When religion hurts: Supervising cases of religious abuse

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.