Ashlen can be contacted at ashlen.hilliard.wordpress@gmail.com or via Linkedin:linkedin.com/in/ashlen-hilliard/. She has been working with former cult members and their loved ones since 1991. Used properly, news archives can be helpful in alerting a current or former member of a cult-like group to certain facts about the group or its leader. Since exiting, she has been active with the local, national and international cult awareness and recovery networks. Create Dialogue Mechanisms. ICSA is an open membershiporganization. In 1983, she and her husband, Noel, left their associations with est, The Hunger Project and Sterling Institute and began a personal search for information to aid their recovery process. She is a co-author, with Mario Di Fiorino and Steven Kent, of Costretti ad amare. www.dreichel.com. Cult survivor and renowned expert on cults and totalitarianism. 1. There is a common misperception that you (as a cult leader and founder) have to brainwash or "force" members to join. Credentialing Specialist salary data. Here are some of the most common duties: Keep up to date with security updates and improvements. She visited the congregation, talked to leaders and former members and the police. For instance, some Institutes are merely one-person efforts. Step 5: Prepare your resume. But with their snap judgments, gossip and blather, they can not hold a candle to experts who present well-reasoned, insightful analyzes. He is particularly interested in assisting clients in resolving their psychological impediments to receiving authentic love from others, and loving others and God. She has attended four ICSA conferences, as a former member and mental health practitioner. Listings were not solicited, and cannot be bought. Again, joining me today is Steven Hassan, a former member of the so-called Mooney cult who's become an expert on cults and the tactics of authoritarian leaders. Some cult observers market themselves with great titles. AASECT Certified Sex Therapist They think they are following the Lord, but they have become like a mannequin trying to pass for a live body. These are some of the things we have encountered that should set off alarm bells of a . Her areas of expertise are trauma, loss, cult and high demand group and relationship education and recovery, including those born and raised; and motherless daughters, women who have lost their mothers through death, illness, narcissism, separation, or estrangement in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. She is also a former member who is establishing a Boston area practice designed specifically for ex-cult members: The Gentle Souls Revolution, Healing Arts. Bill is a frequent speaker at ICSA conferences, and he and Lorna have been the recipients of the Authentic CAN Hall of Fame Award and the Leo J. Ryan Award. Ashlen Hilliard (she/her) is Director of Events for the International Cultic Studies Association(ICSA) and a volunteer co-organizer of SAFE, the Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education (SAFE) in Portland, Oregon. Search When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type. And of course, quoting experts is not the same as talking and interacting with them. Above: Cult specialist Rick Alan Ross talks about his first encounter with a cult. With the support of a Department of Labor grant, Shelly works with an interdisciplinary team designing and implementing curricula that mitigates psychological trauma reactions for EMTs, paramedics, and their patients. The organizations top management originated within the group, but is no longer affiliated, having been sold by the owners a few years ago. He worked for many years at Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center in Albany, Ohio. An Alienated Culture Grooms Women for Cults. 5, No. Only post-nominal letters indicate that the person has a position, academic degree, accreditation, etc. Shelly teaches trauma-informed psychotherapy at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy, the Training Institute for Mental Health, and the National Institute for the Psychotherapies. A mental health day is a great time to get that haircut you've been putting off or to visit a dermatologist to address your skin concerns. Ashlen is featured in Season 3 of the BET+ Original Series: American Gangster: Trap Queens. If your cult has a prominent leader (you or someone else as opposed to a product or mission) then the leader needs to have skin in the game. This virtual course can be attended within the comfort of your home or work environment She recovered her voice, and life, through writing, songwriting and music. Steer clear of sensationalist true crime-type books. Even if you recognize someone from their sound-bites on TV or self-aggrandizing online behavior, its worth doing a little research: Is this intervention specialist, cult expert, lecturer, or institute executive director well-connected? Cult members often prey on people with few friends or family of their own and offer them the chance to become part of a group that will grant them all the friendship they could ever need. She presently sits on the board of ICSA and heads the Mental Health Committee. The following section . The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults. He offers psychotherapy to former members of cults and is also employed as a consultant by the help organization for former cult members in Sweden, Hjlpkllan, to train their nationwide network of volunteer workers. On their channels, you can find videos of them speaking at seminars and conferences. Directors for reFOCUS, and as an adjunct instructor at Middle Tennessee State University. This is when adulthood was finally reached after many difficult experiences including exploitation by a trusted college professormore opportunity for empowering growth and change. In 2010 ICSA awarded her the Margaret L. Singer Award for advancing the understanding of coercive persuasion and undue influence. He also consults with law enforcement regarding destructive groups, and gives expert witness