32 ICSA TODAY
Profiles On...
Carolle Tremblay
“Can I change something for the
better in this family?”This is the
question Carolle Tremblay asks herself
each time she meets a client for the
first time. She continues to ruminate
on that question as she works with
them. “I believe in being open to
other people, in trying to make a
positive difference in people's lives.”
Carolle Tremblay is an attorney in private
practice, specializing in family law. Her
firm is located in Montreal, Quebec. She is
also the president of Info-Cult/Info-Secte,
the largest center in Canada for
information on cults and dangerous
groups.
Ms. Tremblay began her family law
practice in 1989, and
sometime in the mid-90s I had a
divorce custody case in which the
husband had realized that his wife had
joined a strange group... Mike Kropveld
(founder of Info-Cult/Info-Secte)
testified in the case. This was my
introduction to cult-related issues.
Later, Mike asked me to sit on the
board.
Although she had no personal experience
of being in a cult, and therefore no
experience of having to rebuild a life
after such an experience, Ms. Tremblay
did redesign her own life when she
realized that the one she was living was
not adequate to her deeper needs. She
changed things and created a life that
was responsive to her desires. This
change includes keeping a flexible
schedule, traveling a lot, cooking,
knitting, and doing Zumba and weight-
training at the gym.
The beauty of this kind of self-designed
life is in stark relief to the outwardly
imposed, authoritarian demands of
the cult life. In this, Carolle stands
with a number of women who are
humanizing the working world,
making a sea change in what is
expected and understood as normal.
In this occupation, I do get
discouraged if the judicial system fails
but after my first reaction, I soon start
questioning why it failed and what to
do to avoid failure. I am an actor in the
judicial system. It is my responsibility
to make it better... To relieve stress, I
talk to my partner a lot... I do my
hobbies... I travel.
Carolle has three children: Clara, 23
Antoine, 20 Florence, 14. She grew up in
a small town, Chicoutimi, Quebec, where
she had a “very happy childhood.” If she
were not a practicing lawyer, Carolle
believes she would probably be a
psychologist because “ I have a real
need to contribute, to understand,
to help.” She received the Herbert
Rosedale Award at the past annual
ICSA Conference in Montreal, Quebec.
A favorite film of hers is As Good As It Gets
because
the three main characters are able to
make the best they can with what they
have. They use and share their limits to
actually find the courage to continue
and build their happiness, being
happy in not having a perfect life.
This work, my law practice and
volunteer work, helps me in many
ways. It has opened my eyes to
different ways to understand why
people do what they do. It helps me
to understand the manipulation
process, in particular. I am much
more inclined now to look at the
reason or the need behind a
particular behavior, rather than at
the behavior itself. And this has
been very helpful not only in
everything I do but in getting to
know myself better and changing
my own behavior. ■
Dr. Steve K. D. Eichel
If you want to get something done,
ask a busy person.
At the annual ICSA conference held
this past July in Montreal, Steve K. D.
Eichel, PhD, ABPP, was named the
new president of ICSA. In spite of his
normally busy schedule and new
responsibilities as president, Dr. Eichel
graciously made himself available for
interview. And in spite of what must
be a very intense period for him, he
gave his full attention to the
conversation and follow-up emails.
Dr. Eichel earned both his MS and
PhD degrees from the University of
Pennsylvania. His doctoral
dissertation was translated into
several languages and it is in
recognition of this work that he was,
in 1990, a corecipient of the John G.
Clark Award for Distinguished
Scholarship in Cultic Studies.
In 1983, together with Roberta
Eisenberg and Dr. Linda Dubrow-
Marshall, he founded RETIRN
(Re-Entry Therapy, Information
and Referral Network). RETIRN is
one of the oldest continuing private
providers of psychological services
to families and individuals harmed
by cultic situations. It has offices in
Delaware, Pennsylvania, and England.
In addition to his private practice, Dr.
