- Name
- Dr. Joyce Martella
- Tagline
- Dr. Joyce Martella
- Credentials
- Ph.D. Depth Psychology MA. Counseling Psychology A recipient of the Margaret Thaler Singer Award "For Advancing the Understanding of Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence." My Master's thesis, Twice Burned, is an in-depth study of individuals born and raised in destructive cults and high demand groups. It looks at how this experience impacted their personal development and identity formation. My Dissertation, A Path of Recovery and Healing for Second Generation Cult Survivors with Complex Trauma, demonstrates how therapists can help these individuals heal from the complex trauma they survived. I helped develop and co-facilitated a three-day workshop for individuals born and raised in destructive cults and high demand groups. I was part of a dedicated group of counselors who did workshops for individuals who had left these groups.
I have been speaking for over 16 years, addressing the issues of Complex Trauma for individuals born and raised in destructive cults and high demand groups. I have had the privilege of speaking in Switzerland, Belgium and throughout the United States.
My personal story, as the daughter of the leader, of a pseudo-Christian cult and many years of studying cults, complex trauma, and my own journey to heal, allows me to bring a unique perspective to this work.