Psychological Impacts

Betrayal of Trust By Clergy

Consent to sexual relations is not possible due to the power differential between clergy and congregant

sexual violation by a therapist, doctor, or clergy member is not about sex; it is an abuse of power, authority, and trust inherent in the relationship
According to Baylor University School of Social Work Dean Diana Garland: "Many people, including the victims themselves, often label incidences of Clergy Sexual Misconduct with adults as 'affairs'. In reality, they are an abuse of spiritual power by the religious leader." Click here for more information on the Baylor research project.

sexual violation by a member of the clergy can leave a victim without the ability to trust any helping professional

sexual grooming by a trusted clergy member can disarm the victim's usual defenses; the trust which is the foundation of the clergy/congregant relationship makes it difficult for the victim to perceive the moves of a sexual predator as he or she is being groomed

the primarily psychological nature of such assaults confuses the victim's own understanding of whether he or she "consented" to the sexual relations; this confusion is known as the "transference effect" which frequently occurs in the therapist/client relationship: as the client begins to feel cared for by the therapist, he or she may feel a strong emotional attachment to the therapist (or clergy member) in return; see one survivor's discussion about this issue: "Don't Call It Consent"

adult victims of clergy sexual exploitation become paralyzed by guilt and self-blame, resulting in self-isolation and loss of social support

it can be hard for others to understand why the victim didn't "just leave" the situation; this is similar to victims of incest or domestic violence (see below: Why Doesn't She Leave?)

spouses of victims suffer from the sexual violation; see one husband's story: "Brent's Story"

Learn more about psychological impacts of sexual exploitation at advocateweb.org

Grooming

Sharon Womack Doty, consultant to VIRTUS (the Catholic Church's training program for church staff and volunteers to protect against child abuse), describes grooming as a process with three aspects:

Physical Grooming: small incidental touches which then become more intimate

Psychological Grooming: sending the message that the predator is committed to the well-being of the victim, that sexual contact is "a gift from God"

Community Grooming: convincing others that the predator is someone who is caring and will go out of the way to help others; this causes members of the community or congregation to disregard warning signs, because it is hard to believe that the perpetrator they have come to know and admire would do something so harmful

Greg Sporer, founder and director of Keeping Kids Safe Ministries based in Nashville, Tennessee, described grooming in an interview with Stephanie Beecken of WAAY TV, "Non Profit Group Helps Protect Children From Possible Predators: Focus On Faith" (December 30, 2009):
"Sex offenders are not that impulsive. What they will do is groom their victims over weeks or even months … They get to know the victim and their [family]. They're going to begin to build trust."

According to the article "Communication Tactics Used By Sexual Predators" Science Daily (April 21, 2008):
. . . in order for the process of entrapment to take place, the perpetrator must first gain access to the potential victim through various exploitive means . . . Deceptive trust development describes the predator's ability to build a trusting relationship with the victim in order to improve the likelihood of sexual encounter . . . As perpetrators are grooming their victims and building deceptive trust, they also work to isolate them both physically and emotionally from their support network.

Why Doesn't She Leave?

According to WomensHealth.gov, the National Women's Health Information Center (US Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) there are many reasons women remain in relationships which are unhealthy or abusive:

Why Women Don't Leave. Most people who have never been in an abusive relationship wonder, "Why doesn't she just leave?" There are many reasons why a woman may not leave an abusive relationship . . . She may not be able to contact friends and family who could help her.

As described on the Jewish Women International "Overview of Domestic Violence" website, even when the relationship involves physical violence, there are barriers to leaving:

Once abuse has been disclosed, leaving the relationship is not necessarily the next step: . . . [leaving] can take years. It's not uncommon for a woman to leave and then return to her abuser several times before she breaks free for good. . . . She may just choose to remain in the relationship as she struggles with fear, feelings of inadequacy, self-blame, low self-esteem, post traumatic stress . . . One of the most important barriers to leaving a violent [or emotionally abusive or unhealthy] relationship is love: in spite of physical, emotional and/or financial harm done, a victim may still love her abuser.