testimony. Nevertheless, in most places, anyone can call themselves a consultant or offer counseling without necessarily using that term. In1989, Lorna and Bill received the Hall of Fame Award from the authentic Cult Awareness Network and, in 1999; they received the Leo J. Ryan Award from the Leo J. Ryan Foundation. Many cult experts are listed, affiliated with and/or recommended by widely recognized organizations such as theInternational Cultic Studies Association(ICSA). Do you want devoted followers who leave their families for you, give their money to you, gi. Choose the right SEO Training. Over the years she has participated in numerous TV-programs and radio-programs to spread awareness about cultic groups and processes. They also post interviews with or by other professionals or lay experts often including former cult members. If you're the one forming the cult, it's likely that you're the leader, but you need to make sure that your cult is organized for good purposes, not for your own material gain, or purposes of power grabbing. He is also co-editor of ICSAs Cult Recovery: A Clinicians Guide to Working With Former Members and Their Families, which is due to be published in 2017. Helping someone leave a cult - and deal with the aftermath - requires. Additionally, she is on the board of the Open Minds Foundation and works with Freedom of Mind. They have earned that label due to their propensity to describe cults or cult-like groups in a positive light, while summarily dismissing the claims of ex-members and other critics. Many families have become divided over online political conspiracy theories, but the science on "brainwashing" is weak. This can take the form of other, related work experience, or it can take the form of a structured internship or other formal hands-on learning. She presented this paper at the October 2016 Pratt Institute conference: Art of Mentalizing: Communicating the Unknown, with Peter Fonagy as the keynote speaker. Usually, a cult leader is a person of tremendous charisma who makes followers feel loved and accepted. Licensed & Board Certified Psychologist steve@dreichel.com Shelly practices psychotherapy with adults, and she offers individual and group consultation to practicing clinicians. Since 1984, Carol has done exit counseling and writing in the field, as well as serving as director with several organizations boards, organizing and conducting recovery workshops and working with hundreds of people who have walked away from destructive cults. 615-212-8955, Doug Duncan, MS, LPC, was a member of an aberrant religious group for over twenty years. Most cult experts are actively involved in professional associations. One expert who himself lacks formal training has gained a decidedly bad reputation due to his sustained attacks on highly qualified cult experts he disagrees with, including degreed professionals. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com. Naturally, theres a fair bit of disagreement between cult experts. She is a regular presenter at conferences and a published author, including a co-authoring a chapter entitled Pathological Spirituality for a medical text book entitled Spirituality and Psychiatry, published by RCPsych Publications in UK 2009. She is also co-editor of ICSAs Cult Recovery: A Clinicians Guide to Working With Former Members and Their Families, which is due to be published in 2017. Linda has been a member of ICSA for years and continues to educate herself on underlying causes of and treatment for mental health difficulties including those involving undue influence. Dr. Whitsett also has a specialty in Sexuality and was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship in 2016 to study, teach, and do research on this topic in China. ICSA is aninterdisciplinary networkof academicians, professionals, former group members, and familieswho study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control, authoritarianism, and zealotry in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. Linda is an avid reader of all things psychology relatedincluding individual and group exploitation. For many years she has given lectures about influence and manipulation, also at the University of Stockholm. Pardon received, with his wife, Judy, ICSAs Herbert L. Rosedale Award. In 2010, Bill was the recipient of ICSAs Lifetime Achievement Award. Such groups may be manipulative cults, cult-like social movements, abusive churches, or even destructive personal relationships. [See: What is a cult? Here at Cult Training Academy . RETIRN currently has offices in Newark, DE, Lansdowne, PA and Pontypridd, Wales and Buxton, England (U.K.). She began researching cults and thought reform and lectured in local high schools, churches and civic organizations. She also serves as a thought reform consultant helping families with loved ones in cultic or high-control groups or relationships. 409 Nottingham Road Talking with new hires, consultants, and advisors will . Take time for meditation. Cult Rescue and Cult Exiters. Note: Many experts on cults do not refer to themselves as cult experts. Perform acne treatments that exfoliate the skin enough to control acne, but not so much that the client cannot use home care products the next day. Protect the system against damage, changes or illegal access. Are they licensed counselors? "Deprogramming--that is, providing members with information about the cult and showing them how their own decision-making power had been taken away from them." -- Margaret Singer, Ph.D. psychologist author of "Cults in Our Midst". The word "cult" is burrowing through the Las Vegas faith community on the eve of a visit from an international specialist in controversial religious groups. Likewise, the term sect often used in Europe instead of the word cult is controversial for the same reasons. Some cult experts who market themselves as such are, in fact, shunned by many respected professionals and organizations in the field. 