Richard Turner
Member Status: Accredited
Member No: NCS24-02679
Location: YORK
Hi, I'm Richard and my passion and specialism as a counsellor is helping people recover from the trauma associated with experiences of being intensely controlled, manipulated and psychologically abused in cult groups. This also covers:
Domestic abuse
Coercive and controlling behaviour in families
Human trafficking / modern slavery
Spiritual/religious abuse
Abuse and coercive control by a counsellor/therapist
Psychological damage by a network marketing/multi level marketing/direct sales company
Workplace bullying and psychological abuse.
I often link coercive controlling behaviour and abuse in these different contexts because, in many ways, a coercive/controlling relationship is like a two-person cult, which also has similarities to modern slavery. The perpetrator attempts to gain control of their partner/family member/employee like a cult leader gains control of their followers, isolating them from support, manipulating, shaming them and exploiting them.
Upon escaping from a controlling, abusive environment, people often feel confused and like a huge void has been left in their life. This is because so much of their life and identity revolved around the perpetrator/cult leader or group. Low self-esteem and struggles with identity are very common after escaping and caused by the mind control techniques used by the abuser; gaslighting and manipulation etc.
When leaving an abusive and controlling environment, it can be very difficult to build up trust and find somebody who understands the psychological processes that have occurred during the controlling experiences. This can also lead to further feelings of isolation.
My goal is to gently and sensitively help people understand their experience, psychologically escape from coercive control and reclaim their life. I use handouts and educational tools alongside Person Centred and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tools.
