Resources

• Safe to Talk National Sexual Harm Helpline (New Zealand) –  Safe to talk is available for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week by:
  • Calling: 0800 044 334
  • Texting: 4334
  • Emailing: support@safetotalk.nz
  • Live webchat on the website, which also has a range of resources and information about sexual harm.
• The Light Project is a hub of resources, support and professionals working to educate and support people in responding to how internet pornography has impacted the landscape of sexuality.
• Living and Loving Freely is a programme that offers assessment, intervention and management strategies for those dealing with problematic sexuality (including addiction and abuse).
• Sexual Addiction Specialists Aotearoa (SASA) are a group of sex addiction field specialists dedicated to contributing to public awareness, training and resources on sexual addiction and partner trauma. SASA has a focus on religious communities and comes from a Christian faith perspective.

• Survivors of Church Abuse NZ – This network advocates for survivors of sexual and violent abuse as children in faith-based institutions in New Zealand.
• David Farrier Blog re: Religious Trauma (2022) –  After a series of blog posts exposing abuses of power by leaders within a large New Zealand church, Journalist David Farrier shares some resources and tips about surviving religious trauma from a reader. 
• Bible Gateway is a comprehensive online platform with multiple translations of the Bible, including the original biblical languages.  There are commentaries and information from biblical and theological scholars as well as devotional material. For those wanting to explore the Bible or Christian theology with wider resourcing or information than their current group endorses, this site could be very useful.
• Bible Project is a collection of resources from a Christian perspective that help people experience the Bible in a way that is approachable, engaging, and transformative. Rather than taking the stance of a specific tradition or denomination, they create materials to showcase the themes and literary art of the Bible in a way that is accessible to all people.

Leavers may not initially consider accessing grief, loss and trauma support in their journey as people can tend to think of these terms or resources as only being relevant to bodily death or physical disaster. However, there is an increasing body of research to show that disaffiliation and/or excommunication from a high-demand religious group can be experienced by the leaver as harmful or traumatic to their well-being, and it has been termed a kind of social ‘death’. Therefore we recommend you check out information and resources on these topics to see if aspects of them are relevant to any possible grief, loss or trauma in your own journey.

• Skylight Trust is a very comprehensive website and network of professionals that support children, young people, and their whānau to navigate through tough times by building resilient individuals and communities.  Support can be found for a wide variety of griefs, losses, changes, and challenges.  
• Mental Health NZ  – is a helpful  website that provides an overview of grief and lists multiple other excellent grief support services. 
• Health Navigator NZ – is a useful website for finding support for a variety of challenges. This link here provides information from the website on complex-post-traumatic-stress disorder, which some former members of high-demand religious groups believe they have experienced as a result of their disaffiliation from the group.
• Men and Trauma provides accessible, client-centred clinical and peer support to male survivors of trauma and sexual abuse.

• Alcohol Drug Helpline is a confidential, professional helpline and website resource for anyone concerned about their drinking – or a family member/friend’s drinking. You can also find information about local support services across New Zealand.
• CADS (Community Alcohol and Drug Support) provides a wide range of professional services to support those with alcohol misuse and abuse issues, including individual, group and family-based recovery support. 
• NZ Drug Foundation is a leading New Zealand organisation which provides advice, education and support for alcohol and drug-related issues.

• Rainbow Youth is run by young people for young people. It provides information, resources and advocacy for young rainbow Kiwis, including those who are queer, gender diverse, takatāpui, and intersex. This includes social groups and practical advice. 
• Outline is an all-ages rainbow mental health organisation providing support to the rainbow community, their friends, whānau, and those questioning. It provides a nationwide, free and confidential 0800 support line for people who want to speak to a trained volunteer from the rainbow community.
• Burnett Foundation Aotearoa (previously the NZ Aids Foundation) provides sexual education and support including HIV and STI testing, and counselling. It provides a human-centred, science-led, sex-positive approach to public health, with a particular focus on those affected by HIV.