19 VOLUME 11 |ISSUE 2 |2020
When Family and Friends
Are in Cults: How Can I
Help?
Bill Goldberg offers “methods
of demystifying the cult
experience so that the family
will feel less frightened
and will be able to devise a
strategy for helping the cult
member.”
WTVF-Nashville
On February 21, 2020, Rhori Johnston (left) interviews (left to
right) cult survivor Dylesia Barner, event host Debby Schriver,
and cult expert Bill Goldberg about cult exploitation,
survival, and how to intervene when a family member joins
a cult.
About Event Host Debby Schriver
Debby Schriver is a cult expert, author, and human-rights
activist. A native of Chicago, Schriver earned undergraduate
and graduate degrees at the University of Tennessee. Her focus
on child development began in her work with the Knox County
Foster Care Review Board. There she worked with the community
that serves at-risk youth: lawyers, social workers, and foster
parents. A similar group of caring professionals have been
essential in informing Debby’s work for her book Whispering in
the Daylight: The Children of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and
Their Journey to Freedom. Alamo’s story is part of the Sundance
TV docuseries Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo, in
which Schriver appears as the series’ cult expert (NBC Peacock
Productions and World of Wonder Productions, February 2019).
Schriver is proud to serve on the Board of ICSA. Please sign up
for her newsletter (http://bit.ly/coercivecontrolcults) to learn
about forthcoming events meant to raise awareness of cults and
coercive control in our communities.
Therapy With Former
Cult Members
Board member and past
ICSA president Lorna
Goldberg discusses
“counseling approaches
that address the unique
circumstances of former
cult members.”
A Way to Healing With
Creative Arts With
Alsandria
In her dance/dramatic
presentation, Tony Alamo
Christian Ministries survivor
Alsandria R. shares “what
has been so impactful for
me in terms of healing and
growth since being taken
from the cult.”
Widening the Frame: What Understanding Coercive
Control Can Mean for the Larger Discussion
Ragan Schriver offers “an interactive program” involving
“a presentation on coercive control from three different
perspectives: a trauma-informed lens, as a population health
concern and a call to action for the wider community.”
The University of Tennessee College of Social Work
The College of Social Work is committed to advancing the
mission of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville as the state’s
land-grant, flagship university, to provide a quality public
education for the citizens of Tennessee through exemplary
teaching, research, and service. The College of Social Work
provides a professional, social-work education program that
prepares students for social-work practice and doctoral-level
graduate students for social-work research and academia.
Social Justice Innovation Initiative
The Social Justice Innovation Initiative at the College of Social
Work was made possible through a gift by longtime College
supporter, Susan Cooper. The initiative offers a unique
framework for understanding many of society’s most pressing
issues around education, healthcare, and social justice. The
Initiative provides grants for students and faculty to creatively
challenge social injustices in their communities. n
When Family and Friends
Are in Cults: How Can I
Help?
Bill Goldberg offers “methods
of demystifying the cult
experience so that the family
will feel less frightened
and will be able to devise a
strategy for helping the cult
member.”
WTVF-Nashville
On February 21, 2020, Rhori Johnston (left) interviews (left to
right) cult survivor Dylesia Barner, event host Debby Schriver,
and cult expert Bill Goldberg about cult exploitation,
survival, and how to intervene when a family member joins
a cult.
About Event Host Debby Schriver
Debby Schriver is a cult expert, author, and human-rights
activist. A native of Chicago, Schriver earned undergraduate
and graduate degrees at the University of Tennessee. Her focus
on child development began in her work with the Knox County
Foster Care Review Board. There she worked with the community
that serves at-risk youth: lawyers, social workers, and foster
parents. A similar group of caring professionals have been
essential in informing Debby’s work for her book Whispering in
the Daylight: The Children of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and
Their Journey to Freedom. Alamo’s story is part of the Sundance
TV docuseries Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo, in
which Schriver appears as the series’ cult expert (NBC Peacock
Productions and World of Wonder Productions, February 2019).
Schriver is proud to serve on the Board of ICSA. Please sign up
for her newsletter (http://bit.ly/coercivecontrolcults) to learn
about forthcoming events meant to raise awareness of cults and
coercive control in our communities.
Therapy With Former
Cult Members
Board member and past
ICSA president Lorna
Goldberg discusses
“counseling approaches
that address the unique
circumstances of former
cult members.”
A Way to Healing With
Creative Arts With
Alsandria
In her dance/dramatic
presentation, Tony Alamo
Christian Ministries survivor
Alsandria R. shares “what
has been so impactful for
me in terms of healing and
growth since being taken
from the cult.”
Widening the Frame: What Understanding Coercive
Control Can Mean for the Larger Discussion
Ragan Schriver offers “an interactive program” involving
“a presentation on coercive control from three different
perspectives: a trauma-informed lens, as a population health
concern and a call to action for the wider community.”
The University of Tennessee College of Social Work
The College of Social Work is committed to advancing the
mission of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville as the state’s
land-grant, flagship university, to provide a quality public
education for the citizens of Tennessee through exemplary
teaching, research, and service. The College of Social Work
provides a professional, social-work education program that
prepares students for social-work practice and doctoral-level
graduate students for social-work research and academia.
Social Justice Innovation Initiative
The Social Justice Innovation Initiative at the College of Social
Work was made possible through a gift by longtime College
supporter, Susan Cooper. The initiative offers a unique
framework for understanding many of society’s most pressing
issues around education, healthcare, and social justice. The
Initiative provides grants for students and faculty to creatively
challenge social injustices in their communities. n
