By Jacqui Cousins
Introducing the What The Church? podcast, I’m the host Jacqui Cousins. I’m a Public Health Practitioner specialising in institutional harm.
This podcast is focused on improving health and
... more
The podcast currently has 7 episodes available.
Show notes
Acknowledgement of Country
I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Bunurong people, who are the traditional owners of the land of which I sit and record this podcast. I pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging who are helping their community recover from religious trauma due to the forced removal of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children, often facilitated by religious leaders of the day. I want to acknowledge the harm that was caused and show that I'm standing in support of those who are committed to reconciliation with our First Nations people. I also want to thank my Aboriginal clients for sharing your stories with me. Each of you has reminded me how freedom is fundamental for people to thrive in this life. Your stories have helped shape my practice.
In this episode:
In this episode I interview Fiona Newton who shares her lived experience of leaving fundamentalist religion. Fiona reflects on the experiences that led her to question her Christian faith and shares what helped her recover from religious trauma. Fiona and I also discuss coercive control, the parallels with partner / family violence and the importance of religious trauma awareness.
If you would like to contact Fiona, please email her at [email protected]
Resources discussed in today's episode:
Need support?
If you want to connect with me for religious trauma counselling, contact me here.
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist in your local area, see The Religious Trauma Collective website.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred Doueal from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode Anji Barker and I discuss the themes of faith deconstruction, coercive control in churches and leading with compassion. Anji believes in starting with what we have in common with people and helping others find their purpose and passion. Please note, I interviewed Anji back in Feb this year so Anji has done a lot since then including finishing up in her role at Newbigin Community Trust. If you would like to contact Anji please email her at [email protected].
Resources discussed in today's episode:
"The opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is control. You must leave the Garden, where there are angels with flaming swords to keep you from ever really returning. You must leave the womb to be born.”
Need support?
If you want to connect with me (Jacqui) for religious trauma counselling, contact me here.
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist in your local area (Australia), you can find a practitioner here.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Until next time, let's love and learn.
Jacqui
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Acknowledgement of Country
I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Bunurong people, who are the traditional owners of the land of which I sit and record this podcast. I pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging who are helping their community recover from religious trauma due to the forced removal of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children, often facilitated by religious leaders of the day. I want to acknowledge the harm that was caused and show that I'm standing in support of those who are committed to reconciliation with our First Nations people. I also want to thank my Aboriginal clients for sharing your stories with me. Each of you has reminded me how freedom is fundamental for people to thrive in this life. Your stories have helped shape my practice.
In this episode:
In part 2 of my conversation with Jane Kennedy, we discuss religious trauma through the lens of family violence, the impact of existential fear and Jane shares resources that are available for people recovering from religious trauma*. We also discuss the importance of improving cultural competency of religion so health professionals can better support their clients. Identifying religious trauma symptoms while still valuing healthy spirituality is essential to person-centred healthcare.
*The Religious Trauma Collective has just been launched! Check out their website for resources and support.
Resources discussed in today's episode:
Need support?
If you want to connect with me (Jacqui) for religious trauma counselling, contact me here.
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist in your local area (Australia), you can find a practitioner here.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Until next time, let's love and learn.
Jacqui
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Acknowledgement of Country
I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Bunurong people, who are the traditional owners of the land of which I sit and record this podcast. I pay my respects to elders past, present, and emerging who are helping their community recover from religious trauma due to the forced removal of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children, often facilitated by religious leaders of the day. I want to acknowledge the harm that was caused and show that I'm standing in support of those who are committed to reconciliation with our First Nations people. I also want to thank my Aboriginal clients for sharing your stories with me. Each of you has reminded me how freedom is fundamental for people to thrive in this life. Your stories have helped shape my practice.
In this episode:
In part 1 of my conversation with Jane Kennedy, we discuss the topic of religious trauma within the context of the aid sector. We discuss the themes of saviourism and how agenda-driven healthcare and ministry causes harm to the people being "helped". Jane reflects on her lived experience and, like Janyne McConnaughey, she reflects on the importance of people doing their own work to unravel themselves from toxic religion. We also discuss the importance of improving religious trauma literacy in healthcare so therapists can identify religious trauma.
Resources discussed in today's episode:
Need support?
If you want to connect with me for religious trauma counselling, contact me here.
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist in your local area, information is available here.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Until next time, let's love and learn,
Jacqui
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In part two of my interview with author and trauma-informed advocate Janyne McConnaughey, Ph.D. we discuss the importance of ministry leaders doing their own recovery work, moving to a capacity-based view of spirituality and helpful ways to support someone recovering from religious trauma (co-regulation). If you would like more information on Janyne McConnaughey's work, see her website for details.
Resources discussed in today's episode:
Need support?
If you want to connect with me for religious trauma counselling, contact me here.
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist in your local area, contact me here.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this two-part episode, author and trauma-informed advocate Janyne McConnaughey, Ph.D. shares her lived experience and recovery from of religious trauma. Janyne shares her insights into the impact of childhood sexual abuse on religious trauma, and together we discuss what churches can do to reduce risk of religious harm.
If you would like more on Janyne McConnaughey's work, see her website for details.
Resources discussed in today's episode:
Need support?
If you want to connect with me for religious trauma counselling, contact me here.
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist in your local area, contact me here.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Introducing the What The Church? podcast, I’m the host Jacqui Cousins. I’m a Public Health Practitioner specialising in institutional harm.
In this first episode I give an overview of religious trauma and what to expect from the podcast. This podcast is focused on improving health and spiritual care for people who have experienced religious harm. I interview people with a lived experience, and health and spiritual care providers who are committed to religious trauma recovery. What The Church? believes breaking free from coercive religious practices is essential to improving the health and wellbeing of church communities.
Need support?
If you are looking for a religious trauma therapist, please contact me here and I will connect you to a therapist in your local area.
For urgent care support in Australia, you can contact:
Information from episode:
For more information about church attendance in Australia, see McCrindle's website.
See ResearchGate to read article on Creating Cultures of Trauma-Informed Care (CCTIC): A Self-Assessment and Planning Protocol. (2009) Roger D. Fallot, Ph.D. and Maxine Harris, Ph.D.
Blue Knot Foundation is one of Australia's lead agencies specialising in complex trauma recovery. See their website for more information on the 5 principles of trauma-informed care.
A BIG thank you!
Thank you to Leng Te for permission to use music from your song Safety House. It is from her album Garden of Delights which is available here.
Thank you to Jarred from Four4ty Recording Studio for editing the podcast.
Thanks to Jo Adams Creative for What The Church's artwork.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The podcast currently has 7 episodes available.