Purity Culture: The Traumatic Aftermath of the 2000s Movement

Abstract:
In this workshop, we will review the history of the Purity Culture Movement of the 1990s/2000s in the United States and its harmful aftermath. Purity culture has focused around preserving female virginity through rules that attempt to regulate sexual behavior, often being taught to children and adolescents. Mental health symptoms related to these teachings can show up any time thereafter affecting various aspects of self, such as identity and sexual health, leading clients to seek mental health services. It is common for individuals not to label their reason for seeking therapy as related to “purity culture” due to the relatively new terminology for this phenomenon. Clients may describe many hallmark symptoms related to purity culture, but lack the language for this. It is only in recent years that researchers have coined the term now referred to as “purity culture,” which refers to this subculture of conservative Christianity. Due to this, clients may not describe their experiences as traumatic and may struggle to connect their symptoms to purity culture. As clinicians, it is necessary for us to be familiar with what purity culture is, its potentially harmful effects, as well as the various ways that it may present in clients in order to best help them achieve their therapeutic goals. We will discuss how purity culture teachings have contributed to rape culture and the specific impacts on women, LGBT+ individuals, and men. Then, we will provide an overview of needs that individuals who lived through the purity culture movement may have, as well as considerations for working with this population. With the support and guidance of mental health professionals, clients affected by purity culture can regain the dignity that purity culture robbed them of. Through empowerment and choice, we can help clients take back their own bodies and sense of self.

Potential to Distress: Yes

This presentation was originally presented as part of a live hybrid conference in March 2024.

Target Audience

Beginning/Introductory

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of the presentations participants will be able to:

  • Describe the historical context of purity culture in the United States
  • Identify how purity culture can be a form of religious abuse that can cause trauma
  • Explain the long term impact of purity culture and its influence on future victimization
  • Compare the impact of purity culture on people with different sex and gender identities
  • Demonstrate awareness of client needs following the impact of purity culture
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.50 APA
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • 1.50 ASWB ACE
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.50 continuing education credits.
  • 1.50 ISSTD Certificate Program
    This program is eligible for 1.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Course opens: 
06/01/2025
Course expires: 
12/31/2025
Rating: 
0

Jessica Endres, PhD, LPC, NCC
Dr. Jessica Endres (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Counselor at her private practice in Texas called Red Oak Therapy. In her practice, she provides individual counseling, DBT group counseling, consultation for working with trauma and dissociative disorders, and training or speaking engagements. She works with adults who have experienced neglect and sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. Most of her clients are working to manage attachment issues, personality disorder symptoms, PTSD, complex PTSD, and dissociative disorders. She is also an LGBTQ+ ally and works to support all client identities in therapy. Before entering private practice, Dr. Endres had previous clinical experience in various settings including a psychiatric hospital, local mental health authority, rape crisis center, and domestic violence shelter. Her clinical training includes Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing protocols (Basic, PRECI, ASSYT, Group), as well as Trauma Model Therapy. Additionally, she is a trained yoga instructor and integrates mindfulness skills and the various limbs of yoga into her counseling practice. In her research, she has focused on the identification and treatment of dissociation and dissociative identity disorder (DID). Dr. Endres also has interest in research supporting women surviving trauma related to religious, immigration, and systematic abuse. Since completing her doctoral degree at Sam Houston State University in 2022, she now teaches as adjunct faculty in the Dallas/Fort Worth area helping students develop into trauma informed counselors. Personally, she is an extroverted, social person who enjoys playing sports, reading, and spending time with her dogs and loved ones.

Lauren Hawkins, MA, LPC, NCC
Lauren Hawkins (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas currently working in group private practice. Lauren also holds independent licensure in the state of Colorado. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Kentucky and her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Her experiences include providing counseling services to individuals diagnosed with severe persistent mental illness, as well as foster youth, adults, families, and people in relationships. Lauren is a climate-aware, EMDR trained, LGBTQIA+ clinician and currently sees adult clients who have experienced trauma, LGBTQIA+ identifying individuals, and clients experiencing eco-anxiety or navigating the traumatic impacts of climate distress and natural disaster. Lauren is passionate about social justice and supporting marginalized groups who have been systemically impacted by religious, environmental, and social factors. She values environmental advocacy and individuals’ connection with nature as important parts of the healing journey. She approaches counseling from a holistic framework, expanding the definition of holistic to also include ecowellness, and strives to always intentionally consider the unique intersectional systems that each person is a part of. Creating an inclusive and authentic therapeutic environment is prioritized in Lauren’s clinical work. At the heart of Lauren's work is a desire to Lauren enjoys spending her free time with her husband out on a hike, at a local coffee shop, at a concert, or traveling. If she's not doing one of those things, she's probably hanging out with her dog, Blue, or her cat, Maya.

Available Credit

  • 1.50 APA
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • 1.50 ASWB ACE
    The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.50 continuing education credits.
  • 1.50 ISSTD Certificate Program
    This program is eligible for 1.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Please login or register to take this course.