The Working Writer Podcast

• Everything Belongs

• Straight White American Jesus : It’s In the Code: Understanding Trauma Part I

• Straight White American Jesus : It’s In the Code : Understanding Religious Trauma Part II

• Adult Child

• Sexvangelicals - Deadly Sexual Sin #6 (According to the Church): Don’t Say No - Part 1

• Sexvangelicals - Deadly Sexual Sin #6 (According to the Church): Don’t Say No - Part 2

• The Making an Effort Podcast with Gabby and Mel

• Descent into Hell : Fundamentalism in Religion and Its Effects on the Body

• Video Version of Descent into Hell episode

• IndoctriNation : An Abusive Relationship With God w/Dr. Laura Anderson

• Holy Ghosting : I Don't Want It: The Pain of Purity Culture with Dr. Laura Anderson, PHD

• Uncertain Podcast : Second Wave Fundamentalism with Dr. Laura Anderson

• Holy/Hurt with Dr. Hillary McBride

• Therapeutic Astrology

• Deconstructing Mamas

• Gravity Leadership : Healing From Religious Trauma & High-Control Faith

• Speaking Up with Andrew Pledger

• Cheers to Leaving - Trauma Doesn't Live in Our Minds (with Dr. Laura Anderson), Part 1

• Cheers to Leaving - Trauma Doesn't Live in Our Minds (with Dr. Laura Anderson), Part 2

• Mending Families

• Mega

• Faith and Feminism : When Religion Hurts You

• Exvangelical

• Sensibly Speaking with Chris Shelton

• Recasting Religious Trauma

• (Re)thinking Faith

• Surviving Bob Jones

• Untethered with Lindsay Tuttle NP

• Holy Ghosting : No, Mom, That’s Not How Boundaries Work

• Bare Marriage

• Cheaper than Therapy : Finding Safety in Spirituality After Religious Trauma with Dr. Laura Anderson, PhD.

• The New Evangelicals

• Straight White American Jesus : When Religion Hurts You w/ Dr. Laura Anderson

• You Have Permission

• In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer

• Mindful Minds

• A Little Bit Culty : Wise Jezebel: Dr. Laura Anderson On When Religion Hurts

• The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steven Hassan

• Speaking of Cults...Post-Cult Trauma and Conflicts

• Psyche Magic

• The Preacher Boys - The Trauma of Purity Culture

• Survivors Discuss - CTPSD -The Great Parting Gift From Toxic Religion

• The Preacher Boys - The Election Cycle and Religious Trauma

• Almost Heretical

• Everything Belongs - Healing from High Control Religion & Relationships With Dr. Laura Anderson

• Sexvangelicals - Episode #60: Banned Books: When Religion Hurts You, with Laura Anderson (part 1 of 2)

• Sexvangelicals - Episode #61: Banned Books, with Laura Anderson (part 2 of 2)

Video Interviews I’ve been on: 

• Conversation with Cody Harmon on Religious Trauma

• COVID-19 and Religious Trauma: A Four-Part Series

• Religious Trauma and the Election Season: A 10-Part Mini-Course

• Parentification Part 1 with Tia Levings

• Parentification Part 2 with Tia Levings

• Objectification and Purity Culture Part 1 with Tia Levings

• Objectification and Purity Culture Part 2 with Tia Levings

• What is Religious Trauma with Guy MacPherson

• Instagram Live with Dr. Camden about Laura’s book “When Religion Hurts You”

Articles I am featured in:

• Giving Victims of Religious Trauma a Voice featured on Religion News Service by Chrissy Stroop

• What Exvangelicals can Teach us about 'Trump Christians' by Chrissy Stroop for Dame Magazine

• Celebrity Culture isn't the Problem by Blake Chastain on the Post-Evangelical Post

• Can Religion Give you PTSD? featured on New Republic by Stephanie Russell-Kraft

• Brides are Suffering Under the Weight of Tradition featured in Jezebel by Emily Leibert

• How to Find Healing From Religious Trauma featured in Sojourners by Matthias Roberts

• Dr. Laura Anderson wants you to know what to do when religion hurts you featured in Reckon Media by Anna Beahm

• Defining religious trauma and training mental health professionals to deal with it | Q&A featured on The Tennessean by Liam Adams

• In ‘When Religion Hurts You,’ a psychotherapist argues religious trauma is trauma featured on Religion News Service by Kathryn Post

• Book Review // When Religion Hurts You

• Religion that harms | The Christian Century by Morganne Talley

• Review of When Religion Hurts You — Foreword Reviews

• When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion (publishersweekly.com)

• When Religion Traumatizes by Scot McKnight

• New Books Address Surviving Toxic Religion (publishersweekly.com)

• Christian Counseling Connection - Page 22

• Jonathan Merritt, The Faith & Culture 5 eNewsletter

• Life is Story

• 15 recent releases reviewed – Hearts & Minds Books

• Trauma in the Body by Scot McKnight

• "Tradwives" offer an alluring vision of right-wing Christianity — online warriors are fighting back” featured in Salon by Amanda Marcotte

• “For Christians raised in ‘high-control’ settings, elections may trigger religious trauma” featured in Religion News by Kathryn Post

Instagram

• @drlauraeanderson

TikTok

• @drlauraeanderson

Facebook

• @drlauraeanderson

Substack

Podcast Co-Host: The Wise Jezebels

Podcast Co-Host: Sunday School Dropouts

Lauren Johnson-Horn

Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• My passion is seeing Third Culture Kids, Missionary/Pastor’s Kids, Parents, and LGBTQ+ clients connect to Self. This entails healing from childhood and Religious Trauma, traumatic events, cults, Domestic Violence and abuse, and working through Faith Deconstruction.

• I see individual adults.

