Psychotherapy with Former Cult Members

At the request of other TMFree moderators, this is a duplicate post from Gina's personal blog

Dr. Patrick O'Reilly provides an introductory Continuing Education essay for the psychology profession - linked with this respected online Continuing Education (CE) provider : Psychotherapy with Former Cult Members.

Former cult members are often ineffectively treated by well-intentioned therapists. Unless a therapist has specifically sought training for cult recovery, she or he may have minimal background about former cult members' myriad of concerns - such as shame, social isolation, social and professional handicaps, financial losses, separation from family, depression, vulnerability, self-distrust and possible Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, to name a few.

Further complicating therapy - many former cultists do not even realize they were in a cult. A therapist must identify if a client's self-described depression or vulnerabilities result from a cult history. After identifying cult history, the therapist can better help a client or refer to an appropriate specialist.

Please send Dr. O'Reilly's CE essay to therapists and psychologists. The concerns are more common than many realize. In-depth resources are available elsewhere, including some links in this blog's margin.

Psychotherapy with Former Cult Members by Patrick O'Reilly