Emily Maynard
MA, LMFT

Emily Maynard, MA, LMFT provides psychotherapy support to people who have experienced faith transition and religious harm. Emily's personal experience growing up in a fundamentalist Christian community informed her desire to study religious trauma and recovery. She brings humor and warmth to conversations around family relationships, recovery from spiritual abuse, and building a meaningful life after religious trauma. Emily is trained in Narrative Therapy, certified in EMDR Therapy (EMDRIA), and provides education and peer consultation to clinicians. She is a frequent podcast guest, public speaker, and runs a private practice in southern California.

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When Religion Hurts: Treating Religious Trauma & High Control Group Harm

Friday | May 2, 2025
8:30 am - 10:30 am
(2 CEs)

Session Description:

While religious and faith practices can be a supportive factor in positive mental health outcomes, what happens when religious communities, practices, or beliefs cause harm? Learn more about ways religious harm can present in client's lives, how to assess for religious trauma in your clinical setting, and develop meaningful treatment goals for clients who report religious harm or trauma symptoms.

This presentation will cover survivor-community-developed definitions and an overview of current research around religious harm and recovery, particularly for people with marginalized identities (LGBTQIA + disabled). We'll discuss commonalities among high control group experiences and how to recognize the impacts that they may leave on clients. You'll learn about potential religious trauma impacts on individual, family, and couple treatment, and appropriate treatment methods across valid theories to help support a client's recovery.

This presentation also review relevant California non-discrimination laws and CAMFT ethic codes about non-discrimination in therapy practice. You'll leave with more confidence for ethical practice when clients and clinicians have different religious beliefs or identities.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendees will be able to describe 3 risk factors related to religious trauma or religious harm causing mental health distress.
• Attendees will be able to describe 3 possible presentations of religious harm or religious trauma in clients in mental health therapy.
• Attendees will be able to describe 3 three treatment goals appropriate for clients presenting with religious harm or trauma in mental health therapy.
• Attendees will be able to appropriately apply State of California non-discrimination laws and CAMFT ethical codes in addressing religion as a multi-cultural factor in clinical mental health settings.