Through the summer I’m reposting throwback episodes, and today, I wanted to reshare a panel discussion I was a part of nearly two years ago about how the Church can be more trauma informed.
Back in 2024 I was invited to be a speaker for a Courageous Conversation event hosted by Awake, A Catholic non-profit whose mission “is to awaken our community to the full reality of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, work for transformation, and foster healing for all who have been wounded.”
Courageous Conversations is thier online speaker series designed to “build community, deepen understanding, encourage conversation, and inspire personal action in response to the complex issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.”
The topic of this conversation was titled “Cultivating a Gospel Response to Trauma” and was about how to foster trauma-informed church communities and spaces “that are sensitive to the needs of survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic leaders.”
I was humbled and honored to be asked to participate in this event. Especially alongside the late Pete Singer, from the organization GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), and the author of the excellent article: Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Abuse.
Making the Church more trauma-informed is not only important in our pastoral care and evangelization efforts, but I believe having a preferential option for survivors of trauma is an essential aspect of our identity as Christians.
I’m excited to share it with you again!
Also, I just opened up registration for my next round of spiritual abuse workshops. This is an online workshop focused on recognizing, preventing, and responding to spiritual abuse in the Catholic Church.
This workshop is for:
Individuals trying to better understand their experiences of spiritual abuse in the Church
Clergy and lay leaders interested in safeguarding their communities from spiritual abuse and abuse of conscience
Therapists or spiritual directors working with clients who have been spiritually abused
This workshop will help you:
Recognize and prevent spiritual abuse and abuse of conscience in the Church
Know the symptoms of spiritual abuse, religious trauma, and moral injury
Better understand and respond to abusive systems in the Church
This is a live online workshop that meets in a small group over the course of five weeks, beginning in September.
Click here for more information: https://www.catholicthirdspace.com/p/spiritual-abuse-workshop-34d
LINKS:
Give to Awake
https://www.awakecommunity.org/donate
Courageous Conversations Video
https://www.awakecommunity.org/blog/courageous-conversation-makes-the-case-for-working-toward-a-trauma-sensitive-church
Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Abuse
https://currentsjournal.org/index.php/currents/article/view/444
Spiritual Abuse Workshop
https://www.catholicthirdspace.com/p/spiritual-abuse-workshop-34d
ABOUT THIRD SPACE: Third Space is the podcast for those who see the beauty of Catholicism, as well as the ugliness, who have experienced real harm AND real grace in the Church. Every episode I will have conversations with guests about the good and the bad in the Church—avoiding easy answers or black & white fundamentalism—in order to hold on to all that is true.
SUPPORT THIS SHOW: Please consider becoming a paid subscriber. All of your support directly helps my family and allows me to continue working on projects like this podcast, the newsletter, as well as resources about spiritual abuse in the Catholic Church.
www.catholicthirdspace.com
LIVING SOLIDARITY: Living Solidarity upholds the infinite dignity of every person by addressing the reality of spiritual abuse and abuse of conscience in the Catholic Church. Living Solidarity helps to build a Church of integrity and solidarity by accompanying survivors of spiritual abuse with trauma-informed life coaching; equipping Church leaders and institutions to confront systemic harm; and creating resources grounded in psychological research and the Church’s Social Teaching. Visit livingsolidarity.com to learn more, to connect with Paul, to schedule individual life coaching, or to invite Paul to speak or consult with your community, parish, seminary, or diocese.
ABOUT THE HOST: Paul Fahey is currently a professional counselor, retreat leader, and the host of the Third Space podcast. He provides counseling for those who have been spiritually abused and creates resources for Church leaders to better safeguard their communities against all forms of abuse. He previously worked for eight years as the Director of Religious Education at a Catholic parish. Paul Fahey lives in Michigan with his wife, Kristina, and their five kids.
