The BLOG · writing on therapy & GROWTHReflections on therapy, relationships, and the slow work of recovery from abuse and harm.
Articles exploring schema therapy, mental health, trauma recovery, and emotional wellbeing — For people doing the slow work of understanding themselves, their relationships, and the harm they've lived through.
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Understanding Adult Clergy Exploitation: Understanding the Patterns of Betrayal and Abuse
Adult clergy sexual exploitation is not an ‘affair’ but a betrayal of trust, power, and spiritual authority. This article explains the stages of grooming in clergy sexual abuse, highlighting patterns of coercive control, manipulation, and boundary violations. Learn how grooming erodes autonomy, the profound psychological and spiritual impact on survivors, and why survivor-centred, trauma-informed responses are essential for healing, justice, and safer faith communities.
Understanding Burnout & Recovery
Burnout is more than stress—it’s emotional exhaustion, disconnection, and loss of purpose. Karen’s story reveals how chronic workplace demands and leadership pressures can spiral into burnout. Learn the signs, impacts, and recovery strategies, including therapy and Christian psychology support. Refuge Psychology, led by registered psychologist Kylie Walls, offers compassionate, faith-sensitive care for leaders and individuals facing burnout and mental health challenges.
Why People Join, Stay in & become complicit in Spiritually Abusive Environments
Spiritual abuse in high-control religious environments often draws people in through love-bombing, trauma patterns, or authority dynamics. This article explores why people join, stay, or become complicit in spiritually abusive churches, using insights from psychology, coercive control, and betrayal trauma. Learn how power, obedience, and gaslighting keep people trapped—and how Christian psychology support can help survivors find healing, autonomy, and freedom.
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