Religious Trauma & The LGBTQIA+ Community

Religious Trauma and the LGBTQIA+ Community is a two-hour, self-paced training for practitioners who want to support queer clients from religious backgrounds with more confidence. Most LGBTQIA+ clients who grew up in religion won’t call what they’re carrying religious trauma. They come in with anxiety, shame, relationship struggles or confusion about who they are. Underneath, there’s often years of being told who they are is wrong, and sometimes active attempts to change them. This training helps you see what’s going on, understand it, and work with it safely.

It looks at how religious harm shows up in a queer client’s body, story, relationships, spirituality and sense of self, as well as in the therapy room itself. You don’t need to be LGBTQIA+ or have a religious background to take it.

Who it’s for
Therapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, coaches, pastoral carers and other helping professionals, especially if you:

• want to be more confident and affirming with LGBTQIA+ clients

• feel unsure about talking about faith, spirituality or religious harm in sessions

• notice shame, fear or identity conflict in clients and suspect religion is part of it

• want practical tools you can use straight away

What’s covered

• Key LGBTQIA+ and religious trauma terms, and how to use them accurately

• Conversion ideology and conversion practices, including the informal and subtle kinds

• What it’s like to grow up LGBTQIA+ in a religious setting

• Common sources of religious trauma for queer people

• The mental health, relationship and spiritual impacts

• How religious trauma shows up underneath what a client first brings to therapy

• How stigma and discrimination outside religion add to the harm

• A trauma-informed approach built on safety, choice and autonomy

• Practical ways to be more inclusive and to advocate for your clients

What you’ll walk away with
You’ll be able to recognise religious trauma in LGBTQIA+ clients even when they don’t name it, spot conversion ideology in its quieter forms, and build an accurate picture of how it’s affecting them. You’ll also leave with a clear, safety-focused way of working and practical steps you can use straight away.

What’s included

• Two hours of self-paced training

• A quiz and certificate of completion, which you may be able to use towards your CPD hours (check with your professional body)

• Understanding the Breadth of the LGBTQIA+ Community, a PDF covering identities, language and common misconceptions

• Integrating Spirituality and Identity, a reflective workbook you can use with clients in or between sessions

• A Shattered Sanctuary: From Fellowship to Freedom, my ebook about leaving a high-control faith community

Price: $139

Reviews

“The course was exceptionally clear, concise, and easy to follow. Its thoughtfully structured content presented each concept in a straightforward and accessible way, which is particularly helpful for therapists new to this area, like myself. With its well-rounded and trauma-informed approach, the course provides fundamental perceptions and practical tools to enhance therapeutic practices. I highly recommend this training.” - Art Therapist

"As a therapist new to this area, I found this course incredibly insightful. It offered a clear overview of the challenges LGBTQIA+ individuals face in religious settings and practical guidance on creating safer, more affirming spaces. The focus on religious trauma, was eye-opening. Highly recommend for any practitioner wanting to broaden their understanding in this critical area." - Counsellor

“The Religious Trauma & The LGBTQIA+ Community course is an essential resource for practitioners committed to affirming trauma-informed care. As a cis-gendered woman without lived experience, I found it particularly valuable in bridging knowledge gaps and enhancing confidence in supporting LGBTQIA+ clients in my therapy practice.” - Counsellor/Coach