Given our legacy, St Vincent’s was seen as a trusted Catholic ministry which could support their dignity and healing in a way that they had not experienced elsewhere. 

Our answer to their call has been co-designed with survivors and finds its expression in the Trauma Informed Spiritual Care Initiative (TISCI) project, which is a unique meeting place between need and expertise in this area.   

TISCI’s key priorities are to:

1. Develop our understanding of the needs and hopes of survivors of sexual abuse in church contexts in the context of spiritual and pastoral care; 
2. Continue to seek guidance from, and provide administrative assistance to our established advisory committee for the project which is comprised of survivors of abuse in the Church and St Vincent’s staff with appropriate expertise;
3. Develop training to support health and pastoral carers to better respond to those who have experienced abuse in the Church, and
4. Develop and test a pilot model of care that can be offered through St Vincent’s.
5. Lead research into existing Trauma-Informed/Responsive-Care initiatives, within faith-based organisations in Australia and internationally, for survivors of sexual abuse in church contexts; 

Our Advisory Group

This work is undertaken in partnership with survivors, guided by an Advisory Group made up of individuals with lived experience of sexual abuse in the church, advocates, theologians, clinicians and researchers. Our Advisory group’s wisdom, strength and leadership are embedded in every step we take. Their presence ensures that our work is not about survivors, but always with and led by them.

Key Publications

Our research is helping build the evidence base that acknowledges spiritual harm as a distinct form of trauma. Publications to date include:

• The impact of clergy sexual abuse on spirituality and health: A systematic scoping review (PLOS ONE, 2024)
• Additional papers and insights from our spiritual harm qualitative interview study (forthcoming)

We will continue to share all peer-reviewed publications here as they become available. 

What We Are Learning

We are learning that existing models of care for survivors of abuse in the Church are inadequate. As one survivor shared in our research when asked about models of care they responded: “There are none.”

Survivors and support people who were part of our research have described spiritual harm as a central dimension of trauma experienced to those subjected to abuse in the Church. Participants consistently describe this dimension of harm as distinct and devastating:

“The biggest harm really wasn’t the sexual assault. I’ve completely lost my connection to a power greater than me, and completely lost my connection to myself. I went on to live a life of drug addiction and homelessness.” - Male survivor, 60s

“It took away my faith in some ways… I look at people who, in times of need, have something to fall back on, that gives them comfort. I don’t have that. And that was taken from me.” - Male survivor, 50s

“It robs people of trusting in what matters… instead of solace, they can move into drug abuse or terrible obsessions. It can be a theft of access to what gives life.” - Female support person

We are learning that for some survivors, the deepest harm they experience can come from the rupture of their relationship with the sacred: a loss of spiritual identity, belonging, connection, and trust. Survivors have shared that this kind of harm can feel invisible and isolating, especially when spiritual aspects are dismissed in health, legal or pastoral care settings.

We are also learning that a credible, compassionate and trauma-informed response to the harm survivors carry is possible. The stories shared with us are informing new ways of thinking, teaching, and responding in both health and pastoral care settings.

Our Collaborators

We are proud to be working in collaboration with a growing network of researchers and institutions in Australia and internationally. These relationships are helping us shape a truly integrated model of care that bridges clinical, theological, and pastoral knowledge.

If you are interested in learning more about our research, please contact Jo on joanne.durkin@svha.org.au 

Support on the Journey: Organisations we acknowledge and honour

The Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care Initiative does not currently offer direct specialised services to survivors. 

We have spoken to support agencies and survivors about what care they found useful. Many survivors have spoken of the meaningful support they received from some groups, and we have learned a great deal through conversations with them. 

The particular organisations identified as helpful and supportive by survivors we have spoken are:

• Lifeboat Geelong
• Micah Projects
• In Good Faith Foundation now the National Survivors Foundation 

This is not an exhaustive list of providers and they may not be right for everyone. Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd provides a list of support organisations : Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd 

"Responding to the Needs of People Who Disclose They Have Suffered Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church”

This training supports staff to respond appropriately and compassionately to disclosures of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church context. It has been co-designed with survivors and informed by interviews with advocates and professionals working in the field. The program has been delivered across St Vincent’s in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the impact of Church-related abuse and develop practical skills to respond with sensitivity, clarity and trauma-informed care.

Training Overview

This 4.5 - 5 hour session will introduce you to the Trauma Informed Spiritual Care Initiative at St Vincent’s Health Australia. 

Through survivor-informed insights, we will explore:

• Understanding the scale of sexual abuse in a Catholic Church context and its impact on individuals
• How to respond and, just as importantly, how not to respond to disclosures of sexual abuse and spiritual harm
• Identifying barriers to responding to disclosures and reflecting on ways to improve 
• Overview of available support networks and how to make warm referrals to support services

Why Attend?

This training is grounded in the lived experience of survivors. It provides practical guidance to help you respond sensitively and effectively to disclosures of abuse. Your participation and feedback will also contribute to the ongoing development of this initiative.

Upcoming training

"Responding to the Needs of People Who Disclose They Have Suffered Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church”

Expressing an interest in attending

Please email joanne.durkin@svha.org.au to express your interest in a preferred date and location. Jo Durkin will contact you to confirm your preferred date and also book in a short pre-briefing in advance to ensure you are confident to attend. The pre-briefing will be about a week before the booking, and we will advise who else is booked to attend your preferred session with you.

Feedback from the participants on the training highlights the impact

 “I’m so proud that St Vincent’s is delivering this. Absolutely necessary for our training.”  - St Vincent’s staff member

 “It is vital. Overwhelmingly vital and helpful to gain awareness of the impact.” - St Vincent’s staff member

“This training reinforced the enormous need within our community of the spiritual harm inflicted on survivors. The training reignited a desire to prepare self and staff to best support victims/survivors in their disclosure of abuse and search for healing. A must training for all in SVHA - particularly front-line staff.”  - St Vincent's staff member

“As a non-Catholic person, this training gave me an understanding of what faith means to a person, and the deep impact that occurs when a person is abused in a Church context. Feelings of safety lost. I don't think I have made that connection before today.”  - St Vincent's staff member

“This is so important. I’m not sure my colleagues will believe me when I tell them I was at a Catholic hospital today learning about clergy abuse.”  - Service provider for victims

Your donation helps us

• Deepen our research into spiritual harm
• Expand our training and capacity-building efforts
• Support the leadership of survivors
• Build healing and justice into the systems that once failed

Please consider if you can donate a one-off sum, or if you would like to donate annually. Donations are managed by the St Vincent’s Foundation and are tax deductable.

There are three ways to donate:

By card
You can donate securely by card at https://www.stvfoundation.org.au/donate/tisci

By cheque
Please make cheque payable to St Vincent’s Foundation, Melbourne and note Trauma Informed Spiritual Care Initiative on the back of the cheque. Send to St Vincent’s Foundation, 55 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065

*Please include a letter with the cheque indicating the amount donated and the name of the project – Trauma Informed Spiritual Care Initiative. This will ensure we can track the donation and send you a formal letter of thanks as well as a receipt.

By bank transfer
Bank: NAB BSB: 082 057 Account Number: 147436626 
Account name: St Vincent’s Foundation Reference: TISCI

*Please email joanne.durkin@svha.org.au to advise of the time of the donation and the amount. This will ensure we can track the donation and send you a formal letter of thanks as well as a receipt.