302.598.1330 (Cell) It is the oldest group of its kind in the world. Most handle their differences professionally. Most videos simply show the person in question speaking to an imaginary audience that is not on camera. If someone you know is involved in a cult, its worth doing some research yourself. For example, a one-on-one cult can develop between a pastor and a church member, a boss and an employee, a teacher and a student, etc. Since 1992, she has been Associate Director of the New England Institute of Religious Research (NEIRR) and MeadowHaven, where she has worked with former cult members, including some who have experienced profound trauma. Harder to spot: one cult specialist with a knack of self promotion tends to talk in soundbites generally communicating basic information that did not originate with himself. Hkan Jrv,Former Scientologist and now a licensed psychologist in Sweden. Psychotherapy and Cult Recovery, http://www.sosabusipsicologici.it/?lang=en, Navigating Worldviews & Meaning Making Before, During, & After Meditation-Related Challenges, Social isolation linked to changes in brain structure and lower cognition ability, The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is conducting its 2022 Annual International Conference jointly with Info-Secte/Info-Cult of Montreal Speakers, ICSA Annual Conference Workshops: Working with Born and Raised-in Former Cult Members (for mental health professionals), ICSA Annual Conference: Cultic behaviour in the Church of England. Select books that have stood the test of time, as well as reviews by peers in the field. 2Among cult experts you can encounter: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors, Loose Cannons, Rogues, Charlatans, et cetera. Reclaiming lives from coercive control and psychological abuse in destructive cults and relationships. He spent 14 years in two different eastern meditation groups (TM, International Society of Divine Love). Additional specialties include dialectical behavioral therapy skills groups; early childhood mental health and treatment; child centered, nondirective play therapy; and (most recently) EMDR. She published an article about that interview in ICSA Today. And while not all may necessarily agree with each other on various issues, they are known to treat each other with professional courtesy. Keep a polite distance so you are not made into an "enemy" of their group, which can be potentially dangerous in tight knit communities or remote towns. Here are the steps for how to become a network specialist: 1. 302.368.9136 (Office) Most of these resources address cults primarily, though often not exclusively, from a theological point of view. She has worked in child protection, community mental health, and as a school social worker. This couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, you will find designations such as exit counselor, thought reform consultant (or counselor), mental health counselor, intervention specialist, etc. She worked as a Senior System Consultant, Software Designer, and VP of Marketing. Lorna has co-written with Bill Goldberg, a chapter on psychotherapy with targeted parents in the book, Working with Alienated Children and Families (2012), edited by Amy J.L. Many deal with so-called Bible-based cults (properly referred to ascults of Christianity). 3. Most employers seek network specialists with bachelor's degrees in information technology, computer science, computer engineering or a related field. ICSA Annual Conference: Visioning the Invisible: The Traumatized Bodies of Racialized Cult Members and Survivors. As a result, a life of a year and a half in the format of "basic work + IT training". Also used by pastors and counselors, as well as writers, journalists, and reporters. He is a licensed and Board-certified counseling psychologist whose involvement in cultic studies began with a participant-observation study of Unification Church training in their Eastern seminary (in Barrytown, NY) in the spring of 1975. These are the 10 steps to follow to become an expert on SEO. In 2014, Rev. She currently runs a psychodynamic group on creativity and trauma for those also in psychodynamic individual psychotherapy, where cult trauma is mainstreamed with other forms of trauma. aLicensed Mental Health Counselor, and/or someone certified by theNational Board for Certified Counselors), and for non-licensed and non-certified people who charge feesin exchange for their services. She attended and assisted in organizing conferences and served as president of the local CAN affiliate, Free Minds. This is reasonable: a . Email: cyndersm@verizon.net Phone: (469) 316-7290, Cristina Caparesi has a masters degree in Science of Education and in Psychology with post masters in Family Mediation and Psychodiagnostic/Psychological Evaluation. International Journal of Cultic Studies, Vol. As is the case inany other profession, thisfield of work has its share of charlatans, angry loners, self-proclaimed experts, and the like. Note that outtakes from the media are difficult. He established ICSAs online resource (1995-2013), and has presented 50 programs about hypnosis, inner-experience, trance-induction techniques, communicating with cult members, conversion, cult intervention, exit counseling, intervention assessment, mediation, religious conflict resolution, thought reform consultation, eastern groups, transcendental meditation and workshops for educators, families, former members and mental health professionals at ICSA workshops/conferences. Since retiring to Fremont, Nebraska in 2004, she opened a counseling practice and is working with people who have exited cults. Ashlen recently completed her MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control and conducted research on the relationship between reproductive coercion, psychologically abusive environments, and the extent of group identity in a sample of those who have left cultic groups. She spoke publicly about her own experiences and undue influences to classrooms, media, conferences, legislators and callers seeking help. If you want to contact the publishers of this website, you can do so via ApologeticsIndex.org. There