Intersectional Religious Trauma
Online | 8 CEUs
Starting Thursday February 19th 2026
Belief systems shape how people understand who we are, why we exist, and how we belong.
When those systems are nurturing, they can anchor resilience. When wielded to control, they can create deep fractures in personal and interpersonal trust.
In this course, participants will investigate how power operates through meaning systems, exploring how intersecting identities affect one’s relationship to belief, authority, and belonging.
Course Objectives
This course equips clinicians with the knowledge and skills to recognize, assess, and support clients experiencing religious or spiritual trauma through a nuanced and intersectional lens.
Participants will explore how high-control religions and ideologies can shape identity development, attachment styles and relationships, and psychological wellbeing.
Through clinical frameworks, case examples, and discussion, clinicians will learn how to differentiate religious trauma from other trauma presentations, integrate trauma-informed and culturally sensitive approaches, and navigate faith crises and transitions with respect and nuance.
Gain the knowledge and skills to recognize, assess, and support clients experiencing religious or spiritual trauma through a nuanced and intersectional lens.
Meet Your Teacher
Dr. Tanya Johnson, PhD, LMHC-QS (FL), LMHC (WA), NCC, BC-TMH (she/her/ella)
Dr. Tanya is the co-founder and CEO of Colorful Minds Psychotherapy Collective, a neurodivergent, queer, Cuban-American counselor educator, clinical supervisor, and licensed mental health counselor in Florida and Washington. She provides virtual supervision, consultation, and psychotherapy through her practice, Evolve Counseling Center, and teaches as adjunct faculty at Antioch University Seattle.
With extensive experience in religious and spiritual trauma, Dr. Tanya helps adults recovering from high-control faith communities, coercive belief systems, and the loss or reconstruction of faith. Her work integrates trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming practice, and meaning-making frameworks to help clients rebuild trust in themselves and their worldview.
A national presenter and curriculum developer in distance counseling and supervision, Dr. Tanya has trained and mentored hundreds of emerging clinicians. Through Colorful Minds, she advocates for sustainable, accessible private practice models that empower both clinicians and clients to thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This course is intended for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals, counselors, and clinical trainees seeking to deepen their understanding of religion’s psychological impacts and improve competency in working with survivors of religious or spiritual trauma.
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This course costs $ for x sessions that explore xyz concepts/skills. Licensed clinicians can receive 8 CEUs, approved by NASW-WA and NBCC.
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This course has four sessions that are two hours each, every other week.
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This course will run every other Thursday, starting February 19th until April 2nd. The time of day is TBD and will depend on participant input.
Develop nuanced definitions of religion and spirituality, understand the psychological mechanisms that make belief systems powerful, and identify how coercive structures exploit them.
Learn to help clients disentangle intuition from indoctrination, rebuild trust in their inner authority, and form healthy spiritual or secular identities grounded in autonomy, curiosity, and connection.