The majority of my formative years as a child and adolescent were spent on the mission field with my family—I’m a missionary kid! Though I was afforded some incredible experiences and opportunities living overseas, after moving back to the US and beginning my graduate school program I was faced with the reality of the bubble I had grown up in that also included significant anxiety, fear of abandonment, much rigid thinking and living and unrecognized trauma. Though I had already begun my own process of healing years before the 2016 election, it was this event that made me keenly aware of many other unhealthy religious beliefs I held and I dove deeper into my own deconstruction. My healing took another turn in 2020 as the events of 2020 challenged me to dig deeper into equality, racial injustice, and political activism. Though I believe that healing is a lifelong process, I am grateful for the ways I have deconstructed and healed from so much! 

The experiences I have had in my own upbringing serve as an inspiration for the people I get to work with. Though I love working with people who have experienced any type of trauma, I find myself gravitating toward adults who have religious trauma, including former missionary kids, pastors kids and third-culture kids as it intersects with my own background! I use a variety of approaches with my clients including somatic and attachment focused interventions.

When I am not working I love being outside, spending time with friends and family, binge watching shows, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and acting like a dork with my husband! Since I grew up on the island of Madagascar, I love hot weather, dancing, the ocean, and traveling. I would rather read a murder mystery or listen to a true-crime podcast versus reading a self-help book, and even though I don’t really think I’m that great of a cook, I’ll try making any dish at least once...and I cannot live without sushi!

I am a newlywed—married to another therapist which, as it turns out, is exactly the type of person I needed!

Some of the resources that have been of particular influence on me are: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, Boundaries by Cloud & Townsend, Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski, “Sex with Emily” with Emily Morse (podcast), and “The Enneagram Journey” with Suzanne Stabile (podcast).

• Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Trevecca Nazarene University (2017)

Instagram 

• @lauren_johnson_counseling

Jeremy Lehmann

Practitioner, He/Him/His

SPECIALTIES

• I address Complex Trauma, Religious Trauma, Deconstruction, and Adverse Religious Experiences with my clients. My focus is with LGBTQ+ adults and current and former “professional” ministry folks (including pastors and missionaries).

• I meet with adult individuals.

I was raised in American Evangelicalism where I served in various places of leadership from my teens through my early 40s. Post high school I joined a missionary organization, Youth with a Mission (YWAM) where I spent 3 years doing mission work and training others to go onto the mission field.

The process of grappling with my faith of origin while living in the South as a gay man was painful, but has also been a place of deep growth and transformation. My healing journey has been one of finding my voice, inhabiting my body, and learning that I have wisdom and can trust myself.  

My own experiences in healing inspires my passion for working with queer individuals in or coming out of religious systems, individuals who have been in professional faith positions (e.g. clergy, missionaries, their families, etc.), and individuals who are going through deconstruction.

Additionally, I enjoy working with individuals who are transitioning their spiritual identity, and in areas of sexuality + embodiment. I use a body-based approach with clients through modalities such as Somatic Experiencing and somatic sex interventions. 

When I am not seeing clients you can find me working through my ever-expanding reading list, spending time with friends, being outside and looking for the next binge-worthy show.

I enjoy hiking, camping, stand-up paddling, knitting, weaving, cooking, making specialty cocktails and occasionally dabble in my former career of graphic design.

Some resources that have been helpful to me in my own healing journey include: Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, Beyond Shame by Matthias Roberts, In Touch by John J. Prendergast, and The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.

• Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Trevecca Nazarene University (2018)

• Somatic Experiencing - Advance Level

  
  

My Social Media Accounts

Twitter: @ThriveryMFT

Facebook: @ThriveryMFT

Tami Widmer

Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• Deconstruction & identity recovery, complex trauma, depression, eating disorders, parenthood/postpartum care, LGBTQ+ folks, military personnel/veterans and/or their partners

• I meet with adult individuals and couples

After 25 years of being an “All-Star Christian”—raised in the church, deeply invested in my spirituality, with a Bible degree in hand and plans to be a missionary—I grew tired. Tired of over-serving, of being a flawless example, and of imposed limits because I am a woman. While earning my graduate degree in counseling, I realized that the religious dogma I once internalized began to feel like it was choking me. Simultaneously, I was experiencing personal losses – so when it felt like life was unraveling, I began therapy to explore the pain I was experiencing in the religious system. Through this process the tiny, perfect box that my life once fit in, blew open and the former right answers and assurances I previously clung to were no longer available to me. My process of deconstruction did not feel like a conscious choice, but instead a response to the gradual, intuitive movements of my soul. As I opened my heart to the world and myself for the first time, I outgrew my Christian worldview. Now, nearly a decade after my faith began dissolving, I am still healing and discovering the Wild (natural and free) woman within.

My own journey inspires my work with my clients. If you feel like you’ve lost part of your soul and are ready to recover hidden treasures that were there all along, I will voyage with you. If you are tired of sleepwalking—going through the motions of life, and want more out of life, I will explore with you. If your heart is broken and you’re not sure how to heal it, I’ll stand by you as it mends. If you have been hurt by religious systems, leaders, or entities and need someone to enter that space with you, I will help you find the safety to do that. Or if you don’t even know where to begin, if life feels scary and unknown—you are in the right place. I enjoy working with clients who are or have experienced Trauma, adverse religious experiences (including repressed femininity, toxic masculinity, shame culture, etc.), eating disorders, loss and bereavement, depression, veterans and partners of veterans, LGBTQ+ folks and parents (such as moms needing postpartum support). In our sessions, I pay attention to emotional and bodily cues and encourage nonjudgmental curiosity about whatever issue, emotion, or topic you are dealing with. This approach (called Internal Family Systems) allows you to create a healing relationship with yourself, which is the foundation for resilience in your external world. Previous clients tell me they experience genuine warmth and empathy in our relationship. I am here to support your journey as each individual is unique.

Outside of work, I'm a married mother of 3, so there is never a dull moment. I feel most alive when I am outdoors, hiking and breathing. I also love painting, a good cup of coffee, training for triathlons, doing my own therapy/holistic growth (yes, I find this fun!), traveling, and a glass of wine with some Netflix & chill.

Some of the resources that have been influential in my own healing journey include: time, nature, camaraderie with friends on similar journeys, IFS training and therapy, poetry (David Whyte, John O'Donohue), The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Belonging by Toko-pa Turner, and Bill Plotkin’s books.

