Many survivors of domestic violence state that they received mixed messages when disclosing abuse to their faith leaders. While some congregations were helpful, others engaged in harmful practices that left the survivors feeling abandoned and alone. From misunderstandings to ex-communication, from unintended slights to full betrayal, survivors of abuse have shared their grief regarding how faith leaders and congregations responded when they sought assistance. We will discuss both an overview of institutional betrayal and look at the speaker’s own research and case studies to get a better understanding of how institutional betrayal affects survivors of domestic violence and ultimately creates physically, emotionally, and spiritually unsafe communities. The need to correct inadequate responses must be prioritized. Trauma-informed approaches, ethical integration of faith and practice, competency, and compassion are vital in the response to domestic violence. Embracing courage and seeking justice can generate the needed transformation. Together we can create safety and healing.

Objectives:

1. Define institutional betrayal and understand its connection to congregations. 

2. Identify how institutional betrayal leads to harm for survivors of domestic violence. 

3. Apply this knowledge toward developing safer churches and communities.

For clients experiencing narcissistic/antagonistic relationships – regardless of the type of relationship, ambivalence and fear about making a decision are a primary issue, and one that can raise significant distress, discomfort and even impairment for clients. The proverbial question of “do I go or do I stay?” which can extend into – “Do I stay in contact? Do I end communication?” is confusing for clients and clinicians. There is no easy answer, and there are numerous issues that contribute to these challenges for clients including practical factors (housing, money, custody), cultural factors, fear, hope that the circumstances will change, guilt/duty/obligation, and emotional underpinnings ranging from love to negative affectivity and unhealthy relational dynamics that are cemented by the intermittent rewards and chronic shifts in these relationships. As clinicians we also must remain aware of counter-transferential issues including not maintaining an agenda for clients, recognizing that these are fluid processes that may shift with time, and the sobering recognition that there is no “good” path in many cases.

This work requires holding a therapeutic environment that facilitates exploration for the client. Intervention with clients who are at these decisional crossroads requires bringing psychoeducation, an empathic 360-degree view of what the client is facing, hearing realistic fears, and implementation of clinical techniques that permit the client to safely explore options, while managing and mitigating the “shame” that comes from not doing what may be perceived as the “healthier” path. We will explore how the concept of “choice” is undercut by a history of these relationships and also place this within an intersectional context. This session will provide guidance on this ambivalence, a review of narcissistic/antagonistic relational patterns, the factors that make choice complex, techniques to consider in working with these clients, frame psychoeducational approaches, and highlight awareness of our presence in the client’s process as well as the errors clinicians may make while working with clients at these difficult decisional nodes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the architecture of the narcissistic relationship and how this may present differently depending on the nature of the relationship.

2. Review and description of the factors that underlie client ambivalence and decisional “freeze” in narcissistic relationships.

3. Providing and applying an antagonism-informed framework for working with clients struggling with decision making and ambivalence in narcissistic and antagonistic relationships.

From the inside out, this talk pulls back the curtain on the porn industry’s dark underbelly—exposing the force, fraud, and coercion that silently fuels both pornography and sex trafficking. Sharing his six-year journey in the industry, the speaker offers firsthand insight into the emotional and psychological toll it takes—not only on performers but on culture at large. With a bold and redemptive lens, this message challenges audiences to rethink what they consume and advocates for a biblical sexual ethic that prioritizes dignity, freedom, and truth.

Course Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the forms of force, fraud, and coercion commonly present in the pornography industry.

2. Explain the emotional, psychological, and behavioral impacts of pornography on performers and culture, including the heightened risks of self-harm and suicide.

3. Analyze the relationship between pornography and sex trafficking.

4. Evaluate how personal and cultural consumption of pornography contributes to exploitation.

5. Discuss strategies for promoting dignity and freedom through a values-based framework for sexual ethics.