111 | Religious Trauma and Self-Compassion with Becca Ferguson
Becca Ferguson is a keynote speaker and a licensed professional counselor in Northwestern Arkansas. She is the owner of The Therapy Office, through which she and other mental health professionals offer a unique counseling experience for all people, helping them create the best version of themselves. As a counselor, Becca is experienced in suicide intervention, crisis management, trauma-informed therapy, and eating disorder treatment. She holds a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Henderson State University and a Bachelor’s in Radio and Television from the University of the Ozarks.
Becca joins me today to share her experience with religious trauma, abuse, and manipulation and describe her journey to healing. She discusses the religious background of her family and her early involvement with the church in her childhood and teenage years. She details her relationship with an abusive, violent, and manipulative youth pastor and how she found the strength to leave that relationship and her church. Becca also highlights the relationship between trauma and guilt, underscores what true self-compassion is, and shares how she’s empowering other women and helping them heal their trauma through her work as a therapist and speaker.
“Anybody that has trauma has struggles with self-compassion, but the only way to heal this is through believing that you can trust yourself again.” - Becca Ferguson
This week on the Trauma Hiders Club Podcast:
● Becca’s childhood and early involvement with the church
● Her teenage years and life in youth ministry
● Crisis of conscience and spiritual responsibilities
● Her traumatic relationship with a manipulative and abusive youth minister
● How her relationship with her youth minister impacted her relationships with other people
● How Becca began to notice that her relationship with her youth minister was unhealthy
● Trauma, guilt, and how Becca began her journey to healing and becoming a therapist
● How Becca left the church and her relationship with her youth minister
● Becca’s mission to empower women and make mental health services accessible
Resources Mentioned:
● Book: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume
Connect with Becca Ferguson:
● Online Courses: use code TRAUMAHIDERS for 10% off
● The Therapy Office on LinkedIn
Where High Achievers Get Through Shit - TOGETHER
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Trauma Hiders Club ‘The Podcast’ with Karen Goldfinger Baker. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
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