• Master of Arts in Licensed Professional Counseling from Denver Seminary (2013)

Andrew Kerbs

Practitioner,  He/Him/His

SPECIALTIES

• I support those who are going through Deconstruction, Religious Trauma, life transitions, identity, and existential issues, healing from Purity Culture and Adverse Religious Experiences, and engage in grief work with my clients.

• I meet with individuals: children age 6 and above, teens, and adults!

Growing up in a fundamentalist religion, including going to a religious school, taught me that to truly love Jesus I needed to be persecuted, that the world would hate me and I needed to be prepared to ‘lay down my life’, even being killed for my faith—and if I wasn’t ready to do that, it meant I wasn’t a real Christian, didn’t love Jesus enough and possibly wasn’t even saved. This caused immense amounts of anxiety and trauma from the time I was a small child. After high school I made the “rebellious” decision to go to a state school instead of a religious school and began my deconstruction process; graduate school brought along even more of my own healing and I realized that doing my own healing work was the only way that I could help others heal.  

Though I am still unpacking my conservative Christian background, I am able to use my personal experiences in a professional setting to help others heal from their own trauma. I enjoy working with young and middle-aged adults who are working through their own existential issues that are having an impact on their daily life and functioning—which often includes trauma and other aspects of identity as they deconstruct from their faith of origin and process adverse religious experiences. While I utilize a variety of approaches, I gravitate toward Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Grief work and somatic-based trauma modalities to work with my clients. One of the ways I have found to be helpful for myself and my clients to get back into the body is through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which I consider both a spiritual and healing practice. 

When I am not at the office I enjoy spending time with my fiancée and her family, reading non-therapy books (like history, theology, fiction, and poetry), writing, chatting with folks in my online community and am known to re-watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended edition only!) many times over!

I love motorcycles and a good IPA beer—especially since my childhood church frowned harshly upon it! When the weather allows, I enjoy snowboarding, backpacking, and all things wilderness related!

Some of the resources that have been helpful for me in my own healing journey include: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini  as it had a profound impact on me and my relationship with my father. Also, the book Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong by Kelly Wilson which helped me both professionally and personally as it’s written by one of the leading researchers and practitioners in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. And of course, everything Brene Brown has ever said or written!

• Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lenoir-Rhyne University (2017)

  
  

  
  

  
  

Instagram

@deconstruct_everything

Casey Bain

Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I specialize in working with clients who are looking to connect more fully to their authentic self after going through experiences like deconstruction, religious trauma, and/or childhod trauma. My specialties include working with anxiety, OCD, impacts from trauma, or impacts from being LGBTQ+ in a non-affirming environment.

• I meet with adolescents and adult individuals.

I have always been a big feeler, so even as a kid I always felt aware and connected to the hurt and sadness in the world alongside the joy. Growing up in Evangelical Christianity, I experienced comfort and connection through my faith, but also experienced the harm of things like purity culture and the extreme pressure to be a certain way. I've been going through my own deconstruction process over the past few years, shedding parts of religion I began realizing were harmful and even causing trauma in people's lives. I did a deep dive into understanding religious trauma and healthy spirituality, and have become passionate about learning how to become more fully myself, and to trust my body and intuition. When it comes to my work as a therapist, my first experience with therapy was as a client myself, working on healing some of my past wounds. It was an incredible experience, and I fell in love with the therapy process, and am now so grateful to be able to do the same kinds of healing work with clients that I’ve experienced myself. Going deep into people's stories, hurt, and spiritual experiences feels like a natural outpouring of who I am and how I connect with others.

The experiences I have had in my own upbringing serve as an inspiration for the people I get to work with. Though I have had experience working with many different individuals, I find myself gravitating toward young adults and women as well as individuals who are exploring childhood trauma. I also enjoy working with individuals who are deconstructing and healing from church hurt and religious trauma stemming from evangelical and fundamentalist forms of Christianity, as well as those who are exploring sexuality. I use various modalities to work with people such as embodiment and internal family systems (IFS). I absolutely love working with kids and parents in addition to working with trauma.

When I am not working, you’ll probably find me drinking coffee while reading my newest book, or finding a new TV show to binge—usually with a glass of wine in hand! I love routine, and creating rhythms for day-to-day life that help me connect to my own spirituality- like reading, being outside, moving my body, and spending time with the people I love.

I also enjoy exploring the world through traveling to new places, going on long walks with my dog, Milo, doing yoga, paddleboarding, and spending time outside anytime it's warm. On weekends my partner and I love having other couples over for games and drinks, and we like doing home projects together. 

Some of the resources that have been of particular influence on me are: The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr, Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Finding God in the Waves by Mike McHargue, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, and The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen by Lisa Gungor, as well as The Liturgists podcast.

• Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from University of North Texas (2018)

• Somatic Experiencing and Internal Family Systems

  
  

  
  

Instagram

@unravelingfree

Amy Congdon

Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I support clients recovering from Purity Culture and Religious Trauma, Faith Deconstruction, post-abortion experiences, and racial identity and trauma, including LBGTQ+ folks (including adolescents), polyamorous/ethically non-monogamous individuals, and those who are neurodivergent, especially with ADHD as well as autism.

• I meet with adolescents and adult individuals.

I was raised in a culturally Chinese, conservative Baptist church and witnessed firsthand the ways that an honor-shame based culture can so easily marry with an often shame-based religious structure. I remained part of evangelical church culture through early adulthood, even attending bible college with plans of becoming a worship pastor. The first questions I began to ask myself that led to the beginning of the deconstruction of my faith were related to the ways in which the church claims to be rooted in love, but went well out of their way to let queer folks know they were inherently sinful. I could not equate the two, and eventually moved away from and rejected evangelicalism. Once I had enough space to process, I realized that I identify as queer and that the negative impacts of Christian purity culture kept me from understanding this about myself. 

