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Counselling for spiritual and religious concerns

Spiritual & Religious Trauma Counselling

Space to explore painful religious experiences, changes in belief and questions of identity, without pressure to adopt, defend or leave a faith.

Lit lighthouse beneath a star-filled sky.

Support on your terms

Faith, spirituality and community can be important sources of meaning and belonging. They can also become connected with difficult experiences. You may want to talk about fear, shame, rejection, coercion, a loss of trust, or a conflict between what you were taught and how you understand yourself now. You may still value your beliefs, feel uncertain about them, or prefer a secular way of making sense of your life.

Counselling can offer a place to consider these experiences in relation to your own values and goals. You do not need to describe what happened as trauma before asking for support. A concern may be important to you even when it does not fit a particular label. Equally, questioning a belief or changing a religious practice is not, by itself, a sign that something is wrong with you.

What you might want to explore

  • Painful experiences within a religious group, family or spiritual relationship.
  • Shame, guilt or fear connected with religious messages or expectations.
  • Grief, isolation or uncertainty after leaving a community or changing your beliefs.
  • How faith, culture, relationships and identity fit together in your life.
  • Boundaries and choices when people close to you hold different beliefs.
  • What you want to keep, reconsider or develop in your own sense of meaning.

These are examples of possible counselling conversations, rather than a checklist you need to meet. You and your counsellor can decide which concerns to focus on and what support is appropriate.

Working with Jonathan Hers

Jonathan Hers, MA, RCC describes a structured, compassionate way of working with emotions, attachment and the effects of earlier experiences. His previous work in ministry and chaplaincy informs his comfort with questions of faith, spirituality and identity. His profile specifically includes religious disillusionment, changes in belief and painful religious experiences.

Jonathan draws on approaches including EMDR and AEDP, with IFS-informed understanding of inner patterns. A named approach does not determine what every session will involve. Ask about his training, how he would understand your concerns and what the work might look like for you. You do not need to share a religious background to work with him.

Your beliefs and choices stay yours

You can tell your counsellor whether you want faith or spirituality included in your sessions. The purpose is to explore your experience, not to persuade you towards a particular religious or non-religious conclusion. You can ask questions, decline a topic, or revisit a goal that no longer feels right.

You do not need to begin by giving a detailed account of painful events. Early conversations can focus on what is happening in your life now, what would help you feel able to participate, and what you hope counselling will offer. Where trauma, anxiety, grief or relationship concerns overlap, the work can consider those concerns together rather than treating your beliefs in isolation.

Questions for a first conversation

You might ask: How do you work with people whose beliefs differ from yours? Can we include spirituality without making it the centre of every session? How will we decide on the pace of the work? What would we do if I felt misunderstood? These questions can help you assess the relationship as well as the approach.

Learn about related trauma counselling and grief and loss counselling, or compare the Wellspring team.

Format, location and next steps

Online appointments are available across BC, subject to counsellor fit and availability. Wellspring’s current in-person office is in Vancouver; in-person sessions depend on the individual counsellor and must be confirmed before booking. For sessions outside BC, check the province and territory guide and confirm clinician eligibility.

A free 15-minute consultation is an introduction to discuss fit. Regular therapy appointments are separate, paid sessions. Review fees and policies and confirm benefits coverage for the particular counsellor’s designation with your insurer.

Explore Jonathan’s profile and booking options Compare counsellors

Background reading: Royal College of Psychiatrists: spirituality and mental health. Learn more about discussing spirituality and personal beliefs in mental health care.