are now groups and leaders online who recruit and exploit people through the web without ever meeting them face-to-face. The cult leader can then use these statements to shame individual members publicly. Perform acne extractions thoroughly and skillfully. Stein provides a five-point definition of a cult: One: The leader is charismatic and authoritarian. And as mentioned, understand the difference between theological and sociological definitions of the term cult)Questions to research: Observe the general behavior and attitude of the organization, ministry or individual you have under consideration. Cultic relationships are not limited to marriages or domestic partnerships, but can also occur in situations where one person is in a position of power and the other is not. When you are looking for help for yourself or for someone else you come across various terms and designations. Heather is herself a former member of a small personality cult in the 1980s. Hassan, Ryan, and Shaw are part of the small field of cult experts who focus on the experiences of people who join intense ideological movements. And number two: "Maintain your relationship with that person no matter what." There you can see, among other things, whether or not someone is well connected with other experts in the field. It absolutely does not work," said Steve Eichel, a clinical psychologist in Delaware and specialist in cult recovery. Will they counsel someone even if that person is not willing to accept their religious belief system? He was a psychologist and exit counselor at AIS (Barcelona) for two years. Pardon received, with her husband Robert, ICSAs Herbert L. Rosedale Award. In 2010 ICSA awarded her the Margaret L. Singer Award for advancing the understanding of coercive persuasion and undue influence. www.ecb-nashville.org. www.dallascult.com; (214) 607-1065. ljdmarshall@aol.com, Rod Dubrow-Marshall, PhD, MBPsS, is a Professor of Psychology and is Visiting Fellow at the Criminal Justice Hub, in the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work and Social Sciences at the University of Salford, UK. This course is designed for counselors, social workers, and therapists who work with victims, perpetrators, Probation and Parole professionals who desire to become more proficient surrounding Intimate Partner Violence. He has co-authored several articles and book reviews on cult-related topics for the CSJ/CSR. 5. KG: You really stress throughout your whole book this idea of how special you feel once you learn a cult's language. 2, 15-24. Rachel has also done many YouTube videos and has been interviewed on other peoples YouTube channels regarding cults, undue influence, and narcissistic abuse. In 1999, he received the John G. Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Cultic Studies from the International Cultic Studies Association, and he has been involved in research with former cult members since 1993. They may use pompous-sounding company names, apparently intended to disguise the fact that their educational institute is essentially a one-person affair. Colleen Russell, LMFT, CGP, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) since 1992, and Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP) since 2008. In 2014 Ms. Some work only with referrals from other experts in the field. She is also the Programme Leader of the MSc Applied Psychology (Therapies) Program at the University of Salford. Brainwashing:: Cult leaders are known to repeat various lies and distortions until members find it difficult to distinguish between reality and cult life. See also our own list ofrecommended experts. If there is no consistency, the transition period may stretch for 3-4 years. Keep your thoughts and feelings to only those you trust. She is a Fellow and founding member (1972) of the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work. Belonging. She maintains a general private practice in Marin County, SF Bay Area, working with individuals, couples, families, groups and workshops, in her office or online. Monitor the security administrations. Her practice in part includes intensive clinical work with former members, second generation adults (SGAs), and families of adult children in cults. Founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, this cult is one of the main Illuminati groups. Note that some self-proclaimed cult experts have a bias for or against one or more religions.3. From ages 15-18, Dylesia was a member of a cult of Christianity in Virginia. www.dallascult.com; (214) 607-1065, Wendy Duncan, MA, LBSW, has a Masters Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a licensed social worker in the state of Texas. She is a former member of Kashi Ranch. Maggie was born into a religious cult called the Christ Brotherhood. Some cult experts are licensed mental health counselors, while others have no formal training in counseling.Helping someone leave a cult and deal with the aftermath requires a lot of counseling. She is a Somatic Experiencing practitioner and a Certified EMDR Consultant. Great tips on how to start you're own Cult! 866-538-9048 (fax) She works with all adults 18 years and older and specializes in older adults. Former Scientologist and now a licensed psychologist in Sweden. Credentialing Specialist salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. She became interested because of a family members involvement and a subsequent successful intervention. Cathrine Moestue, Cand.Psychol., grew up in Oslo, Norway in an upper-middle-class family with four siblings. She has developed an approach to counselling former members Post-Cult Counselling which is either delivered in weekly sessions, intensively over a few days (Time Away for Post Cult Counselling) and in Psychoeducational Recovery Workshops for up to 9 individuals. I am fully insured and in regular supervision with a qualified, experienced supervisor. If you have any questions or need to discuss your situation, please give me a call. Steve K. D. 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