So much healing happened for me through connection with other individuals who had similar experiences, as well as talking and processing with therapists and other professionals. And part of my continued healing journey is to offer back to others the compassion and support that brought me to where I am today. My own journey helps to inform the way I work with clients. I love working with people who are looking to explore and understand their identities and how these identities have been impacted by trauma. I work from an awareness of the ways that identities intersect and the ways this intersectionality will have resulted in a unique experience for each client. While I use a variety of approaches in working with clients, including virtual EMDR, I have a deep appreciation for Internal Family Systems (IFS) and attachment work as well as interpersonal neurobiology.

When I am not working I stay busy with my family as a mom of two amazing kids and a supportive partner. I am a lover of being as social as possible in a busy world. I’m also on the board of directors for Exhale, a non-profit organization that provides post-abortion support. Being active in and informed about what is happening in my local community is extremely important to me as I prioritize being an advocate personally and professionally. I love being outdoors, hiking, the mountains, beaches of the Oregon coast, and star-gazing. When forced to be indoors, you can find me enjoying true crime documentaries and re-watching The Good Place or Schitt’s Creek. My job history is quite diverse, from teaching, to barista-ing, to even being a youth minister while professing an agnostic faith. I like to try a little bit of everything, locations, jobs, hobbies - this includes trying all the foods, too! 

I identify as a Chinese American, queer, cisgender woman. I’m a personality test enthusiast and an enneagram 4 wing 3 and iNFj (emphasis intentional). I’m also a musician, love to sing and dance, and am the kind of person who will try any crafty-type endeavor once, which means I am a self-taught sewist and crocheter of all things. Sometimes I’m a writer and haiku poet as well. 

Due to spending a lot of time thinking about purity culture and its impacts, I have found Pure by Linda Kay Klein, #ChurchToo by Emily Joy Alison, Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, and The Body is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor all to be incredibly helpful in finding validation and healing. In the way of deconstruction, I felt very validated in the stories shared in Educated by Tara Westover and Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper. I also really enjoy poetry as a way of healing and have been profoundly impacted by the poetry of Padraig O Tuama, Naomi Shihab Nye, Tonya Ingram, and David Whyte.

• Master of Arts in Counseling from University of Missouri--Kansas City (2020)

  
  

  
  

Jessica Hyne

 Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• My specialty lies at the intersection of religious trauma and family of origin trauma. I often break religious trauma into two categories: 1) Ruptured attachment to God or a belief system and 2) physical, sexual, emotional, or spiritual abuse at the hands of a church or religious community. Many people have experienced at least one if not both. I enjoy exploring each client’s unique experience and aiding them as they process it. 

• I meet with adult individuals.

I grew up in an evangelical denomination called the Church of Christ and attended only Christian schools. After a childhood full of conservative Evangelical teaching, I spent my teen years searching for an expression of Christianity that resonated with my soul, only to feel alone, confused, depressed, and unfulfilled. I was unaware that the central messaging I received was to be at war with my body and my desires. It was only when I bravely stepped out of my Christian upbringing to explore other faith traditions and non-faith traditions, that I began to find meaning and fulfillment.

As my spirituality expanded and I engaged in my own therapy, I began deconstructing my former faith experience. Within that journey, there came a profound awareness of other structural sicknesses facing the world; things including American exceptionalism, racism, homophobia, fatphobia, transphobia, and patriarchy and their messaging. 

As I continued evolving, I learned that I felt most connected to myself, people, and the Other through embodiment, silence, nature, and meditation. This allowed me a sense of peace and wonder around unknowingness. I will borrow Vishnu Das’ (Michael Gungor’s) statement saying he is a “Apophatic mystic, Hindu, pantheist, Christian, Buddhist skeptic with a penchant for nihilistic progressive existentialism” depending on the day. 

My own journey and healing has impacted the work I do with clients. I enjoy working with Millennials and older Zoomers (Gen Z) who recognize they have become stuck in the grieving process that often accompanies deconstruction of a belief system. I’ve found that healing from religious trauma includes grieving and often trickles into other areas of life, such as family of origin, sense of self, relationships, sexuality, existential fears, and many more. While I enjoy using many different frameworks for helping clients, I tend to find myself being drawn to body-based work such as Somatic Experiencing, IFS, attachment work, and other embodiment modalities. 

When I am not working with clients, I like to move! Yoga. Hiking. Strength training. All of it. I’m also a consummate student. My current focus is in the area of Data Sciences. My hope is that I am able to integrate my love for big data and research into religious trauma. I am an avid foodie and enjoy cooking for myself and friends. My constant companion is my rescue dog.

Random facts about me include: I love adventure including adventure through traveling; I also enjoy motorcycles, skydiving, and scuba. To relax, I am often found hitting golf balls at the driving range. I am a Nashville native and enjoy trying out whatever new restaurant is in town. I have lived in Nashville TN, Chicago IL, Dublin Ireland, San Jose Costa Rica, San Pedro Mexico, and Lima Peru throughout my life. 

Some of the books and other resources that have been important to me in my own healing and growth journey include: 

Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson, You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass) by Mike McHargu, Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem , Readings from the Book of Exile by Pádraig Ó Tuama, Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown, Anything by Peter Rollins

Podcasts: On Being with Krista Tippett,  The Crazy Robot Show with Mike McHargue, The Liturgists, You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes, The Robcast, Stuck Not Broken, and Tara Brach

Events such as the Wild Goose Festival and “Atheism for Lent” with Peter Rollins

• Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College (2012)

• I am bilingual and speak Spanish fluently.

• Somatic Experiencing - Beginning Level

Daniel Miller

 Practitioner, He/Him/His

SPECIALTIES

• My clients are typically dealing with religious trauma and adverse religious experiences, faith deconstruction, legacies of purity culture, LGBTQ+ identity, allyship, and parenting, loss of social community and shared meaning, transitions within or out of professional ministry positions, and changing experiences of masculinity. I collaborate with my clients to help them find ways to process their trauma so they can be “at home” in their own bodies and the world around them, leading daily lives that are meaningful and fulfilling. I take their lead, tailoring our work together around their aims and goals.

