Rachel on Recovery

Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities by Pete Singer Part 3

Pete Singer joined GRACE as the Executive Director on January 1, 2021. He has 30 years’ experience working with trauma, abuse, and mental health in a variety of settings. He has been a foster parent, school social worker, therapist, youth group leader, consultant, Executive Director, and more. He has worked extensively with families, teens, and children who have experienced trauma, including maltreatment, medical trauma, assault, violent loss, and captivity. His work has focused on helping children recover, facilitating parent growth and learning, and community engagement to end child maltreatment. He started a nonprofit in 2005 to equip the faith community to better recognize, prevent, and respond to child maltreatment. This work served to introduce him to a number of people at GRACE and the work they do.  Pete completed his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, where he also received a Certificate in Trauma-Effective Leadership. He speaks nationally on trauma, trauma-informed practice, resilience, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and the role of the faith community in responding to child maltreatment. He is a Registered Circle of Security – Parent Educator, Board-Approved Supervisor, and has completed extensive training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has served on several workgroups, including the Cultural Provider’s Network, Ramsey County Ending Racial Disparities Workgroup, Youth in Transition Workgroup, and more. He designed an innovative support and education program for staff in trauma-saturated fields across disciplines. He has published and contributed to a number of articles and book chapters, including Coordinating Pastoral Care of Survivors with Mental Health Providers [http://www.currentsjournal.org/index.php/currents/article/view/132/151]; Mental Health and Healthcare System Responses to Adolescent Maltreatment; and Wounded Souls: The Need for Child Protection Professionals and Faith Leaders to Recognize and Respond to the Spiritual Impact of Child Abuse [https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=mhlr], with Victor Vieth. Pete is married, the father of three children, two of whom are grown, and has one grandchild.

Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities by Pete Singer Part 2

Pete Singer joined GRACE as the Executive Director on January 1, 2021. He has 30 years’ experience working with trauma, abuse, and mental health in a variety of settings. He has been a foster parent, school social worker, therapist, youth group leader, consultant, Executive Director, and more. He has worked extensively with families, teens, and children who have experienced trauma, including maltreatment, medical trauma, assault, violent loss, and captivity. His work has focused on helping children recover, facilitating parent growth and learning, and community engagement to end child maltreatment. He started a nonprofit in 2005 to equip the faith community to better recognize, prevent, and respond to child maltreatment. This work served to introduce him to a number of people at GRACE and the work they do.  Pete completed his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, where he also received a Certificate in Trauma-Effective Leadership. He speaks nationally on trauma, trauma-informed practice, resilience, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and the role of the faith community in responding to child maltreatment. He is a Registered Circle of Security – Parent Educator, Board-Approved Supervisor, and has completed extensive training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has served on several workgroups, including the Cultural Provider’s Network, Ramsey County Ending Racial Disparities Workgroup, Youth in Transition Workgroup, and more. He designed an innovative support and education program for staff in trauma-saturated fields across disciplines. He has published and contributed to a number of articles and book chapters, including Coordinating Pastoral Care of Survivors with Mental Health Providers [http://www.currentsjournal.org/index.php/currents/article/view/132/151]; Mental Health and Healthcare System Responses to Adolescent Maltreatment; and Wounded Souls: The Need for Child Protection Professionals and Faith Leaders to Recognize and Respond to the Spiritual Impact of Child Abuse [https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=mhlr], with Victor Vieth. Pete is married, the father of three children, two of whom are grown, and has one grandchild.

Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church: Equipping Faith Communities by Pete Singer Part 1

Pete Singer joined GRACE as the Executive Director on January 1, 2021. He has 30 years’ experience working with trauma, abuse, and mental health in a variety of settings. He has been a foster parent, school social worker, therapist, youth group leader, consultant, Executive Director, and more. He has worked extensively with families, teens, and children who have experienced trauma, including maltreatment, medical trauma, assault, violent loss, and captivity. His work has focused on helping children recover, facilitating parent growth and learning, and community engagement to end child maltreatment. He started a nonprofit in 2005 to equip the faith community to better recognize, prevent, and respond to child maltreatment. This work served to introduce him to a number of people at GRACE and the work they do.  Pete completed his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Minnesota, where he also received a Certificate in Trauma-Effective Leadership. He speaks nationally on trauma, trauma-informed practice, resilience, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and the role of the faith community in responding to child maltreatment. He is a Registered Circle of Security – Parent Educator, Board-Approved Supervisor, and has completed extensive training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has served on several workgroups, including the Cultural Provider’s Network, Ramsey County Ending Racial Disparities Workgroup, Youth in Transition Workgroup, and more. He designed an innovative support and education program for staff in trauma-saturated fields across disciplines. He has published and contributed to a number of articles and book chapters, including Coordinating Pastoral Care of Survivors with Mental Health Providers [http://www.currentsjournal.org/index.php/currents/article/view/132/151]; Mental Health and Healthcare System Responses to Adolescent Maltreatment; and Wounded Souls: The Need for Child Protection Professionals and Faith Leaders to Recognize and Respond to the Spiritual Impact of Child Abuse [https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=mhlr], with Victor Vieth. Pete is married, the father of three children, two of whom are grown, and has one grandchild.

