ICSA CONFERENCE 2026
Date: July 1-4, 2026
Hilton Bayfront, San Diego
Session summary
This panel explores scalable and survivor-informed training approaches designed to help clinicians recognize and respond to cultic abuse and coercive control, using the Lalich Center’s collaborative certification program as a central case example.
Full Abstract
Clinicians across a wide range of settings are increasingly encountering clients whose lives have been affected by cultic abuse, coercive control, and high-demand groups. Yet most therapists receive little or no formal education on these issues during graduate training or early professional practice. Without a foundational understanding of coercive influence, well-intentioned clinicians may unintentionally reinforce shame, overlook critical aspects of a client’s history, or misinterpret post-cult experiences.
For many providers, the goal is not necessarily to become specialists, but to develop enough foundational competence to avoid causing harm when these clients appear in clinical practice.
This panel examines the role that scalable and accessible training can play in preparing generalist clinicians to work more effectively with survivors of coercive environments. The Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion’s Basic Certification Program will serve as a central case example. Developed collaboratively by therapists, researchers, educators, and survivors, the program was intentionally designed as an asynchronous online Continuing Education course to reach an international audience across diverse clinical settings.
Panelists will discuss the development of the curriculum, challenges encountered during the process, and key lessons learned from implementing a survivor-informed training program for clinicians worldwide.
Building on this experience, the panel will explore broader questions facing the field: What core competencies should all therapists possess regarding cultic abuse and coercive control? What are the most effective and sustainable pathways for ensuring that more clinicians develop these essential skills?
The session invites a grounded discussion on how to responsibly and effectively prepare clinicians to meet this growing area of need.
Speakers
Founder & CEO at Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion | Professor Emerita of Sociology at California State University
Janja Lalich is a Professor Emerita of Sociology at California State University, Chico, and a leading authority on cults, coercion, and undue influence. She is the Founder and CEO of the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion, and the founder and former director of the Center for Research on Influence and Control. For over three decades, Lalich has advanced public and professional understanding of high-control groups through research, writing, and education.
Arizona State University | Lalich Center on Cults & Coercion
Dr. Natalie Fabert is a teaching professor at Arizona State University, a practicing licensed psychologist, and a member of the Board of Directors at the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion. In her private practice, Dr. Fabert specializes in complex trauma, recovery from cultic abuse, and religious/spiritual trauma. At ASU, she brings this specialized expertise into the classroom, teaching courses on social psychology, psychopathology, and cult psychology. Driven by a passion for clinical training and advocacy, Dr. Fabert also directs the continuing education program at the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion, where she focuses on training the next generation of mental health providers to offer competent, compassionate care to self-identified cult survivors.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Melanie Friedman, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in PTSD/CPTSD and recovery from coercive control environments. A survivor of the Troubled Teen Industry, she combines clinical expertise with lived experience to support trauma survivors and advocate for improved awareness, prevention, and mental health treatment for those affected by coercive control systems.
Berger Psychotherapy
Kristina Berger, PsyD, is a dual-licensed psychotherapist specializing in religious trauma, recovery from high-control groups and cultic systems, and neurodiversity-affirming care. Licensed in California, Utah, and Idaho, she is the founder and director of a group practice in San Luis Obispo serving individuals, couples, and families. Her clinical work integrates psychodynamic, feminist, and depth-oriented perspectives to support clients navigating trauma, identity development, relational healing, and recovery from high-control environments.
Nichole is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Nichole is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Rhode Island College where her scholarly pursuits focus on issues of coercive control and working with survivors, including individuals who are hesitant to seek mental health support. Nichole supports the Lalich Center through writing and hosting a psychoeducational book club.
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