• I meet with individual adults as well as LGBTQ+ teens and their parents.

I grew into adolescence and adulthood fully immersed in the subculture of American evangelicalism, and I was a true believer. I sought to live the kind of life and be the kind of person, in all dimensions, that my religious tradition told me I should. I received my undergraduate degree from a sectarian college affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, went on to earn a ministerial degree (the Master of Divinity) from a Southern Baptist seminary, and served as a pastor in a conservative evangelical church in Seattle, WA, for five years.

Over the course of my time as a pastor, I became disillusioned with evangelicalism. The two most decisive reasons for this were my affirmation of issues related to social justice, and my affirmation of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities. I abandoned evangelicalism almost twenty years ago and pursued additional academic studies, first in theology and later in the very different field of religious studies, eventually earning my Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

This background provided me with an intimate understanding of the complexities of religious identity and its effects (positive and negative) on individuals, society, and culture, as both a former “insider” and as an “outsider” with the critical tools necessary to analyze these issues. A few years ago, reflecting my desire to use this background and these skills to help others in a more concrete way, I co-founded the podcast Straight White American Jesus. My work on the podcast increasingly brought me into contact with others who had been traumatized within different religious subcultures (for example, American evangelicalism, Mormonism, conservative Catholicism). It is through this show and my role with CTRR that I am able to focus on helping others to understand the dynamics of American religious and cultural conservatism in relation to politics and culture and recover from their own religious trauma.

When I'm not working and co-hosting a podcast, Straight White American Jesus, you’ll find me enjoying time with my kids, playing video games, and rooting for the Denver Broncos.

Some books I’ve found both insightful and helpful include Shameless: A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Webber, Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free by Linda Kay Klein, Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter? by Heath Fogg Davis, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Jones, In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine, and The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk.

• Bachelor of Arts in Religion, Oklahoma Baptist University (1998)

• Master of Studies in Theology, Oxford University (2001)

• Master of Philosophy in Religion, Syracuse University (2005)

• Doctor of Philosophy in Religion, Syracuse University (2008)

• Certification in Clinical Trauma Professional Training Levels and 1 and 2 (2022)

  
  

• Straight White American Jesus Podcast, Co-Host

• Instagram: @straightwhitejc

• Twitter: @straightwhitejc

Katie Poe

Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I enjoy supporting my clients in resolving and recovering from religious trauma, healing from adverse religious experiences and purity culture, navigating deconstruction and/or deconversion with parents, and dealing with experiencing prolonged seasons of burnout- especially women and new parents.

• I meet with individual adults and parents.

My own healing journey has taken place through a series of phases and seasons. Recovering from and resolving my own religious trauma started during early motherhood for me, and took place over the span of 5-7 years.

It was through this time that I came to embrace the nonlinear nature of healing and the nuances around grief, navigating life transitions and the experience of coming home to my own body. I truly believe that I will continue to heal and expand as my life continues to unfold.

“It was when I stopped searching for home within others [within religion] and lifted the foundations of home within myself, I found there were no roots more intimate than those between a mind and body that have decided to be whole.” -Rupi Kaur

I am creative at my core, so whether I am learning something new with my hands such as sewing or carpentry or spinning my thoughts and emotions into written words, I am happiest when I’m creating! I am fascinated by people and learning about how we engage with ourselves individually and with others collectively, so I love any little personality tests/insights while also holding space for all the nuance! I am a 9w8 on the Enneagram and a Myers Briggs INFP. I am a mother of 6 humans and have 6 fur babies as well! Nurturing is my love language.

Some of the podcasts and books that have been helpful and influential to my journey:

Podcasts: The Healing Trauma Podcast, Ram Dass Here and Now, The Phil Drysdale Show, The Happiness Lab, Unlocking Us with Brene Brown, Mother Honestly Podcast, Humanize Me, Deconversion Therapy, Exvangelical, Graceful Atheist, Parenting Forward

Books: Becoming Safely Embodied by Deirdre Fay; The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk; No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz; Self-Compassion by Kristen Neff; Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nogoski; Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma by Janina Fisher; Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson; Waking the Tiger and In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine; Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion by Tara Brach. Irene Lyons is another resource I use and recommend often.

• Master of Arts in Counseling from University of Texas of the Permian Basin (2010)

• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, PESI (2021)

• Training in Polyvagal Theory and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Evergreen (2021)

  
  

Natalie Cox

Associate Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I support individuals who have experienced complex and developmental trauma, may it be sexual, physical, emotional, or religious in nature; these can impact us on a soul level. It impacts how we experience ourselves, our relationships, our work, and our understanding of our place in the world. Symptoms of trauma may show up as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, relationship or intimacy issues, memory or focus issues, grief, dissociation, and addiction to name a few. I work with individuals to recover and restore a connection to the deeper sense of self, the body, sexuality, creativity, community, and the world-at-large.

• I see individual adults.

• My flat rate for sessions is $125

My professional interests are personal due to my childhood wounding in combination with evangelical Christian ideology and influence. I grew up in the South and aligned strongly with Purity culture and the role assigned to women by conservative interpretations of faith. Adhering to these ideologies required rigidity in relating to myself, and the world, which temporarily propped up my damaged self-esteem but deepened the rift between my spirit and body. I believe this widening schism unconsciously helped me compensate for childhood trauma that I was unable to process or face for quite some time. Through love, loss, and the difficult lessons of life, my external seeking eventually turned inward. My childhood trauma and crumbling religion led me to a path of healing where I began to slowly gather my scattered self home to my body and psyche.

Before embarking on my career in a helping profession, I worked primarily as an illustrator for many years before moving into design and photography. Making art is still a necessary part of my life and I love working with clients who want to lean into creativity. I have had a particular connection to dreams since childhood-my earliest memory is a dream! I have studied the Jungian approach to dreams and welcome client's dreams into the therapeutic space for those interested in exploring them. I am an INFP on the Myers-Briggs and a 4 on the Enneagram. I am obsessed with my small garden and all the creatures that it attracts. I still find magic in fiction, fairy tales, sci-fi, myths, and in stories about outcasts who beat the odds.