Edited by Mary O’Connell
Profiles On...
Carolle Tremblay
“Can I change something for the
better in this family?”This is the
question Carolle Tremblay asks herself
each time she meets a client for the
first time. She continues to ruminate
on that question as she works with
them. “I believe in being open to
other people, in trying to make a
positive difference in people's lives.”
Carolle Tremblay is an attorney in private
practice, specializing in family law. Her
firm is located in Montreal, Quebec. She is
also the president of Info-Cult/Info-Secte,
the largest center in Canada for
information on cults and dangerous
groups.
Ms. Tremblay began her family law
practice in 1989, and
sometime in the mid-90s I had a
divorce custody case in which the
husband had realized that his wife had
joined a strange group... Mike Kropveld
(founder of Info-Cult/Info-Secte)
testified in the case. This was my
introduction to cult-related issues.
Later, Mike asked me to sit on the
board.
Although she had no personal experience
of being in a cult, and therefore no
experience of having to rebuild a life
after such an experience, Ms. Tremblay
did redesign her own life when she
realized that the one she was living was
not adequate to her deeper needs. She
changed things and created a life that
was responsive to her desires. This
change includes keeping a flexible
schedule, traveling a lot, cooking,
knitting, and doing Zumba and weight-
training at the gym.
The beauty of this kind of self-designed
life is in stark relief to the outwardly
imposed, authoritarian demands of
the cult life. In this, Carolle stands
with a number of women who are
humanizing the working world,
making a sea change in what is
expected and understood as normal.
In this occupation, I do get
discouraged if the judicial system fails
but after my first reaction, I soon start
questioning why it failed and what to
do to avoid failure. I am an actor in the
judicial system. It is my responsibility
to make it better... To relieve stress, I
talk to my partner a lot... I do my
hobbies... I travel.
Carolle has three children: Clara, 23
Antoine, 20 Florence, 14. She grew up in
a small town, Chicoutimi, Quebec, where
she had a “very happy childhood.” If she
were not a practicing lawyer, Carolle
believes she would probably be a
psychologist because “ I have a real
need to contribute, to understand,
to help.” She received the Herbert
Rosedale Award at the past annual
ICSA Conference in Montreal, Quebec.
A favorite film of hers is As Good As It Gets
because
the three main characters are able to
make the best they can with what they
have. They use and share their limits to
actually find the courage to continue
and build their happiness, being
happy in not having a perfect life.
This work, my law practice and
volunteer work, helps me in many
ways. It has opened my eyes to
different ways to understand why
people do what they do. It helps me
to understand the manipulation
process, in particular. I am much
more inclined now to look at the
reason or the need behind a
particular behavior, rather than at
the behavior itself. And this has
been very helpful not only in
everything I do but in getting to
know myself better and changing
my own behavior. ■
Dr. Steve K. D. Eichel
If you want to get something done,
ask a busy person.
At the annual ICSA conference held
this past July in Montreal, Steve K. D.
Eichel, PhD, ABPP, was named the
new president of ICSA. In spite of his
normally busy schedule and new
responsibilities as president, Dr. Eichel
graciously made himself available for
interview. And in spite of what must
be a very intense period for him, he
gave his full attention to the
conversation and follow-up emails.
Dr. Eichel earned both his MS and
PhD degrees from the University of
Pennsylvania. His doctoral
dissertation was translated into
several languages and it is in
recognition of this work that he was,
in 1990, a corecipient of the John G.
Clark Award for Distinguished
Scholarship in Cultic Studies.
In 1983, together with Roberta
Eisenberg and Dr. Linda Dubrow-
Marshall, he founded RETIRN
(Re-Entry Therapy, Information
and Referral Network). RETIRN is
one of the oldest continuing private
providers of psychological services
to families and individuals harmed
by cultic situations. It has offices in
Delaware, Pennsylvania, and England.
In addition to his private practice, Dr.
Edited by Mary O’Connell
