Clergy Sexual Misconduct: A Curriculum for Investigators and Adjudicators

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1 Clergy Sexual Misconduct: A Curriculum for Investigators and Adjudicators By Sarah Ruth Hoffman, MS, MPH Sexual Violence Cluster B Abuse Trauma CSA Synthesis Figure 1. Core-competencies for investigators and adjudicators of clergy sexual misconduct. Note: Order of objectives is not representative of a causal process, but merely represents the intentional order of the course sequence. Overarching Objective: Investigators/adjudicators will be able to recognize features from each core-competency area when confronted with real-life misconduct scenarios. Learning objectives by competency area: (a) Sexual violence: rape, common reactions to rape, Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS), different forms of sexual assault, and consent-negating scenarios Investigators and adjudicators should be able to recognize consent-negating scenarios (even where the victim and perpetrator cannot) Investigators and adjudicators should be able to explain how compliance is not the same thing as consent Investigators and adjudicators should be able to identify and describe sexual coercion and sexually predatory behaviors Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe common physiologic reactions to rape, including genital stimulation and orgasm and various psychological adaptations to these reactions and the cognitive dissonance that they produce Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe common psychological responses to sexual violence, including denial, dissociation, Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS), acute post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and should be able to recognize those reactions when presented with them Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe the psychology of victimblaming and recognize it when it occurs in themselves or in other committee members. Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe common myths about rape and their refutations Investigators and adjudicators should be able to identify and describe common defenses strategies and fallacies employed by sexual predators Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe and discuss the revictimization phenomenon in sexual violence and how prior sexual trauma renders victims more vulnerable to future violations Page 1 of 5

2 Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe common features and underlying unifying themes of sexual violence and its short-term and long-term effects (b) Cluster B personality disorders: namely, antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, and various manifestations of these disorders Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe common features of each of the Cluster B personality disorders Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe each of the Cluster B personality disorders, their symptoms, and their underlying unifying components Investigators and adjudicators should be able to recite the latest statistics regarding the prevalence of antisocial personality disorder (also known as sociopathy or psychopathy) in the general population, and among clergy Investigators and adjudicators should be able to spot signs of these disorders in written and oral communication from the accused, and in stories told by victims and witnesses Investigators and adjudicators should become well versed in covert emotional manipulation tactics that abusers and criminals use to evade accountability, and should be able to spot these in written and oral communication Investigators and adjudicators should be able to distinguish meaningful from meaningless apologies (c) Abusive relationship dynamics: domestic violence, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse (e.g., terms such as gaslighting, triangulation, grooming, love bombing, and other covert emotional manipulation tactics) Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe the common features and underlying unifying themes of abusive relationships Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe and recognize power and control dynamics in an abusive relationship Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe and recognize the stages of an abusive relationship Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe and recognize (even when the victim cannot) the following phenomena: gaslighting, triangulation, grooming, love bombing, idealization/devaluation/discard, hoovering, scapegoat [and more] Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe and recognize how these dynamics interact with sexual consent (d) Trauma and recovery: Stockholm syndrome and other adaptations to cognitive dissonance (dissociation, denial, self-blame, etc.), what it takes to heal Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe and recognize Stockholm syndrome (SS) and similar manifestations in victims Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe how SS and similar manifestations affect the reporting and investigative process (e.g., victims submitting Page 2 of 5