Some of my favorite resources include: 

Books : Trauma and the Soul by Donald Kalsched, Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine; The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, Revolutionizing Trauma Treatment by Babette Rothschild, The Cultural Complex by Thomas Singer & Samuel L. Kimbles, Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis, Art is a Way of Knowing by Pat B. Allen, Dance of Intimacy by Harriet Lerner, It Didn’t Start with You by Mark Wolynn, Codependent No More by Melodie Beattie, Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung, The Religious Function of the Psyche by Lionel Corbett, Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg, The Archetypal Imagination by James Hollis.

• Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, Antioch University, Los Angeles (2016)

• Masters of Arts Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and Depth Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2024

Katherine Spearing

Associate Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I support individuals who have experienced Spiritual Abuse, Religious Trauma, Recovery from Purity Culture and Sexual Abuse, Cult Recovery, and Life Transitions. My clients are typically women recovering from Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse, and/or women exploring careers, desires, and life after systemic oppression.

• I see individual adults.

• My flat rate for sessions is $125

After living most of my life in patriarchal spaces that told me I shouldn’t and couldn’t have higher education or a career, one of my first steps in recovery was working with a career coach to learn how to write a resume, network, and interview. To this day, I believe this is one of the best decisions I ever made.

In grad school, I was able to go to therapy for free—provided by the interns at the grad school’s counseling center. While the care was validating, I quickly realized I needed help from someone with more training in understanding the dynamics of abuse I experienced. I began seeing a trauma therapist (though I didn’t know what that was) and encountered somatic experiencing, mindfulness, grounding, and the art of listening to our bodies and emotions.

Five years later, I found myself working for a church in Los Angeles where I discovered a dark side to the church that eerily resembled the cult I escaped in my 20s. After leaving this church, I went on to start Tears of Eden, a nonprofit supporting survivors of Spiritual Abuse, hosting its affiliate podcast Uncertain, which has been quoted in scholarly articles, seminary papers, and PhD dissertations. While working daily with survivors, I obtained a certification in Trauma Recovery Coaching from IAOTRC and currently lead the Religious Trauma Cohort for this association.

While working with other survivors, I continue my own healing journey. I am a published author of a historical romantic comedy, Hartfords, which subtly and humorously challenges gender roles in patriarchal spaces. Writing (specifically fiction) is cathartic and lifegiving. I perform regularly on a local improv theater team. I also coach improv workshops. It’s a great way to release tension and be goofy and have fun! I love to incorporate art and creativity with my clients as they are comfortable, as I believe it can be a wonderful part of the healing process."

As a podcaster, I get to interview so many amazing people and the folks who really stand out as informing my approach to religious trauma are Connie A. Baker (Author of Traumatized by Religious Abuse) and Dr. Laura Anderson (When Religion Hurts You). I've had them both on the show more than once and always walk away from our conversations with new understanding. In terms of resources I recommend: 1 am always pointing people to Tears of Eden and Uncertain podcast (www.tearsofeden.org, 1G: @uncertainpodcast) as it serves as a hub of resources for understanding Spiritual Abuse and Religious Trauma.

I am a published author of a historical romantic comedy, Hartfords, which subtly and humorously challenges gender roles in patriarchal spaces. Writing (specifically fiction) is cathartic and life-giving. I perform regularly on a local improv theater team. I also coach improv workshops. It’s a great way to release tension and be goofy and have fun! I lift weights and do yoga for self-care. I’m also really into taking naps lately. : - ) And finally, I am an avid coffee drinker and a serious coffee snob.

• Master of Arts in Religion and Cultures

• Certified Trauma Recovery Practitioner (CTRC)

In the media:

🎙 True Believer: The Unsolved Murder of Elizabeth Mackintosh - Let’s Talk About It

🎙The Shanny Pants Show - Spiritual Abuse with Katherine Spearing

🎙 Uncertain - The Stigmatized Single Person (And How to Thrive Anyway) with Katherine Spearing

🎙 Sexvangelicals - Episode #54: Kicking Off the New Year with Spiritual Abuse: How Romantic Comedies Can Reinforce the Worst Parts of Evangelical Culture, with Katherine Spearing

🎙 Sexvangelicals - Kicking Off the New Year with Spiritual Abuse: How to Leave a Controlling Family Environment, with Katherine Spearing

🎙 IndoctriNation - Tears of Eden w/ Katherine Spearing MA, CTRC

🎙 That’s So Fcked Up - Evangelicalism, Christianity, Fundamentalism with Katherine Spearing

🎙 Mindful Minds - Recognizing Spiritual Abuse & How To Move Forward with Katherine of @uncertainpodcast - Ep. 70

✒️ Reckon News Article - Meet the healers who are helping people recover from spiritual abuse by Anna Beahm

✒️ Article by Megan Kenyon How I Got Over: An Interview with Katherine Spearing

✒️ Post by Lucy Rowett, Sex & Relationship Coach Trauma and Purity Culture

🎙 Silencing Women in the Name of God - Your Only Purpose is Mother

🎙 The Care Ministry Podcast - Spiritual Abuse Recovery

🎙 Confessions of a Worship Leader Podcast - Spiritually Abusive Church (#1 episode of 2022)

🎙Nunc in Conversation - I Wasn’t Allowed to Go to College

🎙 Holy Heretics Podcast - Response to Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast

🎙 Chickmonks - Empowering Stories

🎙 Dismantle - I Just Want Real Friends

🎙 Homecoming - Featuring Poem The Gift

Publications:

• Hartfords, Leon Publishing (2021, Oct. 5)

• Battling Imposter Syndrome in the Aftermath of Vocational Ministry, Mutuality, CBE International (2023, Aug. 16)

• As a female preacher I was treated very differently to my male counterparts - in the end I left Premier (2023, July 26)

• Are We Continuing to Sideline Women in Conversations About Abuse? CBE International (Top 10 articles of 2022) Mutuality (2022, January 5)

