Hi, I’m Megan, and I was raised in a religious cult.
If you’ve been looking for a therapist who “gets it” when it comes to culty religious experiences, then you’ve come come to the right place!
Hi, I’m Megan, and I was raised in a religious cult.
If you’ve been looking for a therapist who “gets it” when it comes to culty religious experiences, then you’ve come come to the right place!
It took me a long time to recognize the churches I grew up in were actually religious cults.
I was raised in fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity.
And while many of the churches I attended looked fairly benign on the surface, they all fell into the category of a “high control religion.“
Behavior, thoughts, emotions and even access to certain types of media were rigidly policed to ensure members stayed aligned with the “Truth” as defined by their doctrines.
I eventually came to realize that my family system was just as destructive as the churches we attended…
I was also homeschooled K-12 with a faith-based curriculum and our entire family was heavily steeped in the work of James Dobson and Focus on the Family {if ya know, ya know…}.
We were taught to fear “the world” and to steer clear of unbelievers and worldly influences that might lead us astray.
However, the rigid application of “Biblical principles” didn’t create more nurture and connection between family members. Rather, it bred profound dysfunction.
A bit about my deconversion…
I “asked Jesus into my heart” when I was 5 years old as a Sparky in AWANA, and I always took my faith very seriously.
As a teenager, I would spend hours reading religious “self-help” books and devotionals and would write lengthy prayers to “Heavenly Father” in my prayer journals.
I had a purity ring and committed to abstinence until marriage.
And when it was time to pick a career and head off for higher education, I was committed to my “calling from god” to be a light in a dark world.
So I enrolled in a Christian college and became a social worker.
It was all going great until I met other “believers” with different beliefs.
It makes sense to me now why my youth leaders were concerned about my choice of college…
You see, even though it was a Christian college, it was progressive. And for the first time in my life I encountered other viewpoints on the Bible.
Because I was so heavily indoctrinated to believe there is only one “right way,” encountering other “believers” who held different beliefs, created the initial cracks in the foundation of my entire belief structure.
Although I continued to hold on for a while, I was fully “out” by the time I hit my 30’s.
After I graduated, I continued to attend church and hold fast to many of the values of my religious upbringing.
However, it became increasingly difficult to reconcile my progressive values as a social worker with the oppression I saw interwoven into the religious institutions all around me.
The cognitive dissonance became too much to bear.
So I stopped attending church, and once I stopped, it was like a fog began to lift, and I suddenly developed clarity for the first time in my life.
I saw the layers of coercion and control for what they were, and that’s when I really “deconverted” from my former faith.
It took me a long time to recognize the churches I grew up in were actually religious cults.
I was raised in fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity.
And while many of the churches I attended looked fairly benign on the surface, they all fell into the category of a “high control religion.“
Behavior, thoughts, emotions and even access to certain types of media were rigidly policed to ensure members stayed aligned with the “Truth” as defined by their doctrines.
I eventually came to realize that my family system was just as destructive as the churches we attended…
I was also homeschooled K-12 with a faith-based curriculum and our entire family was heavily steeped in the work of James Dobson and Focus on the Family {if ya know, ya know…}.
We were taught to fear “the world” and to steer clear of unbelievers and worldly influences that might lead us astray.
However, the rigid application of “Biblical principles” didn’t create more nurture and connection between family members. Rather, it bred profound dysfunction.
A bit about my deconversion…
I “asked Jesus into my heart” when I was 5 years old as a Sparky in AWANA, and I always took my faith very seriously.
As a teenager, I would spend hours reading religious “self-help” books and devotionals and would write lengthy prayers to “Heavenly Father” in my prayer journals.
I had a purity ring and committed to abstinence until marriage.
And when it was time to pick a career and head off for higher education, I was committed to my “calling from god” to be a light in a dark world.
So I enrolled in a Christian college and became a social worker.
It was all going great until I met other “believers” with different beliefs.
It makes sense to me now why my youth leaders were concerned about my choice of college…
You see, even though it was a Christian college, it was progressive. And for the first time in my life I encountered other viewpoints on the Bible.
Because I was so heavily indoctrinated to believe there is only one “right way,” encountering other “believers” who held different beliefs, created the initial cracks in the foundation of my entire belief structure.
Although I continued to hold on for a while, I was fully “out” by the time I hit my 30’s.
After I graduated, I continued to attend church and hold fast to many of the values of my religious upbringing.
However, it became increasingly difficult to reconcile my progressive values as a social worker with the oppression I saw interwoven into the religious institutions all around me.
The cognitive dissonance became too much to bear.
So I stopped attending church, and once I stopped, it was like a fog began to lift, and I suddenly developed clarity for the first time in my life.
I saw the layers of coercion and control for what they were, and that’s when I really “deconverted” from my former faith. the initial cracks in the foundation of my entire belief structure.
Where do I stand with religion now, you might be wondering?
At this point, I do not subscribe to any particular religion or faith structure and would probably classify myself as an “agnostic-atheist.”
I am spiritual in the sense that I meditate and have curiosity about the unknown things of this world.
But rather than seeking the guidance of an external deity, I feel much more comfortable tuning in to my own inner wisdom.
Where do I stand with religion now, you might be wondering?
At this point, I do not subscribe to any particular religion or faith structure and would probably classify myself as an “agnostic-atheist.”
I am spiritual in the sense that I meditate and have curiosity about the unknown things of this world.
But rather than seeking the guidance of an external deity, I feel much more comfortable tuning in to my own inner wisdom.
My Professional Background & Specialties
I hold an MSW from Temple University (2012)
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
I’ve completed advanced training in EMDR & Brainspotting
Clinical Experience
I’ve been in the field of mental health since 2011 and have had my own private practice since 2019. Prior to 2019, I’ve worked in a variety of settings including:
- Community mental health and mobile therapy in homes and schools
- Private group practice specialized in treating complex PTSD
- A large medical hospital providing psych evals, suicide assessments, etc.
Advanced Education
Some of my relevant advanced education (beyond graduate school) includes:
- Expressive, Art & Play Therapy Certification
- Attachment and Dissociation Assessment and Treatment
- Understanding Cults: A Foundational Course for Clinicians
- 17 CE hours in religious trauma studies with the Global Center for Religious Research
Treatment Modalities
I operate primarily from an attachment-theory framework. My treatment approach includes:
- Somatic therapy (body-based)
- Parts Work/IFS (Internal Family Systems)
- EMDR
- Brainspotting
My Professional Background & Specialties
I hold an MSW from Temple University (2012)
~
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
~
I’ve completed advanced training in EMDR & Brainspotting
Clinical Experience
I’ve been in the field of mental health since 2011 and have had my own private practice since 2019. Prior to 2019, I’ve worked in a variety of settings including:
- Community mental health and mobile therapy in homes and schools
- Private group practice specialized in treating complex PTSD
- A large medical hospital providing psych evals, suicide assessments, etc.
Advanced Education
Some of my relevant advanced education (beyond graduate school) includes:
- Expressive, Art & Play Therapy Certification
- Attachment and Dissociation Assessment and Treatment
- Understanding Cults: A Foundational Course for Clinicians
- 17 CE hours in religious trauma studies with the Global Center for Religious Research
Treatment Modalities
I operate primarily from an attachment-theory framework. My treatment approach includes:
- Somatic therapy (body-based)
- Parts Work/IFS (Internal Family Systems)
- EMDR
- Brainspotting
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