Our Foundation

 

Core Values

• Healing: Providing trauma-informed, faith-sensitive care.

• Empowerment: Equipping survivors with resources, education, and community.

• Restoration: Guiding survivors to rebuild their spiritual, emotional, and personal lives with dignity.

• Advocacy: Challenging systems of silence and injustice within faith communities.

• Integrity: Operating with transparency, accountability, and compassion.

WHAT WE DO: (Potential Programs & Services)

• Safe Support Circles – peer support groups (in-person/virtual).

• Trauma-Informed Counseling Referrals – partnerships with trusted professionals.

• Faith & Healing Workshops – reclaiming spiritual identity without manipulation.

• Storytelling & Advocacy – platforms for survivors to share their experiences safely.

• Clergy Abuse Awareness Campaigns – educating faith communities.

OUR COMMITMENT:

We operate with compassion, transparency, and accountability. By giving voice to survivors and addressing systemic silence within faith communities, we work to transform trauma into healing, empowerment, and restoration.

WHY WE ARE NEEDED:

Clergy abuse—whether spiritual, physical, sexual, verbal, or manipulative—remains a devastating and under-addressed issue within faith communities. Survivors often experience dual trauma: the abuse itself and the betrayal of trust from a spiritual leader or community expected to provide safety. This betrayal can lead to deep emotional, psychological, and spiritual wounds.

• Research suggests a meaningful portion of adults report spiritual abuse in religious settings”.

• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience sexual abuse in their lifetime, and survivors who report clergy abuse face higher levels of disbelief and community rejection.²

• Survivors of clergy abuse are at increased risk of depression, PTSD, substance abuse, loss of faith, and social isolation.**³
Between 1950 and 2002, 10,667 individuals made allegations of child sexual abuse in U.S. Catholic dioceses; about 4,392 unique clergy were accused (≈ 4.4 % of clergy) over that period.  

Of accused clergy (in that period), only a very small fraction were convicted (≈ 252 convictions among ~4,392 accused)



Despite the prevalence of this issue, resources tailored specifically for clergy abuse survivors are scarce. Many survivors avoid traditional counseling due to fear of judgment, stigma, or lack of faith sensitivity. Others remain silent because they fear retaliation, loss of community, or being dismissed by church leadership.

This gap leaves countless survivors without safe, supportive spaces to heal. Speak Up 4 H.E.R addresses this urgent need by offering trauma-informed, faith-sensitive support services that acknowledge the unique challenges survivors face.

Our programs—including support circles, counseling referrals, survivor advocacy, and awareness campaigns—empower individuals to reclaim their voice, dignity, and faith.