• Was My Family a Cult? I Got Out.org, (2021, November 5)

• How to Spot Overt and Covert Spiritual Abuse. Deconstruction Movement (2021, March 17)

• Beneath the Cross of Jesus. To Paradise by way of the Cross. p.72 , (2020, Contribution)

• How Yoga Helped Me Adjust. (2017, January 31)

• The Best of The Best. (2016, August 25)

• Grad School Survival Guide. (2016, April 16)

• Open Gates to Open Hearts. Network Magazine (No longer in print. First article with compensation!). (2015, September 2)

• The Tradition of the Engagement Ring. (2013, July 2)

• Both Sides of Me. (2012, August 2)

• Valentine’s Day With a Twist. (2009, March 1)

• The North Side: Looking Beyond Appearances. (2009, February 1)

• One Sad Truth of Immigration. (2008, May 8)

Instagram

• @katherinespearing

• @uncertainpodcast

Nicole Clifton

Associate Practitioner, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I support individuals navigating faith deconstruction, healing from purity culture, LGBTQIA+, religious trauma and adverse religious experiences, life transitions, boundaries work, identity, chronic illness/ableism, and body image.

• I see individual adults.

• My flat rate for sessions is $125

I grew up in the Christian church, incredibly involved, truly the poster child for the “good Christian girl.” - youth group, singing on the worship team, volunteering in ministry, etc. After high school, to take my faith even more seriously, I decided to attend a small Christian college. It was during my undergrad years that the first igniting events of my faith deconstruction occurred, namely some significant changes in my family of origin. I felt like so many Christians “didn’t get it” and could only offer trite clichés, not knowing how to truly enter into my pain and grief with me as I watched my family shift. Through this, I began to wrestle with faith, God, the Bible, theology, and the like.

After under-grad, I worked at another Christian university for almost a decade. In this season during my 20s, my own faith deconstruction continued its slow burn, with the flame getting bigger as the years went on....and as that environment created many opportunities/challenges to wrestle with so many topics. So many of the things that so many of us have struggled with and shifted on - theology around LGBTQIA+ folx, racism in our country and its overlaps in the church/politics, the negative impact of purity culture, diet culture/fatphobia, ableism, the toxic positivity and spiritual bypassing that were rampant in many of the Christian spaces I was in, the presidential elections of 2016/2020, the pandemic, etc.

While I had seen a few other therapists earlier in my 20s to process issues in my marriage around sexuality (many internalized toxic messages due to purity culture), I finally found the right fit with the right therapist in 2018. She helped me truly start to integrate all that I was processing around sexuality & my marriage, and helped me connect that with my deconstruction and the spaces where I had been harmed. We did some significant work (including EMDR), and it helped me find some healing within my own body and shifted how I engaged with my shame.

There is always more healing and more growth to pursue, of course, but there is such a softer, kinder, more compassionate framework for that change now.

I married my college sweetheart and thankfully we deconstructed together, so I'm deeply grateful for the journey we've been on. I LOVE to read and the front room of my house is basically a mini-library. I'm a big Disney and Harry Potter fan. I deeply enjoy a good glass of wine & a piece of cheesecake. I don't have any pets, but watch more nature documentaries than basically anyone I know. I love musical theater and grew up around the performing arts - so I can sing, play piano, used to play violin (and even played in a hand bell choir at church growing up). My comfort re-watch shows include things like Schitt's Creek, Gilmore Girls, Stranger Things, New Girl, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Friends, and Once Upon a Time.

Enneagram - 8w9; Myers-Briggs - INFJ; StrengthsFinder - Input, Empathy, Communication, Developer, Connectedness, Achiever, Learner, Discipline, & Individualization

Some of my favorite resources include :

Music : "Hell Together" by David Archuleta, "You Might Not Like Her" and "If It's Not God" by Maddie Zahm, "Sunday" and "Jordan" by Joy Oladokun, "Woman" by Joy Williams, "Jesus Jesus" by Noah Gunderson, Preacher's Kid by Semler, "Believe Me" by James and the Shame, "I Quit Church" by Matt & Toby, "The Middle" by Audrey Assad, and "Show Yourself" by Idina Menzel

Podcasts: The deconstruction podcast episodes of "Ear Biscuits" - hosted by Rhett and Link of Good Mythical Mornings. (Episodes 226 & 227, 275 & 276)

Books : The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonia Renee Taylor; Daring Greatly by Brene Brown; Secure Love by Julie Mennano; What Doesn't Kill You by Tessa Miller; Untamed by Glennon Doyle; Pure by Linda Kay Klein; Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

• Master of Science in Psychology from Grand Canyon University (2014)

• Bachelors of Science in Counseling and Ministry from Arizona Christian University (2011)

Instagram

• @nicoleclifton_inyourcorner

Facebook

• Facebook: Nicole Clifton - AlwaysNYourCorner

Sherah Pettus

Experience Intern, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I support individuals who are navigating relationships in the middle of deconstructing purity culture or are learning how to find and communicate their boundaries. We go on a process of learning to break cycles of codependency and people-pleasing while creating new patterns to facilitate supporting a big, beautiful life. My approach is client-centered and mostly focused on tuning the client back into themselves to be able to trust who they are and that the decisions they make are good.

• I see individual adults.

• My flat rate for sessions is $100 and I have a sliding scale ranging from $40-100

I have always been passionate about bringing language to patterns I could see. Growing up as a pastor’s kid in widely known evangelical spaces and attending a literal handful of bible schools, I had a vast experience with patterns that had no language until 2019. Attending therapy, starting grad school, and beginning my anti-racism journey opened a world of understanding into systemic oppression and abuse in its many forms. After bringing language to the harm I experienced in evangelical spaces and relationships, I am excited to guide others in finding language for their experiences. I have a unique approach to healing by integrating boundaries, redefining self-care, and exploring the true meaning of self-trust. I believe that the foundation for living a big, beautiful life is healing our relationships with ourselves.