Tia Levings on Spiritual Abuse

I’m Tia Levings, a writer, creator, guest expert, and content specialist. I shine light on the abuses of Christian fundamentalism and offer contextual insight into the true horrors of religious trauma. My memoir, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy, releases with St. Martin’s Press in 2024.  My videos on social media [https://tialevings.com/videos-on-christian-fundamentalism/] have millions of views. Through the lens of my personal experience, I connect entertainment, news headlines, and current events to fundamentalist influences and strategy.  I write about religious trauma and Christian fundamentalism to educate, validate, and empower those who feel smashed by the patriarchy. To create something beautiful from pain. And, because when I went through the hell of church-sanctioned violence, I felt alone and I wasn’t. There are thousands of others out there.  I want you to know you aren’t alone. And even if the church condones and shelters it, abuse is never okay.    A HIGH-LEVEL GLIMPSE OF MY STORY: I was married at 19 to a charming but erratic man who loved theology. I’d grown up in a conservative, mainline Baptist church, groomed to be a sexually pure bride and submissive wife. But there was violence and abuse from the beginning––and I wasn’t equipped to recognize it. I did what I’d been trained to do: turn to my church for help.  Help came in the form of mentors who were part of Bill Gothard’s Institute of Basic Life Principles, and pastor-counselors who’d been influenced by the rise of Christian Fundamentalism. “Help” looked like teaching me to be more submissive and to receive what my husband offered, even if that was abuse. Life grew smaller and more narrow and I felt like I was dying inside.  But a series of tragic events cracked me open. And then, I found a group of smart women online who shared their discoveries and growth. “Women talking” directly opposed the “women should be silent” world I lived in. I grew. I became more assertive. And I thought I’d found a way to balance these two worlds: * one where I felt empowered and alive * and one where I submitted into near non-existence.  Balance was a delusion. As I became more independent and healthy, high-control religion and domestic abuse tightened their grip. My husband became more erratic and dangerous. In October of 2007, things came to a violent head and I narrowly escaped with my children in the middle of the night.  What followed was a long road to freedom and healing. Ten years of trauma therapy. Five years of faith deconstruction. Becoming a single parent; falling in love. Raising four children with my village. Developing a career. Finding, and then using, my voice. Learning how to step out of the shadows so that I could shine.  It’s been a long time since I was stuttering and hiding in a bedroom closet. And it also feels like yesterday. As I create videos [https://www.instagram.com/tialevingswriter/], bylines, and my memoir about Christian Fundamentalism, time feels urgent. TV shows like the Duggar’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On glossed up the hideous realities and made fundie life seem wholesome. But that delusion is dangerous. Our laws, and women’s rights specifically, are impacted by high-control religion right now. Our society is being shaped, our country is changing.    I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO KNOW WHY.  The Christian Patriarchy has a strategy and a plan. As they shelter abuses, riding on the assumption that no one knows what’s going on behind closed doors, and using religious freedom as an umbrella shield, true suffering is happening. Slavery, rape, trafficking, child neglect, medical neglect, baby abuse and more is the reality as they prepare for their holy war.  I’ve been there and I’m here to talk about it.    A FEW PERSONAL DETAILS:  I’m also a Content Strategist with 20 years in marketing. I offer those services at workingwriter.info [https://tialevingswriter.com/] I’m Mom to four incredible young adults. Favorite hooman of dog Georgia and cat Howard. I love to hike, daydream and travel slowly. I now identify as spiritually private, because it was having a binary, firm answer to life’s mysterious questions that got me into fundamentalism in the first place. I don’t believe there’s a magic formula or set of rules to help us escape the Human Experience.  I also paint and love movies.  “A wild patience has brought me this far.” –Adrienne Rich  I’m represented by Trinity McFadden of The Bindery Agency [https://www.thebinderyagency.com/]. My memoir releases in 2024.

Danielle Sebastian's Journey as a Spouse of a Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Danielle's story is about her difficulties getting into a healthy relationship with her husband after he disclosed his sexual abuse history. Her story highlights the issues spouses of survivors commonly experience, including trust issues, emotional instability, and avoidance.: The biggest impact for survivors and their partners is the loneliness and secrecy of the abuse. There is a lot to get through, and open discussions about needing help are key. The financial ramifications of needing help can be daunting, and faith is often impacted by survivor's experiences.   Danielle Sebastian is an expert on identifying and overcoming trauma in relationships. She is the bestselling author of "Resilient Wives: A Guide for Wives Supporting Their Husband Through Childhood Trauma Recovery" and has helped hundreds of women navigate and repair their marriages as they support their husbands through trauma recovery. After 8 years of strain in her own marriage and through years of extensive research and development on trauma, relationships, and self-care, Danielle created a signature "Wife-CARE" framework. She is a sought-after speaker, and her thought leadership has been presented to audiences of over 1K. Danielle was recently featured on competitive gymnast and the first known survivor of sexual abuse by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, Sarah Klein's podcast, "Bar Fights: Taking on Issues that Matter." Happily married for 12 years and the mother of 2, Danielle has dedicated her life to helping wives reconnect with their husbands and heal together. But most of all, her passion lies in assisting wives to prioritize their wellness and finding community as they work toward a healthier marriage. cleardot.gif [https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif]