Amy Nordhues is an author, speaker, and advocate who hopes to use her experience both as a Christian and as a victim of sexual abuse by a therapist/clergy to help, support and educate others. Her memoir, Prayed Upon: Breaking Free from Therapist Abuse, was released in 2021 and recounts her story of abuse, escape and ultimate healing after encountering a predatory psychiatrist/church elder.
Through the telling of her very personal story she hopes to provide insight into the following:
- The inner workings of the abuse process of adult victims
- How past childhood abuse can make an adult vulnerable to predators
- The defective beliefs that are causing victims to doubt their own realities and become ensnared by abusers
- The inherent dangers of stepping into a counselor’s office where there are no witnesses and where the client can be unfairly dubbed “unstable”
- That abuse by a therapist or clergy is an egregious form of abuse of power and never considered a mutual affair
- Awareness about this under-reported type of abuse—therapist abuse is currently illegal in only half of the states in the U.S.
- And, finally, seeing God’s hand at work on our behalf even amidst our tribulations