3 incomplete reports and withholding information in order to protect their perpetrators) and how this can lead to poor adjudicatory outcomes Investigators and adjudicators should be able to identify and describe common adaptions to trauma Investigators and adjudicators should be able to identify and describe symptoms of acute post-traumatic stress and PTSD Investigators and adjudicators should be proficient in their ability to communicate successfully with trauma survivors Investigators and adjudicators should be able to identify and describe the components and themes of trauma recovery (e) Clergy sexual abuse Investigators and adjudicators should be able to describe the common features and underlying unifying themes of clergy sexual abuse Investigators and adjudicators should be able to discuss clergy sexual abuse and how it relates to: sexual violence, personality disorders in clergy, abusive relationship dynamics, and trauma and recovery Investigators and adjudicators should be able to identify and describe consent-negating scenarios, including situations in which clergy status is abused outside of one's congregation Investigators and adjudicators should be able to recite clergy sex abuse statistics for women and children Investigators and adjudicators should be able to name and describe common features of abusers and their victims (e.g., factors that render women and children more vulnerable to exploitation) Investigators and adjudicators should be able to name and describe organizations that serve clergy sexual abuse victims, for adults as well as children (f) Synthesis Investigators and adjudicators must be able to synthesize concepts from the aforementioned core competency areas in order to form a complete picture of the reallife situations that they are presented with Investigators and adjudicators must become proficient in investigative strategies and critical thinking skills, and must be able to implement them as they relate to the aforementioned areas Page 3 of 5

4 Ideas for Learning and Assessment Activities: 1. Have investigators/adjudicators read survivor stories at or from books such as Victim to Survivor: Women Recovering from Clergy Sexual Abuse by Nancy Werking. After a brief class example, students identify concepts and terms from each of the corecompetency areas within each story. This exercise should be done in small groups of 2-4 to facilitate discussion and learning. This exercise can be administered individually for the purposes of assessment. 2. Have a series of six class meetings. During the first five classes, expert speakers give talks on each of the first five core-competency areas. The presentation makes up the first half of each class. The second half of each class is spent in activity and discussion, during which students practice applying the newly presented concepts. The final class is a synthesis class, which can involve the exercise described above in item (1). Some ideas for speakers for each class: a. Sexual violence: a Rape Crisis Center employee b. Cluster B personality disorders: a psychologist with extensive experience working with or researching high-functioning disordered individuals (i.e., white-collar criminals) c. Abusive relationship dynamics: a psychologist with extensive experience working with or researching domestic violence, and/or a shelter employee d. Trauma and recovery: a psychologist who specializes in PTSD treatment and prevention e. Clergy sexual abuse: clergy sexual abuse researchers from Baylor University, and/or a representative from The Hope of Survivors and/or other organizations that support victims, and/or therapists who work with victims 3. Have investigators/adjudicators read a book or book excerpts for each core-competency areas. Below are some ideas for books. These are only a small handful of books available on these topics; there are many more available. a. Sexual violence: Encyclopedia of rape by Merril D Smith; The sexual healing journey by Wendy Maltz b. Cluster B: Let us prey by Glenn Ball & Darrell Puls; Without conscience by Robert Hare c. Abusive relationships: Psychopath free by Jackson MacKenzie; 30 covert emotional manipulation tactics by Adelyn Birch d. Trauma and recovery: Trauma and recovery by Judith Herman e. Clergy sexual abuse: Victim to Survivor: Women Recovering from Clergy Sexual Abuse by Nancy Werking Page 4 of 5

5 Example Course Schedule (recommend at least 2-hours for each class): Date Topic Activities* Speaker: Shelly Hamilton from the Orange County Nov. 4 Sexual violence Rape Crisis Center (OCRCC) Small group discussions, Speaker: Robert Hare, Nov. 11 Cluster B CM Small group discussions, Speaker: Joe Laguna, LMFT of battererrehabilitation program Nov. 18 Abusive relationships Small group discussions, Speaker: Liz Crescent, PhD, psychologist who works with trauma Nov. 25 Trauma and Recovery survivors Small group activity, trauma survivor roleplaying Dec. 2 Holiday break Speaker: Mark Chaves, PhD, clergy sexual abuse Dec. 9 Clergy sexual abuse researcher at Baylor Univeristy Small group activity, roleplaying Speaker: course facilitator to lead case Dec. 16 Synthesis example Case study exercises and class discussion *Speaker names are mostly fictional Page 5 of 5

SECTION 8 SURVIVOR HEALING MAINE COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT

SECTION 8 SURVIVOR HEALING MAINE COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT SECTION 8: SURVIVOR HEALING SURVIVOR HEALING INTRODUCTION Healing from any type of sexual violence is a personal journey and will vary