“Treating Clergy Sexual Abuse: A Catholic Guide to Understanding and Treating Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors” is an article written by Catholic psychotherapists Shasha Kleinsorge, PhD, Karen Klein Villa, PhD, and Therese Cirner, LPC (September 4, 2019, updated resources April 19, 2021). Here you will find an author’s presentation (video)...
Empathy we all feel for others’ suffering can become an overwhelming trigger, especially during 2020 and 2021 with worldwide anxiety and distress over the pandemic and related lock downs is amplified in recent wildfire, heat-wave, and building-collapse crises. We have all had to track news to keep up with...
Beyond my favorite go-to site for mental wellness and self-care ideas (see above), you may find reviewing different types of trauma and disaster-stress and suggestions for coping and for resources helpful. Who has studied post-traumatic stress in first responders, troops, and secondary sufferers more than … the military and...
Everyone experiences emotional numbness from time to time in life. It can be a very healthy defense against being overwhelmed in the middle of a shock or trauma, such as the death of a loved one. The problem is that sometimes we stay numb. The defense comes a habit...
The causes of suicide are complex and determined by multiple combinations of factors, such as mental illness, substance abuse, painful losses, exposure to violence, and social isolation. Warning signs that may mean someone is at risk include: Talking about wanting to die or kill oneself Looking for a...
Recovery-oriented care and recovery support systems help people with mental and substance use disorders manage their conditions successfully. Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. There are four major dimensions that support...
Here’s an important, highly confidential resource. The Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator is a confidential and anonymous source of information for persons and their family members who are seeking treatment facilities in the United States or U.S. Territories for a recent onset of serious mental illnesses such as...
Tips for responding to people in grief can be learned from people grieving loss of many types, including this facilitator for Christian Survivors of Suicide.
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues. There are online options (as of this writing, during lockdown), and you can also study to be a certified teacher. This course is offered to professionals and to all sorts of...
We know the power of media. Take a look at the long-range impact of the Spotlight series published by The Boston Globe in 2002. We live the power of media, too. Our lives are particularly affected by the way media can amplify our experience of disaster – and trauma...
As we progress in healing, one thing is learning more and understanding a broader context. We grow in wisdom even if it requires an unflinching awareness of the way abusers protect each other – consciously and in some strange highly compartmentalized subconscious way. Recall that the Pulitzer Award-Winning Spotlight...
This National Center for PTSD web page describes the reactions to disaster that survivors may experience and discusses the potentially severe stress symptoms that may lead to lasting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, or depression. Information on how survivors can reduce their risk of psychological difficulties and recover...
Safeguarding reforms in the Church and (we hope) elsewhere aim to create an environment hostile to abusers and very difficult to gain access to potential victims. Even the best protective systems fail, and sadly few settings provide stringent safety measures at all. So, reform needs to include awareness on...