“You can never know everything and part of what you know is always wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway” - Lan Mandragoran, Wheel of Time

My favorite day is cool and crisp, with a bit of rain, so I can curl up in a cozy blanket among my plants and read the latest Sarah J Maas book. I adore fantasy fiction, comfy clothes, and cool weather. I have over 15 plants that are slowly becoming an obsession, and they are climbing the walls of my home. When I have the time, I enjoy cooking and trying new foods.

I am a sucker for a personality test, so here are mine: Myers/Briggs: INTJ Enneagram: 5, DISC: CD

Some of my favorite resources include: 

Books : Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Tawwab; The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Dr. John Gottman, PhD; The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Gregoire; Rootbound: A Mothers Journey, A Daughters Pain by Melanie and Amanda Huggard.

• Central Baptist College – AA in Counseling (2003)

• Christ for the Nations Institute – AA in Practical Theology (2008)

• Internship at Vancouver BC Stream Ministries – Certificate of Completion (2010)

• Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry -  Certificate of Completion (2016)

• Simpson University - BA of Psychology (2019)

• National University - MA in Marriage and Family Therapy Spring (2025)

Kim Johnson

Experience Intern, She/Her/Hers

SPECIALTIES

• I support individuals navigating childhood trauma, religious disorientation and/or faith crisis/deconstruction/deconversion and those going through life transitions. Grief work, meaning-making and existential-anxiety support are a few of my favourite territories. I'm a great fit for creatives, deep-feelers, HSPs and heart-centered folk who yearn to cultivate a grounded life and spirituality uncoupled from their previous adverse religious experiences. I have experience with prophetic culture and purity culture.

• I see individual adults.

• My flat rate for sessions is $100 and I have a sliding scale ranging from $40-100

I didn't grow up in a religious household, but the summer I turned ten, Billy Graham was preaching on my grandmother's television set. Without being born again, he said, we were hell-bound, but with a simple prayer, we would be spared. He called it "The Good News", but it sounded like terrible news to me. I looked around the living room to see if anyone else found his words appalling, but my grandmother and my uncle were both nodding in agreement. On the TV screen, I watched as droves of people got up out of their seats to go forward to receive salvation (years later, I learned that many of those people were hired by the marketing team). In that moment, I made a decision: I must be the one who's wrong. I said the prayer, repeating silently after Billy, and thus began my life as a church-going, "on-fire", "plugged-in" Christian. Sunday School teacher at 16, worship leader at 18, youth pastor at 20, internationally-distributed worship leader and recording artist by my mid-20s. Somehow I'd gone all in without even realizing that the foundation of my belief system was fear and shame. Because of this, I was also numb to the other ways religion was violating me and others. When it all reached a tipping point at age 26 and my faith crisis-ed, my world opened and also crumbled.

My healing path has been about tending to the little me who didn't run screaming from my grandmother's living room that day, but instead, succumbed to self-abandonment. A life-altering depression and the birth of my first daughter became an open door into my own deepest experience. But as the years went by, I found that the harms were still imprinted somewhere inside me. I was diagnosed with c-PTSD and suffered severe chronic fatigue. My marriage collapsed. Deeper healing began when I started practicing yoga (despite the stern warnings of Mark Driscoll!) and began to understand the data my body was giving to me. I learned to soften around constriction, befriend the terrible feelings and trust myself again. Slowly, my trauma began to thaw.

My own journey to reclaim my life inspires me to hold space for others navigating similar tender terrain. Using the tools of somatic embodiment, I help clients reconnect with their inner-knowing, address past wounds, and build inner resilience. I also incorporate other healing practices when called for, such as expressive writing, guided meditation and simple ritual.

I live on an island on the wild west coast of Canada. I'm the mother of two nearly-grown daughters and the owner of two cats and one sweet Bernese Mountain dog. I spend time every day in the forest and near the river or the ocean. I recently discovered the term "ecstatic wanderer" and I consider myself one. In my free time I write and perform music under the name Kim June Johnson and play with cyanotype printing. I teach yoga and mindfulness in my small community and host an online writing gathering called "Cozy Sunday Write-Ins".

Some of my favorite resources include:

Books: "Steering by Starlight" by Martha Beck, "Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience" by Sharon Salzberg, the mentorship and grief-ritual work of Francis Weller (his book "The Wild Edge of Sorrow" is always on-hand), the work of Byron Katie and the creative recovery work of Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way".

• Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT)

• Certified Practitioner of Focalizing

• Complex Trauma Professional - Level 1 & 2 (in-progress)

Jennie Kerns

Virtual Assistant, She/Her/Hers

• I am a trauma-informed virtual assistant and business analyst. I offer behind the scenes, nonjudgmental business support through editing, project management, midheaven in Virgo organizational skills, website management and much more.

• I also have the ability to see ineffective gaps in a business where clients may be taking extra, unneeded steps. My practical efficiency saves client’s time and energy which in turn, grows their businesses!

In addition to my work as a trauma-informed virtual assistant and business analyst, I run the Instagram account Cycle Talk. Cycle Talk began in tandem with my faith deconstruction journey and health coaching school. Not only was I learning that my body was in fact *not evil*, but there was more to a period besides downing Ibuprofen and feeling like I had knives in my uterus for one week. The menstrual cycle is more than a period - it actually consists of four phases! 

My first period happened in public and was a deeply embarrassing experience. I knew nothing and was not prepared one bit. With a hope for less to experience what I did, and the dream of open conversations I would have one day with my own nieces, I deemed myself “Your Cool Aunt” - Cycle Talk was born. 

The aim with Cycle Talk has always been education, decreased shame and the existence of non-taboo, casual period conversations. It's 2023 after all! 

When I’m not working, I'm either reading, watching a Bachelor franchise show, healing through listening to the Tarzan soundtrack, flying through a 1,000 piece puzzle or going on long walks with my pup.

• Trauma-Informed Space Holding Training, CULTIVATE (2021)

• Certified Health Coach, Institute of Integrative Nutrition (2019)

• Bachelors of Science in Biomedicine, Shawnee State University (2014)