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Biography

Dr. Jeanne L. Allert has been a leader in providing restorative care for victims of domestic sex trafficking since 2007, for 13 years as a residential service provider and today managing the Institute for Survivor Care, a national think tank, research, and equipping organization. The Institute seeks to gain a keen understanding of survivor needs and effective interventions through research, while informing policy and care practices.

Abstract

Christian faith-based organizations constituted a significant proportion of shelter programs for survivors of sex trafficking in the United States, with an estimated 63% identifying as Christian-affiliated (Institute for Survivor Care, 2024). Despite their prevalence, such programs often elicited skepticism due to the rise of secularism (Pew Research, 2022) and concerns that spiritual programming might retraumatize survivors (Ahrens et al., 2010; Hodge, 2020). However, Ahrens et al. (2010) and Hodge (2020) also found that religious practices can be helpful. This qualitative study employed a trauma-informed, descriptive survey design to explore the experiences of 158 trafficking survivors, who had either resided in or exited from Christian faith-based residential programs, to understand how religious practices were perceived and what role, if any, those practices played in survivor recovery and well-being. A 17-item, trauma-informed survey instrument was developed in collaboration with survivor advisors and shelter providers. Participants, who each received a $25 digital gift card delivered to their email address to preserve anonymity, responded to questions about their prior religious affiliations, reasons for selecting a shelter, their reception of faith-based practices, and their perceived spiritual growth. Digital distribution was facilitated by shelter staff to ensure anonymity throughout the process. Results indicated that 84% of respondents self-identified as Christian, and over 75% entered Christian faith-based shelters to reconnect with, or begin, a relationship with God. While 65% of respondents indicated no discomfort with religious practices, approximately 9.5% described feeling pressure to conform. Nevertheless, participants frequently cited community belonging, forgiveness, identity formation, and renewed spirituality as key contributors to their healing (Nguyen et al., 2014; Van Hook, 2016). The findings suggested that Christian faith-based residential programs facilitated meaningful psychological and spiritual transformation when implemented with respect for autonomy and trauma-informed principles (SAMHSA, 2013). These results challenged the assumption that religion inherently hinders recovery (Walker et al., 2009; Pressley & Spinazzola, 2015) and highlighted spirituality as a powerful pathway to resilience and post-traumatic growth.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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