Recovering from Religious Trauma – Support after leaving coercive religion

Tues 4 July 2023

Recovering from Religious Trauma – Support after leaving coercive religion

This month we have two speakers come to us through ‘Faith to Faithless’, the service of Humanists UK that supports those who leave controlling religions.

At this event you will hear some first-hand experiences of leaving a controlling religion and have the opportunity to discuss how humanists can support those who take this difficult path.

Yvonne Quaintrell is an experienced counsellor who specialises in supporting those who leave religion behind. She herself left an Evangelical church some years ago and trains therapists on the needs of so-called ‘apostates’. She is a volunteer for ‘Faith to Faithless’ where she offers therapy services to apostates and is on the Faith to Faithless leadership team. Yvonne will talk to us about her own experiences leaving religion and how she helps others, and she will also speak about how ‘Faith to Faithless’ supports apostates.

Richard Turner is a cult recovery counsellor who has spoken publicly and on the BBC about the harms people experience after joining cults. He has a master’s degree in the psychology of coercive control and will be able to speak about his own experiences with leaving a religious cult and how best to support former cult members.

7.30pm in the Denham Room of the Priory Street Centre, 15 